Z Day is Here

by Rob Fox

  We should be at the mountain in about an hour. I have very little time left. I have to ensure the others are safe. I have to know that Darcy will be well taken care of. She is asleep with her head on my shoulder right now. I am going to miss this moment. I will miss our life.

  I am going to try to enjoy the last few hours we have together.

  Day 101

  This is my last entry.

  I can feel the infection ripping through my body, killing everything inside me as it takes over. Reality hasn't quite sunk in yet that in a few short minutes I will be dead.

  Last night when we got to the mountain, we immediately began setting up the explosives around the path. Thanks to the United States government, we had more than enough high-powered explosives to blow up a small country. As we worked, Ed paced back and forth behind me, never taking his eyes off me. Not that I blame him. Darcy was in and out of it all night. Half the time she would know who she was and what was going on, and the other half she was completely unresponsive.

  Sometime early this morning, Tonya, who was our lookout, yelled to us that two very large migrations were heading our away. Those made us work even harder and faster. As the evening came to an end, I tried to spend as much time with Darcy as I could while she was in her right mind. We talked about everything we could. I held her while she cried herself to sleep. We laughed a lot at the stupid things in the past that now mean nothing. She was like someone with Alzheimer's; one minute she was fine, and then next she had no idea who I was.

  By early this morning, all the preparation was complete. Mego took Cole and Matthew and a few of the other survivors up the mountain to prepare everything and to search for food and straggler zombies.

  From where we stood, we could see the migration heading our way. Both groups had merged to form one huge cloud-like shape coming straight towards us. At the rate they were moving, it was clear they would be on us by midafternoon. My health was failing fast. I guess all the work I had been doing pumped the infection through my body faster.

  It was time to say goodbye.

  Darcy stood beside me once again in her own little world. One by one, everyone walked by, giving me their condolences. No one was sure exactly what to say. After all, what do you say to a stranger who is dying? Tonya and Cole were the last two to say their goodbyes. Cole had come running down the mountain as fast as he could just to be there when I left. He stood beside me, face wet with sweat and tears. Tonya hugged me as hard as she could until I finally made her back off. These people had been my family, my closest friends. I love them.

  I could smell the blood rushing through her body. It smelled sweet. I began feeling an urge to eat. My stomach, as upset as it was, felt as if it were on fire. This hunger burned through every part of my body. I could barely stand up at this point. I asked Shaughn and Ed to carry me to an abandoned car parked at the edge of the explosives.

  As they began to carry me down, Darcy snapped to herself again. She came running towards us. I don't know if she was completely aware of what was going on, but I do know that she knew something bad was happening. She threw her arms around me and began to cry. She was yelling, “Take me with you," over and over again. I tried my best to hold her and comfort her, but I was too weak. I begged her to stop crying. I always hated it when she cried. I asked Ed and Shaughn to put me down and leave us alone for one minute.

  I will not share everything we spoke about in our last few minutes together, but I told her how much I loved her and how proud I was of her surviving this long. Lastly, I told her about this journal I have been writing now for 101 days. I told her where she could find a copy once I am gone. I asked her to pass this along to all the other survivors so one day the world will know what happened to me and a small group of people. I called the guys back over to finish carrying me to the car. I kissed Darcy on the forehead and said my final goodbyes.

  Ed and Shaughn put me in the car and handed me a gun and the remote to the explosives. I told them to gather everyone and run as fast as they could up the mountain and to not turn around. They should run as if their lives depended on it, because they did. The survival of the human race depended on their survival.

  That takes me to where I am now. I can barely type. My body aches. My soul hurts. It's not easy knowing your life is about to end. I am sitting in a car filled with liquid nitrogen and explosives. I can't help but laugh when I think about the looks that will cross those undead bastards’ faces when I throw the switch and blow us all to hell. If I can wait till the last minute, I should be able to get rid of more than half of them with just this initial explosion. Once this one goes off, there are three more set to kick off. The force should be strong enough to rip a huge crater in the side of the mountain, making it impossible for anyone to go up the mountain.

  My vision is getting worse by the second, and it is getting harder and harder to breathe. As I look out the window, it is as if everything is happening in slow motion. Cole is behind Tonya, who is on her knees crying and holding Darcy. Jeremiah is yelling for everyone to follow him. Ed is pulling on Cole’s shirt, urging him to leave the blast zone. They have all begun running up the mountain. As my head swims, I turn to face the millions of zombies heading my way. As I turn back to see my friends one last time, I pause long enough to see myself in the mirror. I look years older—I guess we all do—but my once-chubby cheeks are now sunken in. I can see the veins under my skin as they turn a dark purple color and swell. My once-brown eyes have nearly lost all the pigment in them and are almost completely white.

  I turn to look for my friends and loved ones. They are nowhere in sight, or at least I can no longer see them. I turn my head one last time as the sun is blotted out of the sky by shadows.

  The migration is here. They are banging on the car, trying to get in here. I can no longer feel my legs. The top of the car has crushed in from the weight of them on top of here. There are hands all around me. Blood is pouring out of my nose and eyes, and there is a loud ringing in my ears. I hope I have the courage to hit the button. I am scared to die. I am scared to be one of these creatures. I can smell the rot of their bodies as they begin ripping apart the car piece by piece.

  This is it.

  I am going to finish this now. I'm scared, but I know the end is just the beginning.

  Goodbye, Darcy. I hope you live forever.

  To all you zombie bastards, burn in hell.

  About the Author

  Rob Fox is the author of the zombie novel 'Z Day is Here' and the sequel 'Z Day is Here: One Year Later', the children's picture book 'Sometimes I am scared of Zombies', numerous short stories in various anthologies, including 'Recess' in the anthology 'Dead Set: A Zombie Anthology', and his stand alone short ghost story 'No More Forgiveness'. Along with writing stories and novels, he is also an accomplished screenwriter. His first screenplay 'Ace the Zombie' has won numerous awards at film festivals around the country. His Serial Killer script 'A Man in Desperation' is in post-production and will be released in early 2015. Currently, Rob is the head writer for the popular web series with over 2 million views, 'StudvilleTV' which is in its 2nd season on Youtube.