OUTBREAK (A collection of Zombie Stories) |#Wattys2016|

OUTBREAK (#1)

  [AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is one of the three long-form Zombie stories for this book and the titular story for the series. It follows Allen, a complete Zombie Novice in his journey to survive the Zombie apocalypse. It begins a week after the Zombie virus hit the Americas. Hope you enjoy the story!]  

Allen was paralyzed on the spot, even though every nerve in his body knew that he needed to get out of the city as fast as possible. All around him he heard the groans and moans of those... creatures and the panic-stricken screams of citizens. Gunfire echoed all around as the military desperately tried to quell the onslaught, but it was a losing battle as the undead outnumbered them seventy to one, but all of that was just background noise, for Allen's entire world was fixed on this one small alley, with a few busted cars, and the girl shambling towards him.

The girl was young, perhaps only ten years of age. She wore a white tank-top with paint stains and blue pants and sandals decorated with handmade flowers and pins. However, one look at her and Allen knew that she was infected. Her eyes were sunken in and discolored. Her teeth, yellow and chipped. Her skin had begun to go grey and she was distinctly rotting away. She slowly made her way to Allen. Shambling steadily at first, but she began to gain momentum, snarling and growling as she walked towards him.

Allen held his hands up in a placating gesture and said, in a voice trying too hard to be calm, "Little girl? Are you okay? Please... Just, stop and we can work this out... please" But the girl paid no heed to his words, coming in faster and faster. She bared her teeth as if preparing to bite him when, 

  WHACK!

A baseball bat hit the girl square in the back of her head and her skull shattered! Sending blood and flesh flying everywhere! The girl's body went limp and she fell to the floor.

The sudden death shocked Allen out of his paralysis and he looked at the person who had just murdered that little girl.

The man looked young, perhaps in his mid-to-late twenties, with an average physique, an olive complexion, small nose, short, black hair hidden behind a Yankees baseball cap, and green eyes. He looked angrily at Allen and shouted, "I JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE YOU KNOW! THAT ZOMBIE WAS JUST ABOUT GOING TO EAT YOUR TRIPES FOR DINNER IF I HADN'T KILLE-" The man was cut short when Allen punched him in the jaw, throwing him back!

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" Shouted Allen as he punched the man again and again, throwing him to the ground, "YOU JUST KILLED AN INNOCENT GIRL!"

The man fought back, boxing Allen in the ears! Allen fell back as he tried to shake off the ringing. The man kicked Allen repeatedly, till he was on the pavement. He then spat at him, "That wasn't a girl. That was a ZOMBIE! Those things are rotting, undead corpses and they eat you for dinner! So, you should be thanking me, instead of-"

"WATCH OUT!" Shouted Allen, pointing behind the man, but the man was too slow as a Zombie closed in on him and bit down hard on his shoulder, spilling copious amounts of blood.

"GAAAAADDAMNIT!!! &%#@!!!!" Roared the man as the Zombie tore out a chunk of flesh from his right shoulder. The man staggered forward and swung his bat in a wide arc, hitting the Zombie and splattering Zombie brain everywhere!

The man fell to the floor, grasping his bleeding shoulder in pain. He muttered, "Stupid &%#&$%& &*^$%^%# *&%^&*$%^* crab-faced little..." But his swearing quickly turned into raucous laughter.

Allen looked at the man, concerned, "Will you be alright?" He asked. "OF COURCE NOT!" The man shouted between a bought of laughter. He slowly got to his knees. "Seems like you know jack-shit about Zombies, huh... That's a right bummer..."