Ray's Lament: A Welcome to Dead House Prequel

Chapter #6 Strike Three, You're Dead!

My brain tried to wrap itself around what was going on. Nobody was in my room, but I swear I'd heard the voice coming from in here. I bit my bottom lip, confused, and looked around my room.

Completely empty.

Letting out an exasperated groan, I went and locked my own windows before hopping into bed. I even checked my closet for good measure.

Nothing.

As I layed in bed, I tried to fall asleep, but something was preventing me from doing so. A smell that I had aired out of this room days ago.

The smell of wet dirt and rain.

The next day was a very cloudy day, even more so than the past few days had been. The clouds that covered the sky were darker, signaling the chance of rain at any time.

I stayed inside for a little bit, but eventually decided to go for a walk. When I left, my parents were getting ready to leave too. Mr. Dawes had called both of them down to his office in town and they were going to go see him.

I walked my usual way towards the school, passing the old rotting houses as I did. The trees provided coverage as it started to drizzle a bit. I made my way past the school and playground and down the street towards the cemetery, stopping at it's large iron gates.

I peered beyond the gates and into the cemetery, it didn't even look well kept. It looked more like a plain woods than a graveyard.

Shrugging, I turned away from the cemetery and began walking back down the street the way I'd came. As I came back up to the school, I glanced over at the playground, my friends were shockingly there. On a day like today? They were in a huddle at the moment.

I made my way into the playground and as I did, my friend's huddle broke and they all turned to stare at me. Their faces were blank, others a bit surprised to see me. That's when I noticed that someone was missing.

Robert.

    "Hey guys." I waved.

    "Ray! We didn't expect you to show up today." Jerry proclaimed.

    "Well, I was just out for a walk and I saw you guys here, so I figured I'd come see what's up. I don't think I'll be much use to play today though, my wrist got a little messed up yesterday when.....I was....helping my dad in the backyard." I explained, stretching the truth on the last part. I didn't think they'd believe me if I told them that some random hand grabbed me and sprained my wrist.

Jerry smiled a bit.

    "That's ok, you can be the catcher today." He offered, throwing me a spare mitt.

I grinned and nodded before taking my place behind the batter, crouching into position.

The game started then, and went on for a good while. It felt odd that we were playing in the rain, which seemed to only get heavier as the game went on. Some time into it, I began pondering where Robert was, as he always seemed so enthusiastic to play ball. Maybe he was sick or something?

A good hour passed before the rain was coming down in sheets. It was honestly becoming hard to see my friends that were out on the field. In front of me, George stepped up to bat. I could faintly see Bill on the pitchers mound through the bullets of rain, getting ready to wind up for a throw. I could hear him counting aloud, something he'd never done before.

    "One.....two.....three..NOW!!!!" Bill shouted.

I readied my mitt for a lightning fast throw, but instead, as if in slow motion, George turned to me and swung his wooden bat into my side. The crack winded me and sent me tumbling to the wet, muddy ground, landing on my bad wrist.

Wincing, I turned and stared up at George, who towered over me. I gasped sharply. His face.....ripped in areas, more ghostly and sickly pale than before, his once brown eyes had turned to a murderous red hue....

    "George....?" I whimpered, sitting up.

    "Don't worry Ray, it'll all be over soon." George comforted, a disturbing smile creeping onto his lips.

The others approached us then. Relieved, I turned to them to cry for help, but when I did I was met with a frightening sight.

They were all just like George....All of their skin was torn and gross, the deadly red glint in their eyes, and the damp smell......of wet dirt and rain emanating from all of them....

    "Guys....what is....what are..." I tried, but I couldn't get the right words out.

All of my friends laughed in unison. Their laughter sounded so much more menacing and psycho now than before....

    "Oh Ray, it's about time you found out." Alyssa spoke.

    "Found out what?" I stammered.

They laughed again.

    "That we're all dead..." Bill admitted.

Laughter again.

My eyes widened in fear, slowly processing what he'd just said. They were....dead...?

    "What?! But....how?" I asked.

    "We weren't always dead. We used to be alive, like you. The explosion at the chemical factory last year did it." Mary told.

    "It released this yellow gas." Lily said.

    "It killed us." Alyssa added.

    "But we didn't stay dead." Sam chimed in.

Laughter.

    "When we got back up, all of us were starving....but we only wanted to eat one thing." Jerry informed.

    "Human flesh. It's the only thing we need to stay alive." George blurted.

    ".....Like yours..." Bill stated.

The realization was hitting me like a cement truck. My friends and the rest of the town were all dead....the living dead. They weren't all gray and pale because of malnutrition and poverty, they were pale because they were a bunch of hungry zombies!

My friends began tightening the circle that they'd formed around me, closing in. They reached out their hands to grab me.

    "Don't be afraid Ray...." Alyssa coaxed.

    "It'll all be over soon." Bill assured.

Suddenly then, there was a slight break in the clouds overhead, tiny streaks of sunlight shined through. My friends tore their eyes from me and looked warily to the sky, their faces panicked at the sights of the sun.

I took this opening to lunge from my sitting position and pummeled George to the ground, darting out of the circle. I began to run away, fast, out of the playground.

    "GET HIM!" Alyssa yelled.

I knew then that they were all chasing after me. I just had to get home....to warn my parents.....

We had to get the heck out of here!