Post by Rayna Faust on Jun 22, 2011 8:00:48 GMT -4
((I had this as a nightmare.... Why is it that all my nightmares become my best short stories? Since this is a zombie story and I'm testing out that it doesn't sound stupid, I figure I'd post it here.))
It all started years and years ago really... I was ten and a crybaby like you’d not believe. I was running from everything all the time, bit of a coward yes, so it was expected what would happen when things just became a ghost town. I took the long route on 401 for miles and miles until a nice couple picked me up. They decided to bring me to a place I could eventually call home. My first sign that something was happening was when I was twelve. I was readin the newspaper, I worked at the library, nobody asked about your origins if you acted pretty, looked prettier than sleeping on the streets, like you had parents and don’t burst out crying every few minutes. But that doesn’t really matter anyways although it seemed like the time then since the people at the library were so nice including my friend Sarah.
Anyways, SHE was the one who handed me that paper. In it was mentioned the dissapearence of a Mrs. Henderson. Now the problem with this was I knew her. Every little bit of her from the mole a little below her eye, the strict glasses that made her look like she glared at you while teachin you, poofy hair and those long, clipped nails that tap tap tapped against a desk when she was impatiently waitin for your late work. She was from my old town and if it weren’t for the fact she stood out, she tried to stand out, I wouldn’t have known about her. I wouldn’t have first known about the dissapearences neither, of those who had seen too much.
I thanked Sarah for the paper and then went to the head librarian. Strict and clever, her bright blue eyes regarded me as I told her I had to quit.
“But Louis...” She said “You are one of my best workers and you’ve worked well for several years here. Why would you leave suddenly now?”
Oh if my lying skills weren’t good then I don’t know what was. “The woman in the newspaper, I knew her...” I said hesitantly “I wanted ta give my last respects to her. She used to be from my old town.”
“Oh? So you are going with your parents?”
That set of unease as always rises in my chest to be brushed aside for a cheery smile like every time someone talked about or brought up my parents. It had been a while since they disappeared. No... Maybe not disappeared... I knew all that had happened but even then was still tryin to deny it, to not believe it. With that last talk I headed out.
It was only a short four months in that I decided to participate in something big in the next town. A contest. I got to know the lot of people in the town and they told me of the event in one of the bigger cities. A contest of strength and running skills and secret events of all sorts. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time. Maybe I just wanted one last good thing... Maybe I knew the truth already in my whatcha ma call it... The subconscious.
Either way it was a big thing ta participate in that type of event, I usually didn’t. “The Merryville Triathalon!” signs screamed out at you from the event along with typical lines like “Come one come all” and “Sign up now!” The bursts of random color of the signs coulda blinded the eyes....
There were closer to twenty other competitiors. I was the smallest one and the youngest. I didn’t know any people in the group which relieved me some. I wasn’t sure if I coulda dealt with people from my old town yet. I nervously brushed off my sleeve as people chatted around me letting the sounds of people in a large group soothe me. It had been a while since I dealt with a large group, I generally avoided them . Right fearful I am of crowds but somehow these people were comfortin in a way. They were protection. They were friends. They were family.
The first event was a long run, over a mile, with those things you had to jump over showing up at random intervals in the course. It was fun. But that was when things started getting suspicious. Only about ten of the group managed to make it to the finish line for that one. I looked at the others, as confused as any, but not particularly surprised. They were coming.
The second event was a bit of a odd one, a search, we had to go find a room. One of the folks, a eighteen year old, next youngest compared ta me was as nervous as hell. He just talked and talked and talked to me as we continued walkin. I wasn’t particularly fond of him but I didn’t really mind him. He gave a bit of a warm energy to the disturbin feel of the hallway. That creepin feelin like something is watchin you all predatory like. Or maybe that feelin like ya get in the dark.
I remembered my Dad then. Black haired, blue eyes, he was lively. The closest one in my family ta me. He was always gettin me to try new things and I was always lovin them afterwards. He was the one who got me over my fear of the dark ya know...
“There is nothin that hides in the dark you know.” He told me calmly, gently “ Nothin bad that is.”
I was a naive, sweet, wide eyed thing before what happened to the town. “Nothin bad?” I asked “Then what is in there? What can I hear rustlin?”
My Dad chuckled like always his warm belly laugh that just fills the room. It seemed to light up the darkness too... Just like this boy’s talk did. That’s it... He probably just reminded me of my Dad... I was going to go smile at him from my thoughts but then the talking suddenly stopped. I looked up to see that I was all alone. It was dark an it seemed like everything was staring.
The corridor I was in was bigger, more menacing then anything I had dealt with. An I didn’t have my friend ta stay with me in the times... I took a deep breath and hung against the wall, scared out of my mind tha something would get me like it got everyone else. But then I remembered my Dad’s words then.
“It wasn anything dangerous Lou.” He told me... He always called me Lou you know... Lou or little Lou or princess... Sometimes when I was real sweet, when I was real good, he would call me baby. Not because I cried or anything but because I was his baby girl. He loved me dear and I missed him very much at that point.
But his words spoke well to me so it kept me movin even as the rustling followed me from the classrooms and stuff of the random building, abandoned. Rustle Rustle and creak creak as they drew nearer but didn touch. The teen, the second youngest, was the one with the clue so I had a hell of a time figurin it out after runnin the corridor but I did eventually find my way to the place where the remainin five were. Well there were six but one of them got dragged of by somethin, by someone, familiar.
But it couldn be him, I remembered him... Bein eaten alive. Some advanced version of windego or something, those legends... I remembered my Dad fallin to em. This man too, Pete, always the one who gave me candy had been taken out in the street. His hair was lacklustre and eyes seemed unseein but I knew he saw me just fine. I remember screaming as there was the beat beat beat of the undead fists against the door, the lock that had just been closed.
The announcer gave a bit of a shaky breath. “Well one thing is for certain, it wasn’t the company who did that and nobody really cares about the prize money anymore.” He cracked which everyone forgave him for since his voice had followed him in fright. Poor man, he looked to be only in his thirties and I doubted he had some way to get to the other side without the water course.... I think we were supposed ta go there and go outside again. “Well... The water tunnel is the only way out... You people should try to get out the best you can, I’ll guard.”
Brave selfless people they were. They shook their head and after a consensus one of them, Mike I believe, stayed behind to help the announcer. With one with a gun and the other with a spare crowbar lyin around it was almost funny. But the laughter turned to soberness when it was seen that only three of us could go on. I fitted the mask just like I useda when Dad took us on vacation.
“Make sure it sticks tight to the face, equalize and breathe when you have to.” Were the main points of obviousness Dad told but then the encouragement followed. The last thing. “Take the plunge.” I took it, splashing inta the ice cold water. After the beginning energy it just seemed to hold shock with the cold and try ta calm it. We had been told about the announcer man bout how there were seals for the water path in case of a leak. We could use that ta block them and of course they decided I was the one they had to protect despite bounding horror and understandin.
It was Harry who got dragged screaming, he was the one behind and when we didn’t hear his knocks we knew he was gone. He had kept those knocks up so we could know they were coming. Darren, the other guy, stayed behind ta continue closing as many of the holes as possible. Told me to go on. A brave sacrifice of his but as I got to the end and surfaced I realized.... It was a pointless one. I couldn help laughing realizing the utter pointlessness.
They were not coming for any of them... they were coming for me. They had been all this time. Somethin about the town was wrong but it made it so the dead came back to take those from the town. That horrible small town where everythin occurred. But I reckon I shouldn be selfish. I shouldn leave it so that others round me would die anymore. I should face them with courage.
But courage was the thing I didn really feel as the people rose up from the water. All that I remember from the flower woman to the cashier to even the guy who ran the hot dog stand... The one leadin them, of course, was Dad. He was all mottled and gray but that seemed ta change as I watched in amazement. His eyes lit up their alive blue, his skin gained its tanned color and the black hair... Was gaining vibrant furred liveliness.
He held out his arms for me and I realized it wasn’t anything negative. They were just coming back for me. They were coming ta bring me back home. I ran over ta him, him still looking the same as he did when he died. Mama was there too but it was Daddy who really caught my eye. “I missed you Daddy.” I said honestly “I’m sorry.”
His hug was still firm and strong as he hugged me close, still smelling of the self same cologne he always used. “I missed you too.” He told me softly “I’m proud of you Baby.” Then CHOMP.
I was so naive... We weren’t just here to get all those from the town. We were also supposed to get the friends and the rest of em. Once that was done... We could live out in peace. But for right now... Hi Sarah, come join us.