by Sarah Gray
Choose Your Own Journey: Florence West
Welcome to the zombie apocalypse. This is an adventure story that you control! When prompted, simply make your choice and follow it to the corresponding number (either by clicking the link or scrolling). This was a guest post for Bookish Brunette's Zombie Craze 2013. Check the original out at https://www.bookish-brunette.com/choose-your-own-adventure-zombie-apocalypse/ where you can leave comments and see how everyone else went. Enjoy!
Can you survive the journey, or will one wrong move end your life? Proceed to 1 to find out.
1.
It’s a sweltering summer day in Melbourne, Australia, and these are dangerous times. A strange virus has swept through the population, turning perfectly healthy people into rabid zombies. Chaos reins in the streets — people are trying to escape in their cars, or on foot, dragging suitcases of belongings with them. Others peer from their windows, determined not to run, trying to call loved ones on dead phone lines. Thankfully the zombies haven’t reached your street yet, but the last TV station showing the madness in the city just went offline. You must act now.
Your name is Florence West and you are standing in your mother’s house, still holding your mobile that shows the last text message you received before the signal died. It’s from your little sister, Liss. She’s at your dad’s house, on the other side of the city. Sadly, like your mother, he never came home from work, and now Liss needs you. You must get to her before she does something stupid and gets herself killed. Remember, in the zombie apocalypse, every choice counts. Go to 2
2.
You consult a map, looking for the best way to get to her. Left will take you around the city, which might have fewer zombies, but will you get to Liss in time? Right will take you straight through the heavily populated city, a dangerous land of hook-turns and one-way streets, but it will save you precious time. After all, your sister is only nine. How long can she last on her own? So… what will you choose?
LEFT: Go to 3 — RIGHT: Go to 4
3.
You went left, so you’re probably playing it safe. And that’s not such a bad idea. I mean, the zombie apocalypse is not the place for impulse decisions and unnecessary risks. Unfortunately for you, the streets around here are deserted. Any chance you had of catching a lift with someone in a car seems lost. But there has to be something else. You jog down the street until you find an open garage. Perfect! Inside sits a shiny powder blue scooter with keys still in the ignition. But then something else catches your eye, a super cool pair of rollerblades — the expert kind that don’t have a brake on them. And they don’t need to be refuelled ever. You glance between the choices. What will it be?
STEAL SCOOTER: Go to 5 — STEAL ROLLERBLADES: Go to 6
4.
You went right. You don’t mind a risk because you know they give the greatest rewards. But going through the city with all those zombies and gridlocked traffic? Well you must be truly badass. But no matter how daring you are, you know you’re going to need a ride, so you run to the nearest intersection and manage to flag a car down. In fact, two stop for you, which means you have a choice to make. Will you go with Dean the car salesman, and his wife, Nikki, in their bright red Holden Clubsport? Or will you choose to catch a ride with Sally, the female racing car driver, in her charcoal coloured Mini Cooper?
CAR SALESMAN: Go to 7 — RACING CAR DRIVER: Go to 8
5.
You pull on the helmet, which smells faintly of sweat, and zoom off on your scooter, coving a huge distance with ease. The scooter is small enough to fit through any traffic jams, and speedy enough to evade any lonely zombies you cross paths with, and you happily whiz along, making it to the other side of the city in one piece. But suddenly the engine coughs, and chugs, and then cuts out all together. You coast to a stop, and pause for just a second, counting five zombies shambling towards you. Think quick. Will you duck into a building and wait it out, or will you ditch the helmet and run for your life?
HIDE: Go to 9 — RUN: Go to 10
6.
Really? I mean, I’m just the narrator. But really? You set off skating, with the wind in your hair and sweat soaking into your clothes, nimbly gliding between abandoned cars, jumping gutters, and winding through debris. You blade a whole kilometre before realising that it is just way too much hard work, and that at this rate it’ll take you days to reach Liss, and that’s just not good enough. So you turn back and go for that scooter. Go to 5
7.
Dean the car salesman is still in sales mode, it seems, not wanting to break the speed limit or scratch the paintwork. And the noise of the car! My God, it’ll attract every zombie within a fifteen-kilometre radius! When Dean stops at a stop sign and cautiously checks both ways, you bail out and put as much distance between you and that bad choice. A few minutes later you find an abandoned scooter with keys still in the ignition and you decide to go it alone… fricking adults. Go to 5
8.
The Mini flies around debris and hordes of zombies, finding impossible gaps in near gridlock traffic. You cling to your seatbelt as she deftly manoeuvres through the city streets, making fantastic time. But she can only take you so far. Sally is heading in a different direction, trying to get to her family. You are grateful for her help and know you can’t ask her for anything more, so you thank her and part ways. You’ve only been walking for a few minutes down a quiet suburban street when you hear them approaching—the distorted moans, the bare feet slapping on the road. Zombies. What will you do?
HIDE: Go to 9 — RUN: Go to 10
9.
There’s nothing wrong with hiding when faced with zombies, after all, you are not an action star and this isn’t the movies. As long as you’ve got multiple exits, you should be fine, right? You try the front door of the nearest house, but it’s locked, so you make a dash for the backyard, spotting the open shed door. You dive in and listen. It doesn’t sound like they’ve followed you, so you relax and try to catch your breath. Glancing around, you find a bottle of water, a banana and a packet of barbecue-flavoured potato chips. Mmmm. You scull the beautiful crystalline water and feel much better. But now you have a choice. Which snack will you choose to eat now, and which will you save for your sister?
EAT BANANA: Go to 11 — EAT POTATO CHIPS: Go to 12
10.
Ruuuuun! Run for your life! You sprint down the road, breathing hot air and squinting from the glare of the sun. Thank goodness for adrenaline, because this is hard work. You dive between abandoned cars, constantly switching directions to get past the zombies. And you make it. But what lies further down the road? Will you keep running, or will you duck into that garden shed and look for a weapon?
KEEP RUNNING: Go to 13 — LOOK FOR WEAPON: Go to 11
11.
Okay, so now you decide a weapon might be handy for the next part of the journey. The only problem is you’ve ducked into a garden shed that—judging by the drooping plants and wilting flowerbeds you cut across to get here—has not been used in, well, forever. You look around. Twine? Nope. Lawn mower blade? No tools to get it off. You know you’re not going to find a gun because this is Australia… plus it’s not like you’d know how to use one anyway. Think, Florence, think! Then you spot them, tucked away in the corner—a long handled spade, heavy and cumbersome, yes, but you bet it packs a punch. Or there, just behind it, a rake, made of wood and plastic. It’s lighter and easier to swing, but will it stand up to the task of mashing zombie brains?
HEAVY SPADE: Go to 14 — LIGHT RAKE: Go to 15
12.
Oh the horror! Who knew that a packet of potato chips would be your downfall in the zombie apocalypse! While you chomp away, completely oblivious, the crinkling packet and crunching of snacks are attracting nearby zombies. Soon you are surrounded. The undead go crazy! They break through the flimsy shed door and, well, I’ll spare you the gory details. You are killed terribly. What a shame! And who knows what will happen to your sister now?
YOU ARE KILLED TERRI
BLY. To try again: Go to 2
13.
You keep running, keep pumping those legs, keep ducking and diving between infected zombified people. You’re not afraid! You don’t need to hide! But pretty soon the heat gets to you, your pace slows. Maybe you should have at least stopped to look for water. I mean, this is a summer day and it’s at least 40 degrees right now! You’re sticky and sweaty, your throat is dust-dry, your muscles burn.
Frick! A zombie almost grabs your arm! You reel away and practically feed yourself to the snapping jaws of another zombie. You scream and pull away — still running of course, you just love running — but it’s too late. You stare down at the oozing bite mark on your arm. You start to feel woozy, your vision blurs slightly, and then everything goes red. You blink — once, twice — and then you fall. As you stare up at the cloudless sky your last thoughts are of your sister. How will she ever survive without you? But then again, with the choices you’ve made so far, maybe Liss will be better off on her own.
YOU ARE ZOMBIFIED! DOOMED TO ROAM APOCALYPTIC MELBOURNE IN AN ENDLESS SEARCH FOR HUMAN BRAINS. To try again: Go to 2
14.
Hmm. Perhaps you should have done more push-ups in normal times. It’s not long before you run into a handful of zombies, and realise that the only thing the spade is good for is perhaps digging your own grave. It’s just too heavy and you’re far too slow with it. You swing wildly, and clobber a few undead heads, but it’s too hard to run with. You get stuck… surrounded by gnashing jaws, and sickly peeling hands with bones protruding where flesh once was. Oh dear. You are overwhelmed by the horde. Cue the violins, the tear jerking montage of your tragic journey, and finally the end credits.
YOU ARE NO LONGER WITH THE LIVING BUT YOU ARE NOT UNDEAD. THAT MEANS YOU ARE SIMPLY… DEAD. HUH. THAT’S A BIT ANTICLIMACTIC. To try again: Go to 2
15.
I mean, yeah the plastic bit breaks off the rake the moment you swing it at your first zombie head, but the stick holds up and you can kind of use it to prod any infected out of your way, and at the very least keep them out of biting distance. Phew. You evade a handful of zombies thanks to your light and nimble weapon choice. You didn’t do any damage really, but you’re not a professional zombie slayer, are you? Not yet anyway. You run, trying to put as much distance between you, and after a while you hear something. A crackling sound, coming from an abandoned car. It’s the radio! But how is that possible? There’s one message playing over and over again. It’s from the government, listing their refuge centres. You’re hot and tired, thirsty and scared. Death is around every corner. You begin to have a moral dilemma. Save yourself or continue on and try to save your sister too?
CONTINUE ON: Go to 17 — SEEK SAFETY: Go to 16
16.
Okaaay. Somebody lost her morals pretty early on in the apocalypse. You decide to head to the safety of the government refuge centre without Liss, because it’s not like you believe in karma, and let’s face it, you never really liked her anyway. You’re last seen entering the compound, and shortly after you’re declared missing, presumed dead. Where did you go? What happened to you? No one knows. And sadly, no one seems to care, especially not the little sister you abandoned. But if there’s one thing to get out of this ordeal is that Liss is probably better off on her own.
YOU SUFFER A MYSTERIOUS AND OMINOUS ENDING. WHO KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED? PITY. AND YOU SEEMED SO NICE… NOT! To try again: Go to 2
17.
Congratulations! High five! Can you hear the choir singing? You’re choices have been brave and wise, and you clearly know your zombie stuff. Liss has been sitting in your father’s house the whole time, just waiting for someone to come home. But where are your parents? Your friends? Could they really all be dead?
Nothing’s clear. And though you’ve survived for now, you know you and your sister are on your own from here on out. No parents, no weapons, no safety. This is only just beginning.
YOU ARE ALIVE. YOU HAVE FOUND LISS. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.