Zombie X

by S. G. Harkness

  A few days have passed. The days and nights have gotten noticeably colder. Winter will be here soon, and I’m going to have to settle down somewhere before winter arrives. I miss showering and my hot baths. I don’t even use the toilet. I take my dumps in plastic bags, and then I toss them out of my apartment window.

  There must be a shitty mess on the ground down below. I have more than enough plastic bags stuffed in a closet from all the shopping that I’ve done. I wouldn’t want my own crap to smell up the apartment. I don’t look forward to leaving my apartment. I know that I will eventually have to grow a gigantic schlong. I will need to man up. I will soon have to leave my apartment in order to get supplies. I won’t just stay here and die.

  Episode 2

  Several weeks have passed, and it feels like it’s been a whole year. The nights are definitely getting chillier. It’s silent in my apartment, and I’m low on supplies. I’m surviving on my last cans of beans; however, I’ve become so sick of eating beans. I managed to ration my food and water very well. The sun is shining, but the apartment hallway is fully plagued by darkness. I should open the door to look in the hallway to make sure that things are safe. I take hold of my flashlight and kitchen knife, approach the apartment door, and I slowly turn the bolt to unlock the door. The lock makes a screeching sound.

  I don't know what is going to come at me once I open the door. I keep the door chain on for security, place my nervous hand on the doorknob, and slowly turn the doorknob. I can hear the squeaky noise of the doorknob as I turn it. My heart beats faster and faster. I breathe much heavier as I carefully pull the door open about a couple of inches.

  I just want a quick view of what is out there. The smell is horrific. The light that comes from my apartment illuminates the dark hallway. I quickly close and lock the door. I feel shivers creeping around my body as the unknown influences my imagination. I walk to the kitchen to get the last fat rolled up joint that is on my fridge. This is the perfect time to smoke it up since I need to relax, and it should help clear my head.

  I go to my couch to get comfortable, and I light up the fat joint. I can already feel it working. This is exactly what I need. I bet I can score some more weed in my building. I will have to go door to door to look for some. I’m not ready to venture out of my apartment since that seems to be a big step for me. I will have to build up my confidence before I leave my apartment.

  It’s lonely times like this where I start to reminisce, and I can remember a lot of bad times. I’m glad that things have gone to shit since there is probably less corruption in the world. I begin to think about old times. The landlord of the building was a real jerk. When people didn’t pay their rent on time, it was a big mistake. The landlord would knock on their doors, and if they didn’t open, he would open the door without any notice. He would harass and threaten the residents. I remember a lot of yelling. There was a way out if they did not pay their rent on time.

  The landlord made the women sleep with him, and the men who did not pay their rent on time had to hand over their girlfriends over to him for pleasure. If the men had no girlfriends, they still had to pay with their own bodies. I heard that a guy had to do a special favor for the landlord until he paid his rent. The landlord didn’t care since he made up his own rules, and changed the rules as he pleased. He had the best of both worlds. One night, the landlord forced his way into my neighbor’s apartment.

  My neighbor was a woman who had three little kids, and she also had a baby on the way. I had no idea where her husband was. She begged the landlord to leave because she did not want him to have his way with her. The landlord was going to force himself on her until I stormed into her apartment. I told the landlord that I would pay her rent.

  The payment took most of my hard-earned savings out of my bank account. Helping my neighbor was something that I had to do. I was left with a few dollars in my savings account. I don't know why I was so nice. It took me a long time to get over it. I worked so hard to build up my savings.

  I hated being practically broke. It was my fault for making the sacrifice of paying her rent, but I just couldn't let her suffer. I couldn’t just ignore the situation. The landlord loved to milk us all out of our hard-earned money. My neighbor thanked me for my bravery, and I went back to my apartment. I guess being generous is not always rewarding.

  The police never did anything to help since the residents were too scared to call the police. They feared the police because they suspected that they were as corrupt as my landlord. The police were obviously paid off. I fantasized about burning the building down, but I didn't want to kill innocent people. I always paid my rent on time, but there were no rewards for being a good tenant. I was still harassed and bullied around my building.

  My rifle was one of the only things that kept me calm. The day that I received the rifle from my father was intense. I had spent several hours just staring at my rifle. I imagined what it would be like to fire it. I had no experience with a weapon. My father just handed it to me for protection. My father was crazy for handing it to me. After all that has happened so far, I’m now glad that he did. Sitting on the couch and smoking up makes me want to do unusual things as I take one last hit of my fat joint. I can tell it messed me up good.

  My rifle looks lonely all by itself, so I grab my rifle, and I run my fingers up and down my rifle. It feels very hard and manly, and I know how dangerous my rifle is as I bring it close to my nose, so that I can smell it. My rifle smells so seriously manly. I’m fascinated with it. I will name my rifle, Vince. He is so sexy for a rifle. He’s also really hard, and that turns me on. I take Vince to the apartment window, and I look outside to see how peaceful it is as I wonder what is happening in the world.

  Vince feels smooth in my hands, and I love the feel of him. I go to the kitchen to get a knife. I sit down and make myself comfortable as I carve Vince’s name on his rifle butt, though carving isn’t easy to do. It’s not the best carving, but I tried, and I begin to imagine seeing how happy people are outside my apartment window.

  I pick Vince up and point him at people outside my window. The scope on the rifle is pretty handy. I imagine myself scoping out boyfriends walking around with their girlfriends. They walk hand in hand with big smiles on their faces. I wonder what it is like to shoot someone. I imagine aiming at a girl as she walks with her boyfriend, and I point Vince in their direction. I pull the trigger again, again, and again.

  I snap out of my imagination. What a rush that was. I felt aroused as I imagined myself shooting innocent people. I hate seeing other people happy when I’m lonely. These long days are screwing with my mind. My father showed me a few things about how to use my rifle. I start to unload and load the rifle. I love feeling the bullets. I feel powerful. I want to know how it feels to point a loaded weapon at someone. I shiver from excitement, and I take a deep breath. The streets are empty. I would love to pull the trigger, but I don’t want to attract unwanted attention. I don’t know who is out there.

  I start to use my imagination, and I look out my apartment window to scope out boyfriends, girlfriends, people walking their dogs, and people going for jogs. I can feel my heart pounding at the excitement of knowing that I could pull the trigger at any moment, and I can kill anyone I want. I could at least injure them. I aim at a girl who is walking with her boyfriend. I aim at her eye, and I feel the excitement. The girl looks happy, and I hate every second of it. I come close to pulling the trigger.

  My finger is getting anxious. I close my eyes, squeeze the trigger, and the rifle goes off! I hide myself away from the window. Everyone must have heard the shot, and I freeze. I don’t make a sound as I slowly recover, and I make my way to the window to have a peek outside. I can see the commotion, and it turns out that I missed my shot. Shooting with my eyes closed didn’t help. Pulling the trigger felt like a rush of joy.

  I’m losing my mind sitting in my apartment. I named my rifle Vince, so I must be fucking high. The long days and nights must be consuming my sanity. I s
hould get moving someday soon. The madness is out there and not inside my head. I wish I had another fat joint to smoke. That is exactly what I need right now. I would do anything for a fat joint. I should check the other apartments once I get moving. I might find what I’m looking for. The thought of another fat joint is tempting. I just want something to help me relax.

  Episode 3

  I continue to debate about when I will walk out of my apartment, and I wonder where I should go. Winter is going to come eventually, so I need to get supplies and find a house with a fireplace. Searching for medical supplies sounds like a plan. Getting to a hospital is on my to-do list. I’m certain that I can get a bunch of supplies there.

  I’m thinking about my health, so I will need all the medicine that I can get my hands on. I don’t want to get sick and not have any medicine. I’m thinking of going to the hospital and stocking up on all kinds of life-saving drugs and medical supplies. I should also go to a pharmacy. I should have the best of both worlds. I could score some drugs that can help me relax. I could use a fat joint right now.

  Food is also on my mind, and I hope to find more than just canned beans. I plan to hit the grocery store and stock up on anything I can get my hands on. I trust that I can score some junk food. I need weapons, and it would be decent to own a tank. I'm getting ahead of myself and need to slow down right now.

  I will walk to a police station to find out what I can get. It will be more comfortable to travel if I can obtain a car that runs. I plan to find a car with lots of gas since I’m not going to carry everything on my own. I should move from house to house to pick up what people have left behind. I don’t know if anyone is alive out there. Once I walk out of my apartment, I know that there might not be any turning back.

  I don’t know where I will end up, but there is only one way to find out, and there is a lot to think about. I will try to spend time to plan for my journey. A lot of time has passed. It is already dark outside. I should get some sleep, and I will have to make my decision in the morning. However, I need to treat myself before going to sleep. I will pleasure myself because I can’t forget about my needs. If only I had a man to pound me hard from behind. Tonight is one of those nights. I take great care of my personal business. I slowly touch myself all over my body, and I’m very wet as I think of that special man who runs his hands all over me. He moves his hands in all the right places, and I crave the moment. I finish the rest of my relaxation therapy, and I prepare to get some sleep.

  I wake up to a silent morning. Today is the day that I will man up and explore the new world. It seems like I’m all alone in the world, yet I’m about to find out what is happening in the world, and I want to know if people are alive out there. I wonder how I got so lucky because I think that I should be dead right now, but I’m blessed to be alive, and I hope to find some other fortunate people. I pack my backpack with food, water, and take my weapons.

  I take my rifle, kitchen knife, and flashlight with me. I will need my flashlight in the dark hallways of my building and in the dark places that I will find. I will need my knife to shove in someone’s crazy face. I don’t know how many loonies are out there. I take my time to prepare for my departure. There is no point in rushing things. I don’t want to miss any little details.

  I’m checking everything several times over since I’m very cautious. I look out my apartment window, and it’s storming outside. It looks like I will have to deal with the bad weather. It’s very dark outside. I don’t want to depart on a cold, dark, and depressing day. I have to be strong and push forward. The rain never killed anyone I know. The only thing that’s moving is the rain that pours down from the dark sky. My umbrella is broken, but it’s my fault for buying a cheap umbrella.

  I have a lot of stuff packed. I walk in front of my mirror, and I look at myself in the mirror. I take a deep breath and head to my apartment door. I’m ready to take on the world. I can feel the anxiety run through my whole body. My legs shake as my heart beats extremely fast. I’ve never feared my apartment door so much.

  I look through the door peephole to see if I can see anything, but I don’t see a thing, and the hallway is pitch black. I put my hand on the doorknob. I'm a nervous wreck. Touching the doorknob is a big accomplishment for me. I take the next step and slowly turn the doorknob. It’s so silent that I can hear the doorknob make a light crackle sound. I have my flashlight ready. I still have the door chain on in case of an attack. There could be a crazy person out in the hallway. The smell that comes from the hallway is horrific. I use my flashlight to have a look out the side of my door.

  I slowly unhook the door chain, and I open the door. There is nothing in front of my door, so I keep my door open to let some light into the hallway. I take a quick look into the hallway, and I don’t see any movement. I bring over a chair to hold the door open. The daylight that my apartment provides is enough for me to see where I’m walking in the first half of the hallway.

  The darkness starts to overwhelm me as I continue to the middle of the hallway. I use my flashlight to help guide me through the darkness. I see dead bodies all over the floor, and the bodies are all mangled. I carefully observe the carnage. The hallway feels warm, smells rotten, and I feel like puking, but I try to hold it in. Now is not the time to lose my concentration.

  Everything is so quiet that I can hear myself breathing. My stomach is growling. I should have eaten a little something before I left, but I’m too disgusted for food right now. I won’t be breaking into apartments to look for weed. I need to get out of this creepy area. I can probably find some drugs at a pharmacy to help me relax. They must have the good stuff. I hope to score some antidepressants.

  There are dead bodies all over the place. The bodies are torn up; bodies of women are naked and ripped up, and I see decapitated bodies. There is a dog that is missing its insides. Some of the bodies are tied up with the heads smashed. There is some real artwork on one man. His arms, legs, and head have been torn off. I wonder what could drive a person to do this to another person.

  I continue down the filthy hallway, open the staircase door, and I start to walk down the endless flight of stairs. There are no dead bodies here. I thought the staircase was for emergencies. I guess people forgot about the staircase during the chaos. A lot of people should have remembered the staircase. I finally reach the main floor. There is daylight in the lobby area. There are dozens of bodies everywhere, and the smell is sickening.

  I walk outside to see if anyone is out there. The rain hits down hard, and I don’t see a single soul. I feel like I'm in someone’s nightmare as I walk slowly down the street. I notice more dead bodies around the area. I look around for a car to drive, but some of the cars don't have car keys. Some cars have run out of gas. This really sucks fat hairy balls.

  I will have to walk, but once I find some decent supplies, I will look for a car to help transport the supplies. I want to find a cozy home with a fireplace. I’m going to have to keep warm in the winter. I see a grocery store that should have almost everything that I need to survive. I arrive at the grocery store, and there are dead bodies everywhere. Most of the food is gone, but I can still see some canned food scattered around the shelves and on the floor. I don’t want to eat more canned beans. I find canned fruit and sardines. There is not much for me around here.

  Searching for supplies is not fun. I stop by a pharmacy, and a lot of the medicine is gone, but I take the flu medication that I find. I also take a bunch of medicine with names that I can’t pronounce. I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m almost done loading up at the pharmacy. Searching for supplies takes a lot more time than I expected.

  It’s getting dark outside. I don’t want to walk during the night. I will need to find a home. I’m on my way to pick the house of my dreams. It looks like I have the whole world to myself. I walk around a nice neighborhood that I recognize. It’s a luxurious area; however, I don’t have fond memories of this area. I was always jealous of this neighborhood.

&
nbsp; On several occasions, I was in this area with Shawna, who had a friend who lived nearby. I would see people with their fancy cars, barbeque parties, pool parties, and enjoying themselves. They sipped their fancy drinks on their front yard patios. The guys and girls of this neighborhood were beautiful, and they lived a high-maintenance life. I was never invited to their parties because they were way too good for me. They were living large while the rest of us struggled with our pathetic lives.

  The people who lived in this rich neighborhood partied hard and lived it up. They threw parties every night, only nowadays there is absolute silence. They will probably never be seen ever again. Everything in the world has changed. The parties and all the good times are history. I wonder if any of them are still alive. Even in the new world, it seems that I’m still struggling. Things for me are only going to get better, and I don’t see how things could get any worse.

  I’m aware that there could be survivors hiding out in homes, and they could be watching my every move right now. I will have to be careful. I will watch out for traps.

  I don't want to alarm anyone, so I knock gently on the front doors. Some of the doors are unlocked, and some houses have already been broken into. The locked doors are too hard for me to break open. I will have to break open the windows to get inside. The houses are way too beautiful to damage, but I have no choice. I want to stay in the best home before I settle down for the night. I carefully search as many houses as I can.

  I’m very picky about the house that I will choose as I wander from home to home. I can’t decide which home I want. Darkness quickly approaches so I will have to settle down somewhere soon. I settle for the next home that I see. It’s as beautiful as the other homes.

  I approach the home and tap on the front door. It doesn’t seem like anyone is home, but there is still a chance that someone is hiding inside. I don’t want to damage the door so I will get inside through the back window.