The recorded screaming over the loudspeaker began. Together, Swan and Briggs realized it was Laura’s voice.
They opened the door. A rope was tied to the crash bar so they could close it remotely. Zombies were already coming that way.
Swan and Briggs moved along a walkway just inside where it wound around to the edge just above the empty vat on the level below. A rail and a 4x4 crossed the edge to a makeshift catwalk made of scaffolding on the far side.
There was a light directly above them. The vat below was darkness. They were the bait.
When the first zombie shambled in the door, they waved their arms and called out, “Hey, over here.”
They came to them, at them, with hunger in their clouded eyes, horrible wounds in their flesh. They were moths to the flame.
As each one fell into the vat, reaching for them, Briggs and Swan said, “Thank you. We’re sorry this happened to you.” Swan was crying as they fell. One was a little girl.
There were only six by the time Briggs closed the door by pulling the rope. Swan used a spear and brought the second death to the little girl and then to all but two, as requested. The strongest, largest men floated in the vat of rainwater, constantly moving.
***
They joined the others at the sofas. It was movie night. It always was after The Door. Microwaves had been working while the generator was on, making a ton of popcorn. Battery banks recharged. Tonight was The Big Lebowski. It would be projected on the king-sized sheet they hung as a screen.
“Biodiesel, eh?”
“But why leave two, you know, undead?”
Laura smiled as she helped Jeff get comfortable before the movie. “Making biodiesel, you have to stir it in the early stages, as you boil it down. They are good agitators.”
“That’s kinda creepy,” Swan said.
“Want to know what’s creepy?” Laura asked, as she reclined under Jeff’s arm.
“What?” Briggs and Swan said in unison.
“Watching the two of you dancing through those walkers,” she said.
Jeff chimed in. “You were both smiling the whole time.”
“Yep. Kinda creepy,” Laura said. “But in a good way…”
About the Authors
If you would like to contact one of the authors, please email us at [email protected].
Quarantine, © 2017 by Vincent L. Scarsella
Church of the Walking Dead, © 2017 by Chris Louie
The Skeleton People, © 2017 by Matthieu Cartron
The Jilted Loser, © 2017 by A. P. Sessler
Swords and Cups, © 2017 by Edward Charlonis
The Dead Walk, © 2017 by J. L. Smith
The Order of the Second Death, © 2018 by Darren Todd
Yakuza Dead, © 2018 by T. S. Alan
The Door, © 2018 by Martin Wilsey
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank Donna Royston for all the heavy lifting with the editing chores associated with this project. As always, I’d like to thank The Hourlings writers group for their support and encouragement as well as their participation in these anthologies.
I want to thank my excellent wife, Brenda Reiner, for continuing to be generally awesome.
Mostly, I want to thank my childhood friend, Ray Clark. We were friends when they were still a real thing. In the real world. We would plan sleepovers based on the Creature Feature TV schedule in TV guide, to be watched on my black and white TV. Zombies were chief on the priority list then. Followed closely by Godzilla and Hammer Films.
Ray Clark, my childhood friend, died in the mid-1980s.
It’s almost 40 years later, and I still have not visited his grave. When we were kids, he swore he’d reach up through the dirt and grab my ankle if I ever stood on his grave.
Maybe I’ll have the courage soon… maybe.
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