weren’t as many cars as I would have expected and the few people I saw gave me a wide berth. Maybe they thought I was some drunk staggering home after a night on the tiles? Whatever; I didn’t really care about what was going on in people’s heads. What was going on in their heads? I kept coming back to that thought as it circled my mind like a vulture seeking a carcass. I did care about what was in their heads, I really did. Thoughts, memories, hopes, dreams, joys and sorrows; it was fascinating, almost intoxicating. Oh yes indeed.
I wanted to explore what was in those heads in the worst possible way. Examine each one in turn and drink in the memories, savouring every last moment of their lives. That would feel so good. To be able to drown myself on what was in those heads, to gorge myself until I was contented, that would be heaven. I shook myself at the idea; how weird could I get when I had a hangover? My poor brain was definitely fried from the booze and I’m sure that tingle from the taser couldn’t have helped me too much. I rounded a corner and staggered on towards my goal; only two more blocks and then Barry was going to get a nasty surprise off me.
It took me an eternity to reach the law offices where I had spent so many hours of my life over the years. The sidewalks had become busier as I walked and a few people had bumped and jostled me as I stagger on my quest. A few shot me worried looks and scurried away as if I were some evil looking beast who had escaped from the local penitentiary. I flashed a smile at one lady, a friendly gesture that left her hurrying in the opposite direction after she turned tail and bolted. People in New York could be so damn strange at times, but I guess it takes all sorts to make up the world.
I breathed a happy sigh of relief as I made my way into the law firm’s lobby and nodded a greeting to the security guard. He looked surprised to see me as I walked past and waved a friendly greeting to Jenny the receptionist. The pretty blonde looked like she’d been hit over the head with a baseball bat. She watched me with a dumbstruck expression plastered on her face as I headed for the elevators. I clumsily thumbed the call button, missing it on my first attempt and waited patiently for the elevator to arrive.
I rode the elevator up to Finance with four other people. The journey seemed to take forever and the atmosphere in the elevator felt odd. There was a tension in the air that emanated from my fellow passenger; I could almost smell what they were feeling. I wondered what was worrying them? Perhaps it had been my “Good morning” as they got on? That had come out of my unresponsive mouth as an embarrassing moan and I had lapsed into silence for the ride. What were they thinking? What was going on in those deliciously sweet heads? I would have loved the time to explore their minds but I had other, pressing matters to attend to.
I lumbered out of the elevator when it reached Finance to the obvious relief of me fellow passengers. I gave them a stink-eye as the doors closed behind me. Finance was a huge open area divided into cubicles and I found Barry the prankster easily His balding head was easy to spot amongst the litter of cubicles and I made my slow way towards him. Barry was surprised to see me when he turned around. He sat there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping on land.
“Oh my god!” he said.
I glared long and hard at the chubby, self confessed fool.
Barry staggered to his feet as I struggled to tell him what was on my mind. The hunger was a roaring distraction now, my words refused to form properly. I felt like a baby trying to speak for the first time.
“It’s impossible. You’re dead! Your funeral’s next week.” Barry said.
What was the idiot babbling about? Funeral? How could I be dead if I was walking around? Barry was taking the prank just a bit too far for my liking. What was he thinking? What was going through that fat, juicy head of his? I reached for the fool and my hand clamped around his throat. He gasped and I could feel the steady thump of his rapid pulse under my fingers. The blood was coursing through his chubby, well fed body. I leaned towards him and licked my lips in anticipation. This was going to be good, the perfect payback for his nasty little prank. I pulled him closer and breathed in the sweet, sweet scent of blood and flesh. The words finally came as I lunged for his face and told Barry the prankster just exactly what I needed to fill the burning hunger in my stomach.
“Brains!”
About the author
I am a writer, make-up artist, artist, actor, anime fiend, X-Box junkie and government endorsed secret agent ninja assassin - one of these may be false...
I have three children and live in Staffordshire with my crazy dog Theo.
About the story
Dead! Started life as a loose idea; you get stories told from a vampire or werewolf’s point of view so why not from a zombies? I’m sure zombies have feelings too, buried somewhere under that overwhelming craving for fresh brains. This is my first story to feature a “modern” zombie; I wrote about traditional ones in Gandalf.
For the record my own personal favourite zombie story is Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead. It’s an awesome comic and if you love zombies then you really should read it.
Dead! Page 3