You tell Karen what the old woman said. You smile, thinking that is some kind of joke. Karen instead, gets very serious.
“We warned her, several months ago not to do that. Once I tell the mayor, she will become the next tribute” Karen sounds serious, with a touch of indignation. The word “tribute” sounds bad.
“A tribute?”
“Yes. Our colony can only hold so many people. Each newcomer means that we need to thin the heard. Usually we have a lottery, but that old woman is too much hassle. This will be a good change to get rid of her.”
You are horrified at what you just heard. She has a crazy look in the eyes. The happy faces you saw in people when you walk in all look somber now. Because of you, one of them will die tonight… or could it be even you! You have to do something.
“Karen, I can’t live knowing that I cause somebody else’s death. I rather face the world outside.”
Karen looks surprised, and frustrated.
“Fine. Get out of here then, and take your high moral values with you.”
Moments later, you are out of the mall. At least they were considerate enough to send you through the back door gate. The old woman decides to come with you. There are no zombies at sight. You both head north, looking for a better place to go.
YOU SURVIVED
If you… Go to…
Start from the beginning Section 1
Section 102
Make up an excuse
You make up an excuse, but Karen doesn’t seem to buy it. She still plays along, looking suspicious while handling you a few papers.
“Here, there is a map for the living quarters, your new place, and the rules for living here. Make sure you read them before you do anything else.”
Karen starts to walk away when she stops, turns around and say:
“And make sure you are at our lottery in three days. Attendance is mandatory”
You scratch your head, wondering what all that eye balling was about. You pay no more attention to it and go right away to your assigned place. It is not much to look at, mostly an improvised room in what once was a yoga gym. Now, it has multiple divisions, made up from cubicle walls. You lay in your camping bench, and browse through the papers Karen gave you. The “rules” go from reasonable to completely fudged up. The “lottery” is a draw to select a person to kill. These guys have a strict policy to keep a fixed number of people in the mall, plus their ideology is full with hippy ideas. Whatever this thing is, you know for sure it will not end well.
You spend the night thinking what to do. At some point you fall asleep. It was only for a few hours when the old woman wakes you up. She signals you to keep quiet and follow her. You do, keeping an eye over your shoulder for any funny business.
The old woman guides you through some sketchy corridors, down to the underbelly of the mall. After several minutes, you reach a long corridor filled with people, including many families with children. Nobody talks out-loud. The party has over forty people, but move fast.
The service corridor exits outside the mall, beyond the palisade. You take a deep breath, and look down the road leading north. To the south, the zombie infested city still raises columns of smoke. The party starts walking, at good pace. The old woman smiles at you, and hands over a bottle of water.
“Don’t worry, I brought enough for both of us”.
She smiles. You return the favor.
YOU SURVIVED
If you… Go to…
Start from the beginning Section 1
Section 103
Help the engineering group
Watching how those zombies are used as a power source sparks your imagination. Being in the engineering group could be your way into a more creative world. While part of the group deals with basic infrastructure, you focus on “research”. Together with other engineers, you devise ingenious machines to provide power and electricity. Fuel is gone, but electricity is easier to generate when you have unlimited power sources: the zombies.
Rather than a curse, you turn the zombies into the power source for all sorts of machines, generating electricity, pumping water, recycling waste, and much more. In time, the entire mall is soon secured. You become an icon in this new society.
YOU SURVIVED
If you… Go to…
Start from the beginning Section 1
Section 104
Become a farmer
You always wanted to work the land. Living all your life in the city, the only “green” you had was flower pots slowly dying in your tiny balcony. This may be a chance to go back to a simpler life, and to learn the basics.
The “exploration and maintenance group” takes you in raids outside of the mall from time to time. While they clear up the surroundings of zombies, you gather sand, black dirt, rocks, and even take time to plant some apple trees beyond the exclusion zone.
Layers of sand, rocks and dirt turn every roof into a farm field. It is a learning experience at first, but soon you master the art. A store for hobbyist gardeners turns into a treasure cove. You find seeds for carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and other edible plants. By chance, one day you also find wheat seeds. Soon, your crops form part of every meal, compensating the diminishing food supply for the community. Months pass, and the entire mall is conquered. Outside fences become palisades. In turn, the borders of the mall expand to include land, which is farmed as well. Civilization grows. The mall turns into the center of a new city. None of this would have happened without your great contribution.
YOU SURVIVED
If you… Go to…
Start from the beginning Section 1
Section 105
Wake the prisoner and talk
The prisoner seems to sleep. Her back is towards you, very close to the bars that separate you. The cages are very small, with little room to move.
The woman suddenly sits down. Dark, coffee eyes turn into pearly whites. She launches herself towards you, rattling the cage. Her face pressed hard against the bars. Her hands scratching and slicing you like knives. You push yourself away as far as you can, but the cage is so small. You scream in pain and yell for help. Her teeth bite the air furiously.
A fire shot sounds and her brains splatter all over you. Covered in blood, you look at the guard who just shot the nightmare down.
You raise your hands, all slashed and wounded, mixed with the blood of the zombie. You beg at him. He has a job to do. He shots. Painless.
YOU DIED
If you… Go to…
Start from the beginning Section 1
Section 106
Call in a guard to watch the other prisoner
“Hey! This person is not doing well”, you yell at the guard. The woman doesn’t pay attention but an army man comes in quickly.
“Darn it! This one is infected as well.” He says in a rather sorrowful voice. He pulls out his gun and aims at the woman in the cell. A clean shot and her brains decorate the wall behind her. The soldier looks at you for some moments, aiming at you. For a moment, he hesitates and then walks away.
“These people don’t fool around”
Shaking, you calm yourself. With so strict behavior, they must have a safe place to live. The kids playing outside seem adapted to the harsh circumstances of this new reality.
“It can’t be that bad…”
Days pass and no new prisoners arrive. After a couple of weeks, someone comes to take you out. They lead you at the gym showers. You clean yourself and dress with the new clothe. This far, they treat you with respect and dignity. It is a whole new attitude towards you.
You go with your escort into an office supply store. A chubby man welcomes you, sitting by a desk. You can easily picture him working for the tax man before the fall. After some apologizing and other pleasantries, he explains that everybody in this community must help provide for their survival. They need some muscle and some brains here and there. You must pick one, or go on your way.
If you… Go to…
Join the retrieva
l team Section 148
Join the clean up crew Section 149
Join research and development Section 150
Section 107
Join the group targeting the zombies
The surviving lieutenant thanks you, and welcomes you into their group. Without weapons, the operation will be very risky and dangerous.
“While they control the zombies, we don’t have a chance”, the lieutenant says, “but we must strike at the same time”.
Your team will go first, and hope to gain control of the zombies. One by one, the group members leave the room and sneaks pass the tower of crates. The control box is in the supervisor’s office, overseeing the deposit. It has two entrances, and as far as you can see from the ground level, there are at least two guards inside of the room. There is no way to reach the office undetected. The group must create a diversion, while others assault the place.
If you… Go to…
Help create a diversion. Section 151
Help the assault team Section 152
Section 108
Join the group targeting the mercenaries
The zombie group leaves first. Your group waits in silence, in the dark. After a few minutes, a commotion outside gives you the signal to act.
One by one the soldiers leave the room. You run towards the office next door. The soldiers struggle with the mercenaries. Outside, it looks like a war zone. Inside, like a bar fight.
You climb to the table, and kick the first mercenary you see right on the teeth. Another one grabs your feet and pull. You fall hard on your face. He jumps on you and both struggle. The guy pulls out a gun, and it goes off. Warm blood pours out of you.
A soldier kicks the man on the head and takes him away from you. The room is secure, but your wound is fatal. Somebody helps you to sit. Outside, the shootout ends as the army regains control. The lieutenant walks into the room, and stares right into your eyes.
“We couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you so much for your service. Rest assure, your sacrifice will not be in vain. We’ll take care of you.”
Just before you die, somebody puts a zombie collar on you.
YOU DIED
If you… Go to…
Start from the beginning Section 1
Section 109
Head for the top deck
People run here and there. Swimming against the flow in the crowd, you make it to the boarding deck. Soldiers fight zombies off the entrance. Somebody yells asking for anybody to close the gate. All soldiers are engaged in combat. The horde will soon overpower them.
Time to be a hero.
You focus on the main gate, and make a run for it. In a leap of faith, you press the large button that closes the gate. A few zombies get trapped inside. The soldiers soon shoot them down and clear the deck.
The air is heavy with the smell of powder. The cloud of smoke clears. The order to go is given and the cruise rumbles through the forced engines as it gains speed and moves out of the harbor.
You climb to the upper deck. The mainland is painted with a landscape of destruction, columns of smoke and fire. Hundreds of zombies by the pier fall into the ocean chasing the ship. You wonder how many will fall, and how many will wash out in distant shores.
YOU SURVIVED (but got seasick for a few days)
If you… Go to…
Start from the beginning Section 1
Section 110
Stay in your cabin
Even in this far away cabin, you hear a battle in main land. People yelling, gun shots and explosions. Outside your cabin, people run and scream.
You walk in circles in the room, fighting your emotions and despair. The motors of the cruise are working, but the boat is not moving. You bite your nails nervously.
Outside your cabin, people runs and yells. The zombies made it to the ship, infesting every deck. You lock the door, leaving the mayhem outside take its course. You wait for hours until the hallway becomes silent. Then, you wait some more.
Picking through the door viewer, you see the hallway packed with zombies. They cramm to the point they can’t move anymore. You are trapped.
Days pass by. Without food, you’ll soon starve to death. Outside, the zombies wait. Dying of starvation is painful, but better than letting them eat you.
YOU DIED (eventually)
If you… Go to…
Start from the beginning Section 1
Section 111
Study the activity in the lab
Hiding behind the closest tank to the lab, you watch the scene. The tank offers little protection, but you hope that nobody pays attention in your direction.
The lab tingles with activity. Operators gather papers in briefcases, others go from computer to computer running commands. Meanwhile, the bulk of people surrounds a large operation table, with a capsule on top. Some argue, others yell. For here, you can’t distinguish what they say.
A door opens in the opposite side. A soldier walks in. He seems calm, but everybody stops dead on the spot at his sight, and then follow him. In moments, the laboratory is empty.
You sit down, your back against the tank. While you contemplate the floating human inside. You wonder what it would be to be in his place. The man looks peaceful, almost smiling.
If you… Go to…
Explore the deposit Section 153
Enter the lab Section 154
Section 112
Enter the lab
You step into the lab. You call somebody’s attention. Suddenly, they all stop working and look at you in amazement.
“A survivor! We have another one!!”
Scientists and doctors approach you, very happy to see you. One of them leads you to a dressing room, and provide you with a change of clean clothe. You take a shower, the first since the apocalypse began. Good thing, because you stink. You were scared in the beginning, but something in these people makes you feel safe.
Dressed in the strange suit they gave you, you are conducted to an office where scientist talks about how lucky you are. They lead something called the *“Double phoenix project”*.
“Those pods out there are the last remaining of human civilization. You will be a part of it, if so you choose.”
The are installations like these throughout the globe. Survivors will be cleaned of the virus in those tanks, and sleep there for one hundred years to wake up in a new world. The alternative is to spend the time outside, using force to clean the world of zombies at the same time. You must choose one option if you want to survive.
If you… Go to…
Accept the hibernation plan Section 155
Survive on your own Section 156
Section 113
Attack the rat, make it clear you are not dinner
Mutant lab rat
You are under attack and must fight this monster. If you win, keep reading. If not, find the You are dead page at the end of the book.
You fight the remaining rat. A zombie rat. One lucky blow is all you need, and all you got. The moment it jumps at you, you strike her against the wall with all your might. The moment it hits the floor, you double strike. You keep going at it, until you are sure it’s “dead-dead” this time.
The mechanical sound grow louder. Suddenly the walls begin to close on. You are in a trash compactor. As the pile of garbage shifts position with the shrinking space, you look around for a way out.
Without much grace, you make your way through to the door. As expected, it doesn’t have a handle but there is a broken lever on the side. The walls keep closing in.
If you… Go to…
Use the pipe to hold the walls Section 157
Use the pipe as a lever Section 158
Section 114
Stay away from the rat, and investigate the noise
You turn around, searching at the sound of the noise. It is clearly some sort of heavy machine started to operate. Then, the walls begin to close down on you. You are in a trash compactor!
You place the pipe across the roo
m to hold the walls, but it’s too short. Trying to keep balance on the shifting floor, something hits from behind making you fall. It is the rat! You try to defend yourself, but the creature bites and scratches you with amazing speed. Bony hands raise from the bottom of the water and hold you down.
Eaten alive by the rat, you take a glimpse of a signage on the door. This is not only a garbage compactor… it is also a zombie disposal unit!
Your thoughts fade away as the zombie poison travels through your body. The rat and a few zombie heads chew you from below.
YOU DIED
If you… Go to…
Start from the beginning Section 1
Section 115
Ram the zombie and escape through the door
You ram the zombie and push it against the wall. It doesn’t fight back. You head for the door, hoping that freedom awaits outside. Instead, you are surrounded by a thousand zombies more. They quietly stare at you. The interrogation room is built at the center of a great, and otherwise empty deposit if not by the zombie horde, of course.
The zombie you rammed walks out of the room and with one hand on your shoulder he spins you around. He comes close to your face and smiles.
“We expected nothing less. You are the last one of your kind, and we are the first of ours. We want a truce.”
If you… Go to…
Hear what the zombie has to say Section 159
Fight your way out Section 160
Section 116
Wait and attempt to communicate with the zombie
In spite of it’s menacing looks, the zombie king (as you call it in your mind), is quite friendly. His former human name was “Harry”, but he no longer goes by that. Once formal introductions are done, he conducts you out of the room and down a series of corridors to what looks like a lab mixed with an Internet server room. Countless rows of servers blink and flicker, alive with activity.
Zombie Mall Page 8