Anthology of Horror Stories

by Daphne Haydens

  " I am happy the toilet works," Jane said. "Could you imagine being here without a restroom?"

  " Yes," Dexter said. "But we are lacking food. I need to go get some at the convenience store right across the street. I know there is some over there. I saw it when we came here."

  " Please be careful," Jane said. "We do not want to alarm anybody. Nobody can know we are here."

  " No worries," Dexter replied nonchalantly. "I'll be back before you can blink your eyes."

  As Dexter took off, Jane feared the worst. They had felt safe before, only to get up by a few zombie hordes and having to run for their lives.

  Dexter took his AK-47 and pointed it in front of him. With every silent move he made, he squinted his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could to see if there was any movement. He exited the home they were hiding in and walked right across the street, as silently as he could ... until ...

  " What was that?" Dexter thought nervously.

  Nothing.

  Or ...

  Wait ..." Whaaaarghh!" he heard an ugly zombie cry out. It was coming right at him. Dexter didn't hesitate and shot it immediately. Bull's eye! But the sound set a catastrophe in motion.

  Suddenly dozens of zombies came running towards him from around the corners of the surrounding streets.

  " Oh no, what did I do?" Dexter said as he backed up out and kept firing at them. He was outnumbered. There was nothing he could do but go back downstairs and hide.

  " Open up! Hurry!" Dexter yelled.

  Jane opened the hatch. "Did you get the food?"

  " No time at all for questions. Let me in and shut the hatch! Quickly!”

  Dexter climbed up down the ladder when he felt a yank on his t-shirt. "Waaaah! Let go!" Jane went up and punched the zombie in the face. "Take that ugly head!" The zombie let go and Dexter safely got down. The hatch was closed, but now what?

  They were stuck. The zombies had found their hideout. There was nowhere to go. They had no food or drink. They had shelter, but they wouldn't survive for long. And the only escape seemed blocked by zombies. They had to go out somehow and contribute to their restricted supplies. If only there was a way to sneak by them ...

  Jane buried her head in her hands and sobbed, "Just how long is this going to go on? How long can we survive this? Is there any hope?"

  " Now, now," Dexter said calmly and courageously. "We will find a way. We always do."

  He put his arm around her. That was enough. She felt safe. Not that she tried to make him do that on purpose, but it was practical for now.

  Chapter 3: The Start of It All

  The apocalypse? Everything began when they were in school. The bell rang.

  TRIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  " Finally, I am so finished with school," Dexter said to one of his good friends.

  " Hi, Professor Sanderson. Anything new today? Developed a time machine? Treated cancer?" one of Dexter's good friends said mockingly.

  " Go home, boy," Professor Sanderson reacted as he walked along.

  Dexter's good friends began chuckling.

  That Professor Sanderson ... such a nut job ... always in his own little world, exploring this or that. One time, they remembered, he developed soap that would literally glow in the dark. He was so ecstatic about it and presented it to the class. When someone turned the lights off, the soap ended up being black and was less noticeable than anything or anybody else in the room. Another time, he declared he had an instant cure for fever, making it so that the body's temperature would rise immediately when taking one pill. When a man at school tried the pill, he had the flu for five days and had to stay at home.

  Dexter felt a little bad that Professor Sanderson had become such a bullied instructor, but in a way, he was such a weirdo that it was to be expected in the first place.

  As Dexter walked home, he bumped into Jane.

  " Hi," Jane said shyly.

  " How are you?" Dexter asked.

  " Good. And you?" Jane said with a smile.

  " Fine," Dexter said as he was about to walk away.

  " Listen, Dexter ... I was just wondering if ..."

  But before she could finish her sentence they heard a loud BOOOOOOOOM! Coming from the school building. The whole floor was shaking for a second just because of the blast.

  People started running all over.

  " Wha- ... What's going on over there?" Jane asked.

  " I don't know. Wan na go see? Let's go!" Dexter said enthusiastically.

  Jane followed Dexter to the school. When they came closer, they saw a lot of people gathered in the hallway and the chemistry classroom. They were in a pretty happy state of mind after such a significant noise. Everybody was chuckling. When they weaved their way through the people watching, Dexter and Jane watched Professor Sanderson attempting to tidy up glass, scorched fluids, and compounds on the floor of the room. Clearly, he had tampered with something and failed greatly.

  " Poor Professor Sanderson," Jane said.

  " You are right, but it actually is kinda' funny," Dexter said as he couldn't hold in his laughter entirely.

  Dexter and Jane each went their separate ways. Jane never finished her sentence. She didn't get around to asking Dexter what she wanted.

  The next day was supposed to be a routine school day. Both of them went to the chemistry class. That was their very first class. They were early. It was a beautiful day. It would be another fifteen minutes before the rest of the class would appear.

  " Hey, you chose to be early?" Dexter asked Jane as he saw her walking into the class.

  " I guess we had the same idea," Jane replied.

  But when they got in the classroom, they saw Professor Sanderson lying on the floor. There were glass urns and bottles all over; there was a certain odor to the room they couldn't put their finger on; and there were papers all over the desk with formulas and scribbling in an odd handwriting.

  " Professor, are you all right?" Jane asked when she came closer.

  " Professor ..."

  Suddenly the Professor looked at them. Those eyes! Jane got startled and went back. The Professor's eyes were green inside, and the bags under his eyes were gloomy and scary. His entire face had somewhat deteriorated and was wrinkled ten times more than before. He was drooling a bit and his hair was ruined.

  " Professor, what's going on? What is wrong with you?" Jane asked again, but she wasn't sure if she should stick around.

  " Let's go. We'll tell the other instructors," Dexter said as he backed out towards the exit.

  Dexter and Jane ran through the hallways. They told the instructors something was wrong with Professor Sanderson. The teachers said they should remain in the teachers' room. They waited ... And waited ... and waited ... Then they heard noises ... a lot of scary sounds ... screaming and grumbling and panting ...

  " Let's lock the door!" Dexter said. "I don't trust this one bit!”

  They locked the door and watched through the window. Unexpectedly they saw dozens of people coming through the doors in the lunch area. They were in panic. They were injured ... or so it seemed. No! They were sick and aggressive! What was going on?!!!!

  Dexter had always played zombie video games. He came to a fast conclusion.

  " They are zombies! They have to be! It's real! There are real zombies!" he yelled. "Let's get out of here as soon as we can!”

  Then they heard weapon shots.

  Bang!

  Bang!

  Takadakadak!

  They watched as two policemen with heavy armory entered the lunch room, killing zombies as they moved forward. This went on for about twenty seconds, until every zombie was dead on the floor.

  " Hey!" the officers yelled as they waived to Dexter and Jane. "Are you kids all right?" Dexter gave him a thumbs up. "We'll get you out of there!" one of them said.

  The officers came to the door. Dexter and Jane opened up the door. "Let's go. It's mayhem out there," one of the officers said. But then something awful took plac
e. Both officers got assaulted from behind. 2 zombies were concurrently biting each officer, making them drop their weapons. Dexter and Jane stepped back. They watched in horror for 2 seconds since they didn't know what to do. Then Dexter decided. He saw it was going nowhere. These officers were as good as dead. He took a step forward, picked up the 2 guns, and closed the door.

  " What! Why did you do that?!!!!" Jane screamed in panic.

  " Th-They were dead anyway," Dexter said with an unsteady voice. "There was nothing we could do. We have to protect ourselves now."

  " Are you crazy?! I never used a weapon before!" Jane yelled back.

  " It's simple," Dexter said. "I've seen it in movies so many times that I am pretty sure that I know what I am doing."

  And that's how they got stuck at the high school.

  Chapter 4: Tons of Zombies Coming at Us

  Back to the bomb shelter. Jane dropped off to sleep in Dexter's arms. They were both tired from all the running, shooting, panicking, and the lack of food and water.

  Dexter awakened with a jolt. After a deep, fast nap, he suddenly realized the situation they were in. He got up and started planning their escape route. Jane was still asleep. She could sleep through anything, he discovered.

  The last chocolate bar from her backpack was gone. He saw her eat it before they fell asleep, and it was now empty.

  " Okay," he thought out loud, "If we reach the supermarket, we could perhaps find some food there. We'll use our school backpacks and fill them up with stuff. Then we get out of there. But where?" He thought for a moment. "Perhaps we just need to find a car and drive out of the city. That would most likely be best. If we can get out of town, we could find a place with more people who have not become zombies yet."

  As he was considering his plan, Jane got up.

  " What? Where? How?" she asked in panic.

  " It's fine. We are safe for now," Dexter said, relaxing her down. "Let's leave when you're ready. We need to get some supplies and after that find a vehicle to leave town."

  After twenty minutes of getting ready, Dexter and Jane opened the hatch, hoping that the zombies were gone, and they were.

  " We need to be as quiet as possible. The more sound we make, the higher the risk of having a whole horde storm at us," Dexter whispered.

  They snuck through the city streets and came to the supermarket, avoiding the occasional zombie on their path. When they arrived, Dexter and Jane just went to the food section and found an entire lot of canned food left behind.

  " Let's stuff these in our bags," Dexter said. "That's the only way we'll have the ability to survive for a longer period of time." He thought for a second. "And make certain you get a can opener!" he added. Yeah, that would be the day, having a huge food supply and nothing to open up the cans with.

  Dexter and Jane put as many cans of food into their bags as they could. One of the cans of food rolled on the floor after Jane unintentionally dropped it. "Whoops," she said. That should have been it, but the can rolled outside the supermarket doors and activated the alarm.

  " Weeeeeeeeeeeh!”

  " O-oh" Jane said with a sheepish face.

  Within seconds, many zombies came running into the shop. Dexter and Jane ran as fast as their legs could carry them.

  " There!" Dexter pointed at a small security room.

  They entered the room and locked the door. That should keep them out for at least a long time. Pfew! That was a close call.

  " I'm sorry," Jane said.

  " It's all right. Everybody makes mistakes," Dexter said. "Hey, what's that?"

  Chapter 5: One Particular Zombie

  In the corner of the room stood a zombie that didn't look half as ugly as the other ones. He just looked at them, didn't move a muscle. It was as if he didn't even have the desire to attack them. Dexter was going to shoot him, but then he hesitated.

  " Notification how that zombie isn't even coming near us?" he whispered to Jane. "He does not have red eyes like the rest either. Hey you!" he said to the zombie. "Why aren't you assaulting us?"

  " I am not like the rest," the zombie said.

  The zombie talked? Yes, it talked. Jane and Dexter were pretty shocked.

  " Describe what's going on here, or I will blow your head off," Dexter said, as he and Jane pointed their weapons at the zombie. "Why aren't you like the rest, and how do we find a cure for this disease?"

  " My name is Trevor," the zombie said. "I am immune and undetectable to the zombies, but I need you to help me find the cure. I know it must be in the high school someplace. The one who produced it, probably knew something about a treatment."

  " We'll get you there," Dexter said courageously. "Just let me kill these annoying creatures first."

  Dexter loaded his weapon and Jane was loading hers.

  " Ready? 3, 2, one ..."

  " Wait!" Trevor said. "Look!" He pointed at the cameras. They were still working! How practical!

  " Aha!" Dexter said. "We can wait on them to move to different areas of the supermarket and after that we'll slip out. We can observe every little thing in this control room. Thanks for the idea, Trevor. You are pretty smart."

  " I know a lot more," Trevor said. "I have been studying physics and chemistry for many years. That's why I am positive we can find the solution to this disease in the school laboratories. We just need to arrive, but I am too afraid to get going by myself."

  " That makes no sense," Jane said. "If you are undetectable to them and they won't eat you, then what makes you think you are at risk?"

  " I do not know that for sure, and there are still people out there hunting down the zombies, so they could shoot me too."

  " I guess you're right. We'll help you out," Jane answered empathically.

  They waited for two hours. They saw the zombies move around on the electronic cameras. In the meantime, Trevor clarified to them how he didn't get affected in the exact same way. He had been in the school lab and had been exposed to the compound. All the other zombies were bitten. He had never been bitten, just got some of the toxic stuff on his skin and turned into a half-zombie. But when all the zombies started appearing, he hid himself and ran away from the school.

  Dexter and Jane listened diligently. After a long time, they saw the location should be safe.

  " Ready? Let's go," Dexter commanded.

  Chapter 6: A Distinct Group

  They opened the squeaking door as calmly as they could and snuck their way through the supermarket.

  Once they were outside, they had to determine whether to go through the park or through the city. "Through the city is quicker," Dexter said. "Yes, but for some reason, I think we may find more zombies there too. I say, let's try the park," Jane said.

  " Neither," Trevor said. "Listen, guys, I know how we can hole up and hit the drains. I can tell you precisely where they wind up by the way they are constructed."

  Great. A zombie who imitates a smarty pants.

  " Your nose must be obstructed," Dexter said. "The drains? Are you serious?"

  " It's the safest way to get to the school," Trevor claimed.

  " He is right, Dexter. I would rather reek than be dead," Jane concurred.

  " Okay, fine. But you better know where you're going. I don't feel like being stuck in such a disgusting place."

  " Don't you worry about that," Trevor said.

  Once they were on the right street, they opened a hatch that took them to the sewers. It was pitch black, but Dexter had a flashlight from his backpack. He found it in the supermarket, and luckily, it was working. They continued, turning left and right till they came to what Trevor called, "The sewer closest to the school." They went up, took a look around them ... yes ... he was right. How did he do that?

  " I helped with the building and construction of some of these drains. Here in Fang City, there are all kinds of little side jobs. I helped out in the sewers. Did you do anything like that?" Trevor asked.

  " I babysat three kids every weekend," Jane said. "Ther
e were 2 boys and a girl. The boys were a ton of fun, and the girl was still little. I really wonder what happened to them. I still don't know why we haven't looked at our own families yet."

  " Because we have been in danger all that time," Dexter said. "Survival is the first priority. We will figure it out later. I hope they are all right."

  They climbed and went to the high school. "Let's be even more cautious," Dexter whispered, "because this is where everything began. There must be lots of zombies around here."

  Chapter 7: The Scientific Experiment

  They snuck into the high school, where they steered their way through the corridors. One of the zombies looked so ugly and vicious that Jane almost made a noise, but thankfully, Dexter saw what was going to happen and covered her mouth with his hand.

  " Do not make a noise," he whispered. "We are nearly there. They do not know that we are here until we make a noise, just like in the supermarket."

  The trio entered into the laboratory. There they saw the mess that came just because of Professor Sanderson's failed experiment. They looked everywhere. It was like a needle in a haystack. Documents were all over the floor ... lots of them. Fluids were leaking everywhere, and the devices, glass, and furnishings were all over the floor. There were even several lifeless bodies bleeding and making it messier than it already was.

  " This might be something," Trevor said.

  " Yeah? What is it?"

  " Professor Sanderson's journal. It shows the procedure he went through. Let's see ..." Sanderson read out loud from the journal.

  I have been testing things to make a potion that could make people invincible. I know which compounds and solutions to use, but I am afraid it won't only turn human beings into invincible creatures, but that it will also strip them of their human side, therefore having actually the wanted effect but having a useless side-effect that might deteriorate mankind.