Anthology of Horror Stories

by Daphne Haydens

  I collapsed.

  I fell to the ground, drained from the numerous strikes and the terrible limits of the body. I was exhausted, and I passed out.

  It became black.

  Chapter 8: And I Went Back

  I awakened. I slowly opened my eyes. A ton of people were standing around me. They were the city people who had been watching. I felt like a gladiator in an arena. Me against the zombies, that was what it had boiled down to. What were the chances that I would win this?

  But when I saw all those people, I knew that I had won. I was victorious! I gained awareness, and I was happy to see how many of them were proud of me. They cheered. They were impressed, and they wanted to celebrate.

  " Congratulations," the mayor said. "I can't really believe you pulled it off. It's hard to reveal in words what you did here. You saved us from the zombie crowd, and we are indebted to you. Tell me what you want, and I will try to organize it for you."

  " Water," I said.

  " What?" the mayor asked.

  " Water. I am thirsty."

  The mayor got someone to get some water. When he came back, I felt in heaven. Can you imagine how much I had been sweating during that extreme fight? I kind of felt like I was dying from dehydration, but when the water came, I drank my heart out. When I was done, I had renewed strength. I looked at them. I nodded, and I accepted the payment from the mayor.

  Then I left.

  " You're not going to celebrate?" The mayor asked.

  " Nope," I said without looking back.

  " But the people want you to talk to them."

  " Do not feel like it," I said.

  " Oh, come on. Are you sure?"

  " Yep."

  And that was it. I got what I wanted: Cash and revenge. I didn't want to get mentally attached to all these people. Why would I care? If I did, I would only wind up killing them or watching them die a long time in my life when they would develop into zombies themselves. Hey, don't get me wrong. I appreciated their health and wellbeing, which belonged to the reason I accepted the task in the first place, but part of me didn't want to have a broken heart. Makes sense, doesn't it? So yes, I left. And I kept it at that.

  I know it's not over. I am pretty certain that there are still zombies in other parts of the nation, and that's all right. It keeps me going. It gives me something to do. Come and get it, suckers. I am waiting on my next mission.

  My name is Titus, and I am a zombie hunter.

  I have been doing it for several years.

  And I do not care about anything else.

  THE END

  The Misunderstanding

  Chapter 1: His Side

  Kace gets up. His spouse is still asleep. It's early in the early morning, but he has strategies. He has been married to his beautiful girl for three years now, and he wants to make it something unique. Today is the day before their anniversary. It's the day before they got married ... 3 years ago. He puts on his favorite sweater and sneaks out of the home with some golden coins in his pocket.

  The area is silent, especially now. And even though they live in a medieval-like farmer's town, none of its occupants like to get up early. The only ones that do, are the actual farmers on the borders of town.

  Nearly tripping over several chickens, Kace makes his way to a home about 10 blocks away. He looks around him. There is nobody there.

  Then he knocks on the door and waits.

  A girl opens up.

  " Ah, Kace," she says with a big smile. "I am glad you could make it. I know it's early, but you were determined to do this without your spouse learning about it, weren't you?"

  " Precisely, Mary-Ann," Kace says. "She has never been an early bird anyhow, so I knew I could escape. I don't even think she noticed that my snoring stopped when I woke up."

  " Ha-ha-ha!" Mary-Ann laughs. "Well, come in. I will show you what I have."

  She opens up the door a little broader and Kace walks in.

  " Good place you got here," he says.

  " I know, right? I decorated it myself."

  Kace looks around and observes the vibrant, framed paintings on the wall, the decorative lockets and chimes holding on the ceiling, and the sophisticated statues on the little tables in every corner of the room. Mary-Ann has some taste in art, that's apparent. She knows how to brighten up the place. She is wearing a green and red pendant herself, with a little skull and unicorn sign in the middle of it. It almost appears like she is trying to be eccentric with her own random style.

  " Fascinating taste in lighting and style," Kace mentions as he watches the red-green shades in front of the candle lights and the locket Mary-Ann is wearing.

  " Yes, I typically do not go with the flow. I do my own thing, even if other villagers think it's strange."

  " No, it's good. I like it," Kace ensures her. "Anyhow, are you prepared to show me it?"

  " Yes. Here it is. See? I can take this board and write down the text. Then I can go over it with this paint. Excuse me ... it's over there. Okay, and after that I can patch it up with color, include a bit of this, and take all the time dealing with the specifics. I have a board like it, but with a different engraving. Do you want me to show you?"

  " Obviously. If it's going to be like the other one, then I want to see what the actual results will be."

  " Makes sense," Mary-Ann says. "I'll get it. Just a minute. It's in the shed."

  Mary-Ann goes outside and turns around the corner of her open shed. She grabs the board she was talking about, but her white dress gets caught by a nail standing out in a beam.

  Riiiiip!

  " Ow ... hello! What the ...?" she says.

  The ripped dress reveals part of her upper legs, and as the entire thing is going to break down, her shoulders are bare. The gown is gradually falling off, and the frustrated Mary-Ann tries to hold the board with one hand and lift up the straps of her dress with the other. She walks to the front door in an awkward little circle, nearly like an intoxicated person, and glances around.

  " At least nobody saw that," she says. "That would have been humiliating."

  She puts the embellished board down after she heads inside; then she goes straight up the stairs. "Could you just wait a bit?!" she shouts downstairs. "I have to get changed!"

  " No issue!" Kace screams back.

  Mary-Ann takes her dress off and looks at it. "Oh well," she says. "It was a little worn anyhow, and it didn't cost much."

  She throws the dress on the floor and takes another one out of her closet. After dressing up, she goes back downstairs, picks up the board, and walks into the living-room, where she puts the board on the table in front of Kace.

  " What happened?" Kace asks.

  " You do not need to know. Trust me. Now, let's concentrate on the board. See what I did there? I painted these colors here and added some decors there."

  " Oh, wow! I love that!" Kace exclaims. "That's exactly what I wanted!"

  " Ha-ha! Good. Then that's what we will do."

  She puts the board in the corner of the room and says, "That will be 4 pieces of gold."

  " No problem. It's going to be great," Kace says.

  They talk a bit longer and Kace returns home. He whistles en route there, happy that he finally found something worth his cash. But when he gets home, his spouse is standing in front of the door, awaiting him with her arms folded.

  " What was that really all about?" she asks.

  " What?"

  " Where did you go?" Chloe wants to know.

  " I just went out. You would not want to know," Kace says.

  " Oh, believe me. I do," Chloe sneers. "You have some discussing to do."

  " Well, I will tell you later," Kace says. "Now is not the time."

  " Why not? What took place?"

  " Come on, honey. I just do not want to say anything about it at this time. Is that all right?"

  " No, it's not all right! I wish to know!”

  Kace shrugs. He doesn't want to spoil the surprise. He fee
ls no responsibility to tell his partner where he invested the last half hour. He goes inside and goes about his business. Chloe watches him enter their home and feels disappointed.

  That night, they do not talk. They do not kiss one another goodnight. Chloe blows out the candle on their nightstand, and they go to sleep. Kace is happy. He knows she will really love it once it's done. With a smile on his face, he goes to sleep.

  Chapter 2: Her Side

  Chloe wakes up. She was used to the sound of him snoring, but she notices immediately when it stops too. She keeps her eyes closed, thinking he is just going to the bathroom. But then he gets dressed and she gets curious.

  " What is he doing?" she thinks. "He doesn't typically get up until in an hour."

  Then he exits the house and Chloe gets REALLY curious.

  " I need to know what he is up to," she tells herself, and she puts on some pink t-shirt and red skirt. She goes out the door and sees her husband turn around the corner. Chloe keeps her distance and follows her loved one to the home where he knocks on the door.

  When a young, appealing female opens up the door, Chloe gets suspicious. "Who is that girl?" she asks herself. "I've never seen her before. And how does she know my husband?"

  She listens carefully. She can't make up what they're saying, but when she sees the young woman laugh about something Kace said, Chloe is boiling up inside. Is she flirting with him?

  " That mean, awful, wench!" Chloe thinks. "How dare she take my spouse away from me?"

  They're taking too long. It's driving Chloe crazy. What on earth are they performing in there? Then a bird captures her eye. It's singing loudly, right beside her.

  " Ssshhh ..." Chloe whispers. "I am attempting to spy on my spouse here."

  Chloe turns her head to the home again and is in shock.

  " What?!!!" she thinks. "That woman is only half-dressed! You can see her legs and shoulders, and her gown is almost falling off! And what is that thing she is keeping in her hand? Appears like a wood board or something. Take a look at the way she walks! She looks intoxicated! I need to know more about this."

  Chloe tiptoes to the front door and starts eavesdropping.

  " Oh, wow! I really love that!" she hears Kace say. "That's exactly what I wanted!”

  " Ha-ha! Good. Then that's what we will do."

  " Huh? Do what?" Chloe thinks. "What was precisely what he wanted? This is getting odd."

  Then she hears the young woman say, "That will be 4 pieces of gold."

  " No problem. It's going to be great," Kace says.

  " Whaaaaat ?!" Chloe thinks. Her brain is going bananas. She always thought of Kace as a hero, but what is he spending cash on now? As she catches herself become more emotional, Chloe decides it's time to leave. She does not wish to know anything else about this. Her man better has a good clarification for all of this.

  Distraught by what she heard and saw, she walks home and holds back her tears. Oh, if only she could trust him, but now she isn't even sure of that anymore. Where has she failed? Was it her fault? Why did Kace let himself succumb to another lady? Was their marital relationship unsatisfactory?

  When Chloe comes home, she does not just feel like going inside. She stares at her home and listens to the whispers of the wind. The same bird flies over her head and disappears into the distance. When she sees how joyful Kace is when he gets back, whistling all the way, she gets back at more upset.

  They talk. Of course, he does not want to clarify anything. He has been doing sneaky things behind her back, and has been to that woman for whatever reasons she does not want to think of. Ultimately, she accepts his casual attitude and gives up.

  She doesn't sleep much that night though ... not one minute.

  Chapter 3: Zombies Are Coming

  BANG!

  The door flies open.

  " What was that?" Chloe asks as she awakens.

  " I don't know," Kace says. "Maybe just the wind?"

  " Go check," Chloe pleads. "Please."

  " No worries," Kace answers.

  He puts on some clothes and goes downstairs, to the living-room. He was right, he thought. It truly was the wind. Or was it?

  He licks his finger and holds it up in the air. Unusual. There is hardly any wind. Did someone enter their house? He gets anxious and suspicious, so he takes the stick from a broom in the corner as a weapon and sneaks through the living-room, the shed, and some other spaces. Nothing. Nobody. It is empty. He goes outside and checks the streets.

  And there it is.

  Kace sees a shady figure, but it appears as if the person in front of him is green. He is wearing a blue clothing and with his red, glowing eyes, he looks straight at Kace.

  " What is that?" Kace asks, but before he can utter another word, the animal performs at him.

  Kace steps back inside and closes the doors. Then he locks it. The creature bangs his fists on the door.

  " Honey?" Kace hears Chloe scream from upstairs. "What's going on?"

  " I think it's a zombie!" Kace screams back. "He's trying to break into our house!”

  " What are we going to do?" Chloe asks.

  " Oh, I am certain he will give up after a while. The door is locked."

  But Kace does not realize the zombie isn't alone. All of a sudden, another zombie leaps through the window.

  Clash!

  The pieces of glass are all over the floor, and the zombie has already sped towards Kace and is now trying to choke him.

  " H-honey," Kace says, "could you knock the zombie out?"

  Chloe looks at the broomstick and puts her hands in her side. "I don't know," she says. "If I do, will you tell me what was going on between you and that charming girl?"

  " Wh-what? Come on! Just save my life already!" Kace shouts.

  " Okay, okay." Chloe takes the broomstick and bangs the zombie on his head.

  " Thank you," Kace says. "Now, could you please stop fretting about what I did at that house? I told you, I will clarify it to you later."

  " Sure you will," Chloe says, still suspicious of the worst.

  They both peek through the front window-- the one that hasn't been broken-- and see a horde of zombies in the town. They are substantial, practically twice as huge as human beings. It is as if they increased in size after rising from the dead, or as if only the biggest humans became the undead.

  " Oh my goodness," Chloe says. "It's an invasion! There are lots of them. What will we do?"

  " I know a way," Kace says. "There are a lot of them. We should not try to fight them."

  " But what about the other villagers?"

  " There is nothing we can do. I hope they will be alright, but for now, we need to save our own skin. |Don't you agree?"

  " I guess you're right. So what is this amazing idea of yours?" she asks sardonically.

  " There is an underground passage," Kace says. "It's not too far from here. Ideally, we can slip by the assaulting zombies and make our way there without being seen."

  " Okay, let's do it. I do not feel safe here."

  Chapter 4: The Secret Pathway

  Kace opens the back door. It's quiet in the backstreet of the community, although they hear voices and screams all around them. Kace checks twice to ensure he doesn't misinterpret the situation.

  " This is our chance," he says. "The hatch is on the opposite side of the street, in a small barn around the corner of that home. When I say, 'Run,' we'll both run over there and I will lift up the hatch. Got it?"

  " Got it," Chloe says.

  Kace looks one more time, both methods, and then says, "Go!”

  Hand in hand, the couple runs towards the barn and turns around the corner. They see the hatch and Kace raises it up. Chloe goes midway inside the tunnel and then asks, "How come no one else knows about this passage?"

  " Rush," Kace whispers. "We have no time to lose. I will tell you when we are really there."

  Chloe slides down the ladder and winds up in some mud. "Yuck!" she exclaims.


  " Come on," Kace says. "Keep moving, please. Here I come."

  He slides down and joins his spouse in the dirty fluids that are covering their feet and shins. He looks at her with a smirk on his face. She is not happy. He decides to say nothing. Better not to make her angrier than she already is.

  " So to answer my questions ..." Chloe says, hoping that her spouse will fill her in.

  " Ah, yes. It was actually built by my grandfather. It is very well hidden, and nobody comes here anyhow. So I do not think anyone has ever discovered it yet."

  " Why did your dad build it?"

  " I think there were zombies back then too. I just really wonder how bad it was back then versus now."

  " Well, it sounds awful outside," Chloe says. "I am happy I am here. Have you thought of how to see? It's pitch black."

  " I am already ahead of you," Kace says as he lights a candle light.

  Together, they walk through the tunnel. Above them, the sounds of the getting into zombies are plentiful in the town, but the married couple is safely set in their tunnel. With the candle in front of them, they hope for the best.

  All of a sudden, they hear a noise.

  BONK!

  Kace and Chloe put their backs against the wall.

  Then a male voice shouts, "Who goes there?"

  " I thought you said no one knew about this place," Chloe says.

  " That's right," Kace says. "But perhaps I was wrong. Let's check it out."

  Chapter 5: The Visit

  " Who goes there?" the voice asks again.

  " Uhm ... it's us. Our names are Kace and Chloe!" Kace screams back. "We are not zombies, so please do not kill us."

  " Enter the light," the voice says.

  Kace goes first. Chloe is holding onto his arm firmly, practically squeezing it too hard. She is a little nervous, despite the fact that the man obviously isn't a zombie. When they step into the light, the man is relieved.