Chapter 39 - World and Zombies part II

Liz was at her aunt weeding when things got wrong. The first sign was the loud moan. Then the edge surrounding the huge property started to shake. One arm got through then another. The adults started to panic. Liz, in her pink dress started to run toward her mom when she got knocked down and almost trampled by her panicked relatives. A knee to the head made her lose any sense of self, time and space. She felt like she was floating toward the dark sky.

When she came to, she saw that she was on the roof of the house. Around here were the other children. Someone screamed to throw the ladder down and that whatever happened, they must not look down. Liz was near the edge of the roof and she had a first class view of what happened next. About 30 Zombies surrounded the partygoers. Her mom and dad were trying to fight them with kitchen knives and other tools but to no avails. After maybe 2 hours, the ranks of the monsters had swell to double their numbers. Liz had seen her dad brought down and eaten alive while her mother had tried her best to save him only to get caught by her long brown hair, preventing her from getting her throat away from the hungry teeth ripping it open. A fountain of blood had surged from the wound and while she lay there, on her back, dying, her eyes had found those of her daughter and she had managed a smile before dying. Now, the Zombies were moving around the house, aware that somewhere on the roof, fresh food waited for them.

At 9, Elizabeth or Liz as she preferred to be called was the second oldest of the children stranded on the roof. Alexander, a cousin was 13 and had taken charge of their survival. First, he had moved everyone away from the edge to prevent accidental falling. Then, using a rope made of their cloth, he had gone in the house to get supply. Thankfully, the monsters hadn’t made it in at that time. Moving as fast as he could, he had gathered food and more importantly, rigged a hose to the top most faucet so they would have water for a while. At least, until help came. Then, he had had to beat a hasty retreat before the Z’s got to him. He had made it in the nick of time, monsters fast on his trail.

The children had food for about 5 days and water was not an issue. What became fast apparent was that the toddler did not understand the situation. They tried to go down and had to be kept under constant surveillance. They did not have dippers or milk for the youngest and hygiene was becoming an issue. They set a specific spot for their needs, a spot with a natural downward slope to evacuate their feces. After 3 days, the sun had burned most of them. Water was not the issue but if no one came to their help, they were going to die! Liz felt a lot better. Her concussion had healed and she thought that she could make it inside to at least get some curtains to shield them from the heat. Then, as she was discussing her idea with Alexander, one of the youngest screamed with joy: “Momy!!!!”

Turning toward the sound, Liz saw with horror that the monsters had put the ladder up and had come for them. Her own mother came up the stairs and walked toward her, her smile still on her stiff lips. Then as she opened her mouth to bite her, Liz creamed and woke-up.

Her parents were in her room and were trying to comfort the little girl.

- This story is one of the many we have to deal with since the fact that zombies exist has become public. Children who are too young to defend themselves are prone to severe depression. Some of them can’t even set foot outside their home due to the humongous fear the feel. Explained the Psychiatrist Helena Sparni, expert in children behavior. We have to educate them and give them tools to make this sentiment that they are helpless go away. Moreover, the pictures and disturbing images of Zombies attacking people playing on the net and in the news should be preceded of a warning of at least five second to give parents time to change the channel if they believe that their children should not be exposed to the horror of this plague. I do not advocate for hiding our children from the danger, but to prepare them according to their mental development. For example, some preschool have started to teach this song.

 Sung to Twinkle Twinkle little Star 

Zombie Zombie on the street keep your dirty mouth from me
At the school, or in my yard, when I see you home I run 
Zombie Zombie stay away, I don’t want to see you near

Zombie Zombie at the door, stay there while I run up stairs 
While I dial 9-1-1, Mommy, Daddy or Nanny 
They will do their very best, to keep you out from our nest.

Zombie Zombie In my house, you don’t have to come up stairs 
Frighten, scared or just plain bored, not a sound should I speak 
Zombie Zombie in my house, that way you will go away.

- It is a start that prepare them for what may come. And let’s all pray, whatever god you believe in that it will not come to pass…

Chapter 38 World and Zombies

Today, in an unexpected move, the ONU have voted a motion giving unlimited power, resources and rights in every and all countries to an armed force. Among the surprises was China and North Korea who supported de motion. This task force is charged with the suppression of all enemies forces using any and all means deemed necessary. The Enemy has been acknowledging for the first time under the common name: Zombie. At the same time, a special team of scientist using the latest technology has been tasked with the colossal job of finding a cure or a vaccine against the “IPFS-1” death inducing virus. The preliminary reports came and were given to the press stating that at this time, there was no cure and no effective mean to stop the propagation of the virus once it entered a human host. Fortunately, animals were impervious to the virus in the sense that it killed them and did not changed them in zombie’s animals. The problem was that this characteristic made it impossible to do any animal testing of a cure since even the faintest trace of the viruse killed the host. Human testing was out of the question as it transformed the host in a full fledge Zombie thus creating a carrier for the disease. The armed force was ready to be deployed 27\7 with an hour notice. It could be sent anywhere within 4 hours of a confirmed threat. A threat was a menace that the police/regular forces could not suppress. In the same motion, an official Zombie Survival pamphlet had been issued; a course on Zombie protection and identification had been created and made mandatory for every law enforcement corps and medical staff around the globe. These measures had been implemented to provide the citizen of the world with a mean to fend for themselves in the unlikely event of a Zombie invasion. Each country had the responsibility to amend the information from the pamphlet to reflect cultural and social reality in said country. Finally, a global emergency state had been voted with laws preventing the raise of prices on essentials goods. In reaction to these measures, most countries issued statements following the broad lines of the measures instated by the ONU. Special Forces to deal with the Zombies, extended resources to medical researches and increased emergency measures ranging from curfew to martial law. A mutual promess was issued from all parties present to help and give assistance to the nations without the means to implement these measures and protect their citizens. At the exact moment these measures were announced, armed forces were deployed all around the world. In Bogotá, the Colombian army helped with the local militia was in place just in time to stop a riot from starting. In Karachi, Pakistan, the newly formed army with the help of the police kept an eye on things but it was quite calm. In Chicago, one of USA most traveled through city, it was mass panic. The coast guards, the army and the police all worked together to stop looters and mass hysteria. People in Chicago only registered one thing: the Zombies were real. In four hours, more poor drunken SOD’s were shot down by hysteric housewife than anywhere in the world. The mayor had to pass a law preventing bars from serving more than 2 drinks per persons and limit the amount of liquor available to 1 bottle per person. When asked about it, he said: “I’d rather have the return of the prohibition than having Zombies NOT shot down due to the fact that you can’t make the difference between a drunk and it until IT tries to bite your head off”. All around the world, to prevent the events described in what was now called: The book of truth, World War Z, extremes measures were taken to stop diseased people from moving out of their countries. Sadly, dogs and other creatures simply went crazy when put in the presence of an infected so were not useful since the mere presence of the smell of an infected on a person sent them in frenzy. In Africa, nations had had to deal with more wars, civil wars, massacres and violence than almost anywhere in the world and took this new menace with calm. One African war lord, when asked why he was helping the army answered: “I’d rather help my enemy now so that one day, my children live than killing him only to feed my nation to the hungry moans of these devils.” The last statement was to make The Bringers of Light, humanity’s enemy. Anyone who was associated with them was to be detained, questioned and arrested for crimes against humanity. The trials were to be held at the ONU’s court. - And may whatever God, divinity or other power there is out here help us and protect us. Because today, what we do is not only for us, but for the very survival of the human race. We are NOT invaded yet. The vigilance and constant work of our military around the world made certain of that. But today, the threat is stronger than ever. Let us pray that we can find a solution soon.

Chapter 37: Religion and Zombies

Sitting in their living room, the Martin’s watched this incredible special program. The pope, the Chef Rabbi, the Grand Imam and the Grand Mufti were also present to discuss the view of their religion in relation to the Zombie revelation. The host, a famous American reporter and news anchor was having the prestigious and difficult task of directing the discussion. The rendez-vous point had been kept a secret to avoid terrorist attacks and Z’s menace. There were interprets and security personnel easily visible. - Good Evening, my name is Oliver as most of our American viewers know. For those woo I have the chance to talk to for the very first time, I wish you good evening. Tonight, we will have the pleasure of discussing with the most respected leaders of the 3 most influential religions in the world. Before we start, we did not forget Buddhism, Shintoism, and other religion like these, we will have a special show for these in due time. For now, we will start with a question for the Pope. The pope smile politely and waited for the question. - With the revelation of the Zombie threat, some people wondered if Jesus, a figure proved to have existed due to archeological evidence, was not in fact a Zombie. The fact that he got crucified, speared and tortured to death then came back from the dead, does these evidence point to a Zombie in light of the revelation of their existence? - I am glad you asked the question. Zombies do not show any sign of cognitive intelligence. They are creatures with only one goal and that is to eat and destroy humanity. How could the son of Good be a zombie and still tell his message of love and compassion? He could not have done so. Thus, he was not a zombie. - Thank you. My next question is for the Chef Rabbi: What do you make of the new studies that explain the seven plague of Egypt as being in fact the Zombie Plague propagated by angry Jew’s who went to the extreme to liberate their people from the Egyptians and thus infected every first born with the Zombie plague, forcing the death of hundreds of innocents? - Thank you Oliver, I was hoping for this question. When faced with new revelation that change the way we see the past, people with a grudge will often use these to their advantage. They will turn one of the most sacred miracles of the Torah, the ancient testament for the Christians, and try to light it with this new light to make it horrible. If the Jews of the time had used zombies, or infected blood, they would have risked a global infection and pandemic threat. No one in his right mind would do something like that. No, the seven plagues of Egypt, as they are known was a miracle of God. Not some prehistoric biological warfare. - I see. Now, to our good Imam, I ask my next question. Do you believe that this disease is a way for Allah to punish the none Muslim’s? After talking together for a few minutes, The Grand Imam answered: We do not believe that this plague is sent to punish anyone. Our people have been attacked by this virus and good Muslim died of it. These Djin’s or Zombies as you call them have been there for thousands of years. Why does Allah let them feed on humanity, we do not know. The Grand Mufti continued: but we do know that it is not the Jihad or the end of the world. It only show that in these times of trial, we must unite and forget our differences. Christians, Jews and Muslim must work together. This is the true message we are here to send today. The pope, the Chef Rabbi, the Grand Imam and the Grand Mufti rose and each exchanged with his counterpart religious symbols. The pope gave rosary and accepted the Koran and the David Star offered to him. He placed the later on a chain and displayed it on the front of his robes and placed the Book in his left hand for all to see. The rest of the show was pretty much along the same lines: questions about relation to the sacred books and or dogma and the Zombies, the leaders answering questions and supporting each others. The closing statement was a renew demand from all four man to have a global cease fire and to concentrate the effort of all on this single menace: the Zombies.

Chapter 36 End or Beginning?

Parkson and her young charge came to the end of their parcour. They were only some 30 meters from the exit through the sewer when Alice made them stop. Facing them, silently and patiently were over 40 Z's. The plan was obvious: wait until Parkson opened the door or until who ever controlled them decided that time was up. Parkson moved back with Yukio until they were hidden from the Z's. - So, here we are. There are not many options. We wait until we have a better idea or we kill ourselves. We cannot allow the Z's to go in Tokyo under any circumstances. Do you understand? - I do. While we wait for the Kami to make their wisdom known to us, would you mind telling me how you became like me? Parkson took some time to formulate her answer. Then, she explained about the trip to the beach, the attack on the family and her surviving. Then, drawn by this young girl not unlike she had been years ago, she explained how she had struggled to be accepted in a society that was not only a secret but also highly elitist. - You have to remember that at that time, women did not have the right to vote. Or only in some rare country. Imagine now a situation where Men are the leaders and some of them have been for centuries. It makes for a long debate until any changes can be accepted. There was one woman who was in their mist and who fought with the best of them. Her name was Chloe and she was from Greece. She fought with a spear, bow and arrows and a Falcate, the Greek sword. She was truly magnificent. And I was there, filled to the brim with anger, rage and an almost suicidal desire to fight. You have to understand, I sought solace for my guilt. I felt responsible for the death of the young ones. Why should I survive and they die? It was so unfair! I felt…unclean and unworthy of my life. So, here I was, pestering the teachers to let me learn to fight and after a month, they let me join the men on the training course. But I was reckless. I sought to learn to fight but I forgot…I knowingly put my friends in jeopardy. I did not do anything to hold my blows; I used underhand techniques and did whatever I could to win. Then, after two or three months, while I was practicing in the training court, she came. She came in the gym wearing combat fatigue. Her brown hairs were gathered in a tail on her back and she wore a silver pendent with a moon speared with a sword. She ignored me and started practicing. I was stunned by her grace, speed and power. Where I was stumbling, she was nimble. Where I screamed with rage, she was deadly silent. Where I looked like a berserker, erm…a barbarian full of rage if you prefer. So, where I looked like a berserker, she was calm and poised. I was…shamed. Here was a woman who did was everything I wanted to be but who refused to let anger rule her world. I moved to talk to her but she kept ignoring me. When I got close, she moved away. I followed her through the gym and finally, getting tired of the game, I stepped in her swing. I looked at her grey eyes as her blade moved toward my neck. I almost smiled, thinking that at least, the end was here. But, with a silent snarl, she held her blade and stopped before slicing my throat and decapitating me. Her eyes held nothing but contempt. Still keeping silence, she started to put away her weapons. I was shocked. Here was another woman, exactly what I was hopping and wishing to be. Obviously respected, accepted in this Male directed world while I had to struggle just to be allowed to learn the basics. I became angry. Which was not too hard in my state. I moved toward her and started yelling at her: “Who do you think you are? We are the only females here and you dare ignore me?” I then made a very stupid move. I Punched her. Alice chuckled, remembering the scene. I was way too slow, uncoordinated and over all under-trained to be able to land a blow on her. She side stepped me, caught my wrist in her hand, moved behind me and with a sharp twist, sent me flying and crashing on the floor. I got up as fast as I could and launched a barrage of punches and kicks. None of them even came close to her. She totally dominated me. When I punched, she blocked, slapped and overall made it impossible for me to hit her. When I kicked, she sidestepped, blocked and threw me on the floor without even breaking a sweat. It was humiliating and mortifying. But I could not stop myself. I tried and tried until I lay exhausted on the floor. Then, to my surprise, I started crying. I was lying on the floor, in a tangle unable to move and unwilling to do so and tears were flowing from my eyes like the Niagara’s snow melt. I felt a hand on my head and a compassionate voice spoke to me: “Let it out. Let it all out. You are not to blame for what happened and you could not have done anything to save them. It wasn’t your fault. I cried harder. I felt that my heart would explode from the pain. I wanted so much to die. But the arms holding me tight would not let me go. The voice kept saying soothing things to me. Finally, I managed to get a hold of myself and the tears stopped. I laid there, resting in her arms totally spent by my tears. I felt a bit better and finally moved away. Still holding my hand, she smiled at me. Without a word, we left the gym and she took me to eat. We talked a lot. She became my teacher, my friend and eventually, with her help, I let go of the anger and hatred. It took a long time, but I finally made peace with who I was and what I had became. Where is chloe now? Asked Yukio. She is dead. She died 30 some years ago in a fire. There were humans trapped with Z’s and some idiot shot an incendiary grenade. Chloe tried to help the survivors but she never made it out and the whole building burned to the ground. We were in India. Fire there was a disaster. No water fountain to help the firefighters, streets to small to let the trucks pass, it destroyed two third of the city before it was contained. What happened to the one who sent the grenade? He… let’s forget this. Now that you know where I’m from, what I went through, I only want to offer you my help. Right now, you are still not processing everything that happened to you and the fact that there are monsters right that way makes it harder for us to… Parkson stopped talking. Something had happened. She could feel it. Yukio turned her head so their eyes met and she too had felt it. “It’s the Kami. They are telling us to make our move.” Without hesitating, she grabbed Parkson and made it to the exit point. There, the Z’s were in a kind of fit. They shook on place. Some tried to raise their gun’s but were stopped by their own body. Other simply stared at the far wall. None of them was able to do much harm as Alice and Yukio made their way to the exit. The young Japanese girl pressed for more speed arguing that the Kami would not be able to contain their enemy for long. Just when Alice thought that her body yould simply crumble under the strain, they reached the extraction point and closed the heavy steel doors behind them. As the door locked with a sharp “click” sound and medics helped them lay down on stretchers, a wail of hatred rose behind them. Obviously, they had made it out alive to the disappointment of whoever controlled these Zombies. Now, with everyone safely out, the counter measure could be applied. As they left the train station on a chopper, a bright white light shown through the dusk. It blinded the two women and a sound like a strong wind was heard. Where once stood the train station there was nothing. A huge crater the size of the station with smoke rising was all that remained. Alice rested her head on the pillow and smiled to Yukio. Her first true smile in a long long time. Well, it looks like we will be together for a while, it you want to? Yukio’s answer was to hold her hand. They made the voyage that way, each taking comfort in the other’s presence.

Chapter 35 Trouble in Japan

Being faced with Z’s in a confined space is everyone’s worst nightmare, well ok. Everyone who has had to deal with Zombies, point conceded. Still, being faced with youngsters changed in Z’s is bad. Being up close and personal is way worst. Her assault rifle was practically useless in theses vents and whoever had set the trap had done so with this in mind. Thinking fast, Parkson took her breast knife and waited until the first one had his face near her hand to strike it straight in the eye. Without stopping, to think too much about it, she crawled over his body to find another one already reaching for her. It was bad. Killing it, she glanced behind and was appealed to see a toddler, probably 2 or 3 years old grabbing her right boot and pulling itself upward toward the unprotected calve. She had two choices: 1 was to get bitten and keep to the vent regardless of the consequences. They could probably patch her up at HQ. The second was less painful but equally dangerous: going out from the vent and making a dash for it. The decision was made for her when the combined weight of her, the Z’s and the not that strong wire made the whole contraption give up and crash on the floor. Rising as fast as she could, Parkson found herself surrounded by mini Z’s and some bigger one. Dispatching the ones right next to her with the butt of her riffle, she glanced at her GPS and started moving as fast as she could without making undue noise. She was one floor up her goal and half the station away. Using her comlink, Parkson called for some distraction so the diversion would override whatever instruction the Z’s might have in their limited brain. Five or six seconds later, she heard and felt and explosion and some crowd cheering. She smiled. Z’s would be attacked by the loud noise and the human voices would trigger their hinter reflex. Nicely done. Now, with only 1 spare clip, approximately 12 rounds in her current clip, she had to rely on her speed and some fancy foot work. She guessed that she would need every bullet getting out of there with her charge intact. She used a special combination of Parcour and Kukri to jump, tumble, slice, behead and kill as much Z’s as possible while keeping moving at top speed. Using walls, hangings, rails, stairs and even Z’s, she reached the stairs where she stopped cold. Down and waiting for her were the security force. Each one of them was armed and said weapon was aimed directly at her. This time, Parkson was not so nimble. While she avoided most of the bullets, she was still hit twice. Once in the stomach and the other one way more troublesome, right through her left thigh. That would slow her down. And even worse, draw the Zombie to her. But she had been prepared and would not give-up. Rolling quickly on her side, she threw a special grenade: the Z-99. This little black and red American football shaped piece of steel had been devised on an Aztec design of their frond munitions. The size was bigger of course and could be thrown either the classic way or the football way. The first method simply consisted at throwing it in the general direction and let it explode. The second one was for more precise attack and asked for a lot more precision and practice. One could even put it in a traditional grenade launcher. It would go once and an half the distance of a traditional grenade. But the very amazing thing about the device was that it was set to send most of its offensive charge upward thus augmenting the chances of red hot shrapnel’s finding their way to the brain. Using the first of only 3, Parker threw it at the mini swarm of Z’s preventing her from going down. Then, while pieces of dead corpses ran around and on her, she checked her injury. It was bad but the muscle fibers would be able to hold her weight. She did not feel pain as much as discomfort, being dead herself. Peaking downstairs, she saw that the way was clear for now. Using her riffle as a crutch, she started down the stairs when she heard a soft voice calling: “Overhear! Quick! They can’t get in and you can look at your injury.” Surprised, Parkson saw a young girl, black hair disheveled, her face stained by tears and dirt. She was beckoning to Parkson and showing her the surprisingly secure hiding place she had. She had moved from her original hiding place, probably attracted by all the noise and commotion. She had moved instead to a concession store. But this store had steel shutters held down by a series of chains who, when put together were the size of a big male thumb. She had obviously gotten the keys from the severed arm near the gate who still had the ring around one of its bloated finger. She motioned again and her eyes grew wide in alarm. Looking behind her, Parkson saw that she had not destroyed every Z and some were back with a vengeance. Half running half limping, she made it to the safe hole with seconds to spare. Enough to help the young girl put the chain back in place. Then, while the Z’s where groaning, moaning and rattling the shutters, she introduced herself while taking care of her injury and giving a status report to HQ. Once everything had been taken care of, Alice turned to the girl who, in typical Japanese fashion had waited for her to be ready to talk. Tell me, Yukio…may I call you Yukio? Thank’s, so tell me. How much did they tell you about your condition? What would happen to you? - They…they told me I was sick, that I could never see my family again and that I would have to leave the country. I was…unclean and…and… And the poor 16 year old girl dissolved in tears. Alice, sighing, held her in her arms and remembered her own “coming of age”. It had been a lot harder for her since Zombies were not common knowledge at her time. But like Yukio now, she had had a friend who had made her promise to do the same as her if ever she was in the same situation. - It’s ok honey, I understand. First, you have you understand that you are not unclean. You are lethal. There is a huge difference. Your very existence put’s people in danger of dying. But, like me, you have the potential to become much more. To help other so they will not become infected or forced to leave their loved ones. But first, we have to leave this place alive. In about 2 hours, a small tactical weapon will be unleashed on this station destroying everything in it down to the very last levels. And that’s with us in it. So, we have to get out of here. And the only way is through the vents but they are trapped. The only other way is through the sewages. Can you do this with me? Do you have the will in you to live a life of rejection, forgoing everything you ever knew and everyone who knew you? If you do not, I will kill you right now and leave you in peace. The girl sat in the traditional Japanese way, legs under her and thought. Alice could almost see the thoughts coming and going in her mind. Then, the girl smiled a little and said in a clear and surprisingly strong voice: “After all you have done to help me, it would not be honorable for me to let you down. And the kami of the wind told me he would be waiting for me in Canada. So, down we go”. A bit surprised, Alice nodded and they started to prepare and plan for the trek.

Trouble in Japan part 3

Note: the equation here is part of a real class thought in Ottawa. For more information go to:
P. Munz, I. Hudea, J. Imad and R.J. Smith? When zombies attack!: Mathematical modelling of an outbreak of zombie infection (Infectious Disease Modelling Research Progress 2009, in: J.M. Tchuenche and C. Chiyaka, eds, pp133-150).

Alice stood there for an instant before exploding in action. Moving forward she drew her Kukri in a smooth motion and an instant had removed the head from the Z’s shoulder. In the next, she punched through the right temple and destroyed the brain before it had had a chance to hit the floor.

Twisting on one leg, keeping perfect balance, she saw to her utter dismay another Zombie moving slowly toward her with another piece of paper. On it was written: (ßƝ) (S/Ɲ)Z = ßSZ . Alice froze in shock. It was the infamous equation of PHD Robert Smith? (yes, the question mark is part of his name) a mathematician who had used zombies as a mean to explain to his students the way that a zombie invasion would be unstoppable. It was a lot more complex than that in fact but the reality remained: humanity was doomed. And whoever controlled these Z’s knew about his work and had decided to put his theories to the test. Which meant that everything that had happened in the last year or so was part of a bigger and more sinister plan than originally believed. The Bringers of Light were not just a bunch of sadistic bastard bent on anarchy and destruction. They were a force to be recorded with. And it told her that they were bent on the destruction of humanity. Being a science officer among her various formations meant that Alice knew the equation signification: there would come a time, very soon when humans would be dislodged as the main characters on Earth, to be replaced by Z’s. Following this equation, it was inevitable.

This realization did nothing to help the little girl frighten and hiding in a closet. She had to get to her and save her. So, she changed her strategy. Putting her blade away, she took her assault rifle and its silencer and started shooting Z’s in the head as fast as she could. She had four clips with 35 shells in them plus one already in place on the weapon. She could to a lot of damage and maybe even reach her target.

Killing Z,s was always a pleasure but know, she was in a hurry so she forgo her pleasure and went for the perfect kill. Moving at a steady pace, she reached her destination and used a little contraption as a step to reach the air vent. There she was faced with a problem, the screws were rusted and she might not have time to lube them if she was to make it out alive.

Taking an ultra small plasma torch, she simply melted them and removed the vent. Then, she climbed in it and pulled a small string attached to the bench, collapsing it and preventing Z’s to reach her. She used a magnet attached to it to fix it on the vent wall, making certain that she could go back the way she had come if she needed to.

Using her com-link, she warned Control of the situation and of the implication of the message sent her way by the enemy. While doing so, she kept moving forward, crawling in the narrow space. On her right wrist, a small special GPS gave her exact position as well as the schematics of the layout of the vents and the rooms under her. She had made good progress, reaching an intersection when she heard a noise. Shining a light to her left, she saw a small child reaching for her. Its brown eyes expressionless and its mouth open in a small groan. From her right she could hear shuffling sounds and more coming from behind her. Somehow, her day had gotten from bad to worst.

Chapter 33 Trouble in Japan part 2

When Alice got to Tokyo train station, she was amazed by it. The Yamagata Shinkansen was still in full view and the moans of the Z’s were audible in the silence of the evacuated area. But the truly amazing thing was the 9 foot high steel fence. Not something with beehive steel links between weak beams of steel. No. It was a full plated fence with half a foot steel beams to make certain that no human or Zombie could get through it. Every 5 meters, snipers could take place on specially designed platform that looked like something a hunter would put up a tree to wait for his prey. But no one manned them. The invasion had been too throughout and fast for the army to get in place. This was designed to protect people inside from things outside.
Alice, wearing her familiar uniform and glad to be in it checked her weapons. Guns, Kukris and everything else was in place. A special enzyme had been recently developed by their labs to mask the smell and make her invisible to the Z’s. At least, those who used their nose to hunt. She walked to Kenjiro and looked at him in the eyes.
-If…scratch that. When I get out of here, you will swear to never write about Z’s ever. And if I find myself the star of another movie, I will personally hunt you down and cut your balls. Do I make myself clear?
Kenjiro simply looked her in the eyes and nodded. There was nothing to say. It was not a game anymore. Reality had caught up with him and had bitten hard. But, with some help, things would go well. If not, he had a gun hidden and…well. He hopped it would not have to get there.
Parkson walked to the fence and climbed the rope ladder to the top. There, she let if fall on the other side and started to go down. Now the true test began: would the new enzyme work? So far, not a single moan of recognition had been uttered. Things were looking good. Still. It would not hurt to be ready. Pausing in the middle of the descend, she loaded a shell and released the safety on her special sheaths for her trusted Kukri. In the courtyard, dozens of Z’s were shoveling around, moaning and snapping their empty jaws at the wind, feeling preys near but never near enough. Hunger, an insatiable hunger was their only felling. Nothing even remotely human was left in these brains. Already, their eyes had that milky look of being exposed to the wind for too long without blinking. The surface was scratched by the myriad of particles and pollution in the wind.
Moving slowly but never stopping in one place for too long, Parkson made it to the main door of the station. There, lying on the floor in a plastic bag was a picture of a family. A woman, a man and a teenage boy were all smiling at the camera. Weighting it down was a cell phone. Taking the picture carfully, she turned it and saw a message written behind it: “To my dear husband, I am sorry I could not come back to you. I love you and hope you will remember me as I was, not as I will be. To my son, become a man I could be proud of. I love you more than I ever could tell you.”
Placing it down, Parkson saw the lifeless eyes of a woman, the same one shown in the picture. She had found a screwdriver and had put it trough her brain entering it by her right temple. Her death had been fast at least. She saw other suicides and some unlucky ones. The unlucky were the one who had missed and died later from their wounds. One had his throat opened almost to his carotid but he had obviously missed it and died then rose to take his place, a macabre farce in a macabre circus of the dead. Knowing the enzyme would not last forever, Parkson picked up her pace and made for the stairs when she noticed one zombie standing there, a pen in his hands and a block of paper ready. Seeing her looking at him, he smiled and wrote something on a sheet of paper. Ripping it out, he lifted his arm, holding the sheet for Parkson. Taking a tentative step, she quicly took the piece of paper and read it with one eye, nervous. On it, only 6 words: Welcome to my play ground. T.B.L