Zombie Drabble #225 “Narcissus”

His alarm beeped, but he reached over without looking and turned it off. A couple hours later, his cell vibrated momentarily, letting him know he had a text message, but he ignored it. Two more came but he had fallen back asleep.

By the time he got up and had finished his lengthy morning shower and mirror regiment, it was after noon. He had not turned on the television or radio, being for the most part unconcerned with the outside world, and so was completely unprepared when upon opening his apartment door he was immediately grabbed and eaten by zombies.

Zombie Drabble #224 “Honey, Don’t You Want A Man Like Me”

He’d lost some weight, dropped some of that baby fat, and built up some muscle to replace it. That wasn’t the only thing, but it helped. Probably seeing how capable he was was the main thing, and it had come as something of a surprise. Before, she’d never really thought of him in ‘that way’; he’d been securely in the ‘friend zone’.

Funny how the end of civilization can completely change your priorities. Now — with a baby on the way and endless hordes of zombies to kill — was not the time for the brooding loners she’d been attracted to before.

Zombie Drabble #223 “Nature’s Course”

The axe swung, and another zombie messily dropped. He looked around, but that was it. “Anybody hurt?”

There was no reply for a minute, and then Larry said, “Glen got bit.”

They walked over to where he was sitting. “Glen?”

“Yeah. On the arm. Fuck me.”

“Don’t panic, all right? We’ll take you back, tie you up, wait and see, all right? I heard there are people who’ve beat it.”

“Fucking name one, man. Who?”

“Trust me, all right?” He couldn’t shoot him, not now. Not Glen. Not until after he’d turned.

“Naw, fuck it. Just let me sit here.”

Zombie Drabble #222 “Vanity”

“Why us?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if nine out of ten people just got whatever this is and turned into zombies, why were we immune? What’s the commonality? Blood type?”

“Naw, I’m AB negative and Chuck is O pos. What are you?”

“A positive, I think. I’d have to check my driver’s license.”

“You’re still carrying that around? Why?”

“Well, so I can be identified if I die.”

“Identified by who? Ain’t no coroner coming. Ain’t no funeral home gonna send the hearse. You gonna lie there and rot.”

“All right, I just like the picture, okay? Satisfied?”

Zombie Drabble #221 “A Gut Feeling”

“John.”

“Mmm.”

“Someone’s at the front door.”

“It’s three in the morning. Go back to sleep.”

“They’ve been knocking for five minutes now. Go tell them to go away.”

John strained to hear, and instead of a fast series of sharp knocks, he heard a dull thud, followed by a pause, followed by another, followed by another pause, and so on.

“Go tell them to go away.”

He got out of bed and, instead of heading for the door, went to the closet for the shotgun. He saw concern on her face, so he shrugged and said, “Just in case.”

Zombie Drabble #220 “Trümmerfrauen”

The building was mostly collapsed, had lost its roof and any identifying signage in the blast, but it was clearly a grocery store. There would be no zombies around — probably not for miles due to the radiation — but a few kept watch nevertheless.

The rest of them, grey and exhausted, sifted through the ruin looking for intact cans of food. They found little that remained edible. Like always, most of what they would carry back to where they were building the walls they hoped would shelter them from the inevitable return of the masses of living dead would be bricks.

Zombie Drabble #219 “Close To You”

They sat on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over the side. From up there, you could see the whole town, watch what was happening. The police tried to stage a breakout from the station about an hour before, but hadn’t gotten far. That was when he had reached out and taken her hand.

They still had a few cigarettes left, and Sara lit one for both of them. After a long drag, she said, “I don’t wanna die a virgin, Jose.”

He looked worried for a minute, and then said, “I don’t have any protection.”

Sara just laughed.

Zombie Drabble #218 “Mr. Saturday Night”

“Fuck, man, what a night.” Chad leaned against the van and sighed.

Billy Starlight laughed, “Ain’t over, dude. Those girls are waiting ‘round the corner. Fuck, help me with this amp.”

“You said there’d be roadies, man, how is this my fuckin’ job now?”

“Roadies. This guy wants roadies. Genius, we got paid seventy-five bucks for this gig.”

“That’s because nobody was here man: everybody’s home sick. Even those girls are hurtin’, dude. I’ll pass.”

“You will not pass. You will come to the party, and you will be a wingman, man. I am getting laid if it kills me.”

Zombie Drabble #217 “Between Floors”

“How long has it been, anyway?”

“Not sure. Three, four hours.”

“Man, this fuckin’ sucks. Shouldn’t security have come by now? Or the fire department? Hey! Hey!” He pounded on the doors hard enough to make the entire elevator rock.

“Listen, can you… I don’t feel so well, could you not…”

“Yeah, hey, sorry man. Yeah you’re looking pretty pale.”

“I think,” the businessman managed to say, “I’m going to… lie down for a while. Wake me if we get rescued.”

“Yeah, okay. It’s Sunday, though, man, it might be a while.”

“Yeah.” It was the businessman’s last intelligible response.

Zombie Drabble #216 “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before”

Ginny, in college, with the super-long hair and the adorable laugh. Frigid Brigit, after I transferred, who never let me have the last word and was incapable of orgasm. Tess who never closed the deal, and Corrine who put me in the ‘friend zone’. Abbey the one-night stand and Frances the one-month stint. Lilly, who I really could have seen myself ending up with.

They’re probably all dead now; either eaten or turned. It’s disturbing to imagine the girls I once loved dead or corrupted into zombies. I wonder if any of them are out there somewhere wondering about me.

Zombie Drabble #215 “Disgruntled”

They followed him through the light industrial area, between warehouses and eight-foot fences and parked semi trailers: a line of terrified people with an armed man at its vanguard.

They were to scared to think about why he kept a shotgun and a school backpack full of ammunition in his car, or wonder if he brought them every day. He couldn’t have had foreknowledge of the coming zombie apocalypse. He wasn’t even into zombie movies.

They were just grateful to have him there, because otherwise they’d already be dead. And that’s really what he had wanted in the first place.

Zombie Drabble #214 “Community”

“What about that one?” Cal asked. He pointed to a pathetic grey figure shambling towards them, moaning, arms outstretched.

“Ethel Morris, used to work at the school in the office. Retired like, three years ago.” He fired once, and zombie Ethel went down. “She was there when I was in school. Always had candy in her sweater pockets for kids. Well, the she liked.”

Cal walked over, knelt down, and looked through the corpse’s pockets. Sure enough, he found a change purse with some cards in it. “Yup. Ethel Morris, AARP member.”

Pierce laughed, “He’s never wrong. Pablo knows everybody.”