I wanted to do something a bit more creative on my blog and as it is getting towards the time of year where we start thinking of Halloween I decided to have a zombie apocalypse. I have always liked films and books where people have to survive against all odds. The Day of the Triffids was a perfect example, man eating plants taking advantage of an accident that caused most people to become blind. There are so many films and books about zombies I always feel that it is an accident waiting to happen. It set me to wondering, what would I do if I woke up to find that zombies had been unleashed on the world. How would I survive and protect my family. I then thought others might want to join in. I would provide the first sentence and then write a story. The challenge for others would be to take that same sentence and write their own story. I want to keep it short so the story should be less than 1000 words.

This is the first sentence:

In my mind I always half prepared for a zombie apocalypse but I never expected it to happen, until that cold grey October morning when I woke thinking it was a normal day

My story is below, if you do decide to join in please comment so I can read your story. I would also love to know what you think of mine.

The Zombie Apocalypse

In my mind I always half prepared for a zombie apocalypse but I never expected it to happen, until that cold grey October morning when I woke thinking it was a normal day. Half asleep I went downstairs to make tea, let the dog out and in, then went back up to get changed into running clothes. My husband had just turned on the news, just as well as it warned us of the unfolding horror before I had gone outside unknowing. A virus had been released, the dead were walking and turning the living into the undead. Warily I looked outside, it seemed quiet. Then I noticed the cars were not parked, they were abandoned. Peering though the fog I could just see the shambling people milling about. The rising sun shed an eerie red glow over the scene adding to the feeling of impending doom.

I looked at my son asleep in his bed and my dog with his big trusting eyes. I did not want to see them turned into mindless husks with a longing for human flesh. “We need a plan” I said to my husband. Should we stay in a place we knew or should we go hoping to find refuge. To stay would be easy but could we survive? How long would it take for the electricity to stop and the infrastructure to crumble? Would the house be secure against a wave of hungry zombies? My husband said we had to go, somewhere remote, defensible and with a generator before it got too bad. We would need supplies and weapons.

My husband moved the car into garage, we could pack in safety, no one can get into the back garden. I tried to pack warm clothes, food, water, matches and blankets. I grabbed as much as I could packing rucksacks in case we needed to walk. My husband grabbed the large petrol drums from the garage and a hose so we could syphon fuel. It was hard manoeuvring in the small space but it had to be done. For weapons we found an axe and a bread knife. Could I hack a zombie to death? I hoped it would not come to that. I could not think of the horror, I had to stay practical to stay alive and keep the family safe. Luckily it was early, hopefully that gave us a chance, we could get moving before others did. We would aim for Scotland, it was remote and we were likely to find a farm or castle we could defend. There are lots of holiday homes in the area so the likelihood was we could find somewhere uninhabited. Searching on the computer I printed off likely destinations then we were ready to go. I woke my son, put the dog on his lead and we got into the car. Luckily my husband is a good driver and we have a landrover.

First we needed to fill the petrol drums and get more food. We did not know how long it would be until we could get more so wanted as much as possible. Avoiding the shambling figures we drove quickly to the petrol station. Luckily the pumps took a credit card so we avoided having to work out how to turn them on in the attendant’s booth. My son kept watch while we filled the drums but so far it was quiet. Tackling the supermarket would give a new meaning to the word trolley dash. We did not want to leave my son alone in the car so I volunteered to go in. I knew the supermarket lay out so could get what we needed quickly. The early morning cashiers were, as yet unaware what was happening. I filled the trolley at record speed and got out, just in time. My husband was beeping the horn frantically and wave of zombies were staggering towards us. I threw the contents of the trolley into the car as fast as I could and leapt in, just as the cold dead arms started to reach out for me. I could see the blood dripping from their faces as we drove away, the dog barking loudly.

We headed towards the A69 and the old Roman road, figuring that less people would be using that route. Getting though the centre of town was hard, but my husband knows all the disused back roads so we managed to avoid the worst of the problems. We still saw things we wished we hadn’t. People running and screaming while their friends were being torn apart in front of them. Before we left we had one more stop to make, the outdoors shop. A tent was a good idea, given we did not know where we were going, but more importantly it also sold weapons. Mainly crossbows, but there were also guns for those with a license, not that anyone would be checking today. We drove into the store, literally drove in. We did not have time to park outside, death was too close behind. My husband got out and grabbed weapons, ammunition and a tent and we set off again as fast as we could before anyone realised we were there.

As we drove off into the unknown I hoped we would survive. I had no idea what would be round the next corner or if we would find a place of safety. The world had become an unknown place with terror lucking around the corner. I hoped our family would make it and maybe join with other survivors to rebuild what we had lost. I could not bear to think of the alternative.

Thanks to the lovely Kay from Brink of Bedlam for continuing the story, if you want to find out what happens next pop over and visit her blog.

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