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An entry into the January 2008 Twilight Creations contest by Cristiano Batista
It's dark and wet in the silent alley. Well, this isn't so bad. "It's dark because it's night. It's wet because it had just rained; and thank God it is silent because it means none of 'them' are around."
The alley opened into a cluttered avenue. In the moonlit night I can't see much, only enough to recognize the wrecked cars and collapsed buildings.
"Where did everybody go?"
Normally (not that things have been "normal" since this terrible plague started to spread) the undead wander everywhere. It's unusual to find a desolate place like this, and it's been a week since I saw one for the last time. At first I thought that they may have found some alternate food source, but the brain cramp in my head doesn't lie. I sense that Ken, my beloved and missing brother, is around… and I have to kill him!
A few weeks ago we were outnumbered by a horde of zombies. Even armed with lots of ammo, we couldn't stop their progress. There were too many to count, and we finally ran out of bullets. "We're screwed!" Ken screamed. We tried to retreat using a fire escape. He lifted me so I could reach the ladder and I climbed to safety. Unfortunately he couldn't make it and was captured by that demonic bunch.
"Kevin! Help me, Kevin!!"
I tried, but could do nothing to save him. They almost caught me when I reached frantically for him, which forced me to back off. I watched in hysterical paralysis while they swarmed upon him and dragged his body away. I stood there for a long time before I finally found the strength to climb down and leave that damn place.
I crept around until I found a place where I could take a much needed rest. I was so physically and emotionally exhausted that I fell fast asleep.
That night I dreamt about the day's events. In my dream I changed roles with Ken. I raised my arms amidst the undead crying for Ken's help at the fire escape. He was standing there, clothes ripped, dripping with blood, and missing chunks of flesh all over his body. He looked at me with hollowed eyes and a terrible grin in his lifeless visage. He looked smarter than most of the undead. What came next frightened me the most - he talked! Zombies never talk. They moan, and cry, but they never utter a word. Let's say that it's kind of hard to articulate words with a dead brain (or without it entirely). He started to cackle and said, "Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse…" The undead troupe collapsed over me. I lost sight of him, and everything turned to black. I heard his laughter in a crescendo, and then I woke up in a sweat, screaming.
I was troubled by the nightmare but relieved it was not real. I came to my senses and realized my yell may have caught the attention of nearby zombies. I jumped up and ran like hell in an adrenaline rush.
Later that day, after I chilled out, I started to feel ill. My body ached, my skin itched, but the worst thing of all was the feeling in my gut. I felt like my stomach was eating me from the inside out - a maddening HUNGER! I had to make the pain stop.
I scavenged in trash bins and ate everything that looked edible: garbage, dirt, leaves, and even a living rat! But nothing would rid me of that painful hunger. I could only alleviate it when I found some painkillers in a first aid kit inside an abandoned ambulance.
Now with my mind clearer, I could finally use reason to evaluate what had happened. I remembered my odd nightmare and linked it to the fact that Ken was my identical twin. I remember when I broke a leg once, falling from my skateboard. He felt when I suffered from the accident and limped for months with me. Then I understood what I did not want to comprehend - Ken had become a zombie! Even though he was one of the undead, we were still attached by our twin empathy. I also knew that I would have to destroy him if I wanted this torment to end.
And that's how I ended up here. My pounding headache points me to him like a compass; otherwise I'd have to rely on my bad sense of direction.
That's when I started to hear the sound of footsteps around the corner. I grab my fire axe, and wait for them to appear. By the roar of laments it seems that there are many, and by the intensity of the pain in my head I am positive that Ken must be among them.
They march around the corner heading in my direction, dozens of them. At the front of the mob is Ken, he looked just like I saw him in my dream. It confirms my belief that our connection is still intact. He raises his hand and stop. Immediately all the zombies behind him stop too! "How can he control them?"
A great fear grip me, and I have to tight my hold on the axe. I don't want to be a butter fingers and lose my only weapon. This demonstration of power frightens me to death. He then walks alone towards me leaving all the others behind. I can feel him longing for my brain.
He starts to charge at me - all claws, teeth and hunger! Exhausted with my heart in shatters, I realize I can't retreat any more. I don't care if he has been turned into a zombie master of sorts. "I have to make this damn pain stop!" I raised my axe and get set, preparing for his attack. Regardless of the result of this clash of brothers, this will have to end… NOW!
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