Zombie Mall Read online

  “This is madness!!! Those are our children!!”

  One of them is going nuts, repeating that over and over. He’s a man. The second character remains silent. She’s a woman. He wants out of something, she wants to see it through. They talk about children and an altar.

  As you watch them, a third one comes. She’s tall, thin, blonde and very old. Looks at both, and without hesitation pulls a gun towards the man and shots. The younger women not even flinch. A second round through the head prevents the zombie from rising.

  If you… Go to…

  Get out of here Section 51

  Think about the children Section 52

  Section 31

  Find a way around the arguing couple

  With much care, you pass by the cultists hiding behind the machines. You reach a stair in the opposite side of the room. It takes you to a supervisor’s office. From here, you can see the entire machine room, but also through the monitors you can see the great museum hall on the other side.

  The office looks neat, well organized. The air conditioner is working. The air is fresh and dry. You wish you could spend more time here, but something fishy is going on. You watch security monitors that overlook the museum. What you see it’s surreal.

  In the main hall, a large number of cultists gathers around an ancient altar. At the center, there is a mummy, bandages and all, under a crystal cover. You hear the chanting through the walls. Much to your surprise, one of the screens also shows a cage full with children in a corner of the hall, close to the exit door.

  If you… Go to…

  Stay in the office and see what happens Section 53

  Come up with a plan to release the children Section 54

  Section 32

  Stay on the tower

  This place is as safe as it can be, so you decide to wait it out. The zombie horde walks into the parking lot. It’s only a dozen or so of them. Once they pass enough distance from the tower, you can come down and pass by them undetected. It is the perfect plan… until you see coming over the hill more of them. Hundreds more. A bitter sensation comes up your stomach all the way to your mouth. You made a huge mistake.

  The watchtower is quickly surrounded by the undead, that cram into the parking lot like people in a rock concert. They have not seen you, but there is no way out of this one.

  Searching the office, you find a can of peaches. You stare at it and think that it will be your last meal. Eventually you will die of starvation.

  There is no way out.

  YOU DIED (eventually)

  If you… Go to…

  Start from the beginning Section 1

  Section 33

  Make a run for the shopping mall

  The closest way into the shopping mall is an emergency fire escape on the side of the building. You come down the tower as fast as you can, and run towards the ladder. Pulling closer a dumpster, you help yourself to the ladder.

  Climbing the stairs, you try every door, but they don’t open. It makes sense that for security reasons, they only open outwards and from the inside. Still, you keep trying. Near the top, you see the horde of zombies slowly surrounding the watchtower. More and more come in, filling the parking lot. Going back down is not an option.

  You keep going until reaching the roof. To your surprise, there is a nice terrace restaurant not far away from you.

  If you… Go to…

  Inspect the roof Section 55

  Check the restaurant Section 56

  Section 34

  Inspect the trucks. One may be road ready.

  Cautiously, you check the trucks. One has medical supplies in the back, another one has food rations, and the third one has some kind of habitat, like a mobile lab. Much to your surprise, this one has electricity working, so you venture inside.

  The lab has a bed for operations, that looks more like a dentist chair than anything else. The truck has rooms like a motor-home. There is a kitchen, bathroom, a bunk bed, and an office. Conveniently, there is one exit into the driver’s cabin from within the truck.

  The place is completely sound proof, sturdy, safe. There are papers on a small desk with instructions for evacuation of civilians. Also there is a map pointing to a “safe zone”. Quickly, a plan begins to form in your mind… You could stock up the truck with food and medical, and take off. It is a golden opportunity. On the other hand, what happened in this place and why all these survival tools were left abandoned?

  If you… Go to…

  Load the truck and hit the road Section 57

  Inspect the lab carefully Section 58

  Section 35

  Search for a way into the shopping mall.

  The curtain, half open, raises a red flag in the back of your head. Zombies could come in at any moment and trap you inside. You try to push it down, but it’s stuck in its place.

  Many doors lead to the docking area. As many as you try, they are all locked from the inside. A ticking clock in your head tells you that zombies will be here soon. You try one more door. Lucky for you, it opens. It leads to a large storage area, full with boxes of different sizes. The place only has some dim light pouring from small windows in the roof. You stay quiet, trying to perceive if something moves or lurks in the dark. You can hear your heart beating fast.

  Nothing. Only silence.

  Suddenly, outside in the loading area, dragging feet announces the coming of the zombies. There is no way back now.

  If you… Go to…

  Explore the deposit Section 59

  Look for another exit Section 60

  Section 36

  Get some food

  You are starving. The sweet smell of a grease burger floats in the air. The choice is not hard. Somehow, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse this popular fast food chain is still working.

  You step in, walk to the counter and order the largest burger you see on display. The large woman at the counter seizes you up and down, not even taking your order.

  “And how do you expect to pay for those?” She demands to know in a high pitch voice. “Dollars are no good, do you have chips?”

  “Chips? What the heck are chips?”

  The woman opens her counter and shows you a poker chip. Apparently, the new economy in this place works with poker chips. The improvised local government found them in a hobby store. It has become the current currency. For a moment you realize that civilization means money. You smile, pulling out your empty pockets.

  “Look hon, if you need some chips, then why then not to try the dome? Every newcomer does that and it works well.” She waves you out of the line, and bids you out of her store.

  You head directly into the dome. Apparently, is some sorts of a game where people make bets. The sign looks harmless enough, mostly fighting little animals in a closed up arena. The description on the board makes it sound simple, like a huge whack-a-mole game. What could go wrong? You sign up. The toothless man gives you a paper to sign (who signs papers anymore?). Next, you need to choose your opponent.

  If you… Go to…

  Fight the mole Section 61

  Fight the bunnies Section 62

  Section 37

  Go to see the doctor

  You are so excited to be among humans again. Food can wait. You are eager to complete any “paperwork” this new society demands. You tell Harry to point you to the doctor’s office. On your way, kids playing cross around you. People smile, buying and selling stuff. A group of teenagers play volleyball in the activity center. Overall, the entire community gives you a sense of bliss.

  The doctor’s office is a remodeled dentist office. A receptionist reads a lady magazine for the 500th time. Still, she’s more interested in answering the same quiz about her relationship than attending to you. Without even looking at you, she points towards the office at the end of the corridor. She tells you that the doctor will be with you soon.

  You enter the examination room, and sit on the stretcher. You play with your feet, making loops in the air. After a
while, you get bored and start looking around. The counter has all the usual medical stuff. However, a button in the wall gets your attention. Wondering what it does, you push it. A secret door opens in the wall. Curious, you take a look inside, and find a secret passage. The mystery draws you in, and you follow it through.

  The passage leads to a large chamber, tall as the mall itself. Lights turn on when you walk in. Much like a large deposit, in shelves upon shelves you see machines. Each one holds a person inside. The people inside is connected with wires. Display screens monitor their vital signs. You have problems processing what your eyes see.

  You walk down the corridor staring at the faces inside these massive jars. What is the meaning of all this?. Suddenly, you stop. In the capsule in front of you, floating in that strange liquid, you see “Harry”. Or at least, a younger version of him.

  “I see you find this place. Well, it’s not secret, really”.

  You turn around. The doctor walks calmly towards you. He’s an old man, weighted down by his years. His tone reveals a touch of resignation. You step back, ready to defend yourself. The doctor looks at you, shakes his head.

  “I mean you no harm. I see you found Harry here.” He points at the chamber.

  “What is the meaning of this?” You demand.

  “You see, there are only a few of these chambers occupied. All these other ones are empty. This was part of a project to save humanity, but it didn’t work. We were not fast enough.”

  The doctor puts a hand on your shoulder and asks you to walk with him. There is no immediate danger, an if anything happens, you are sure you can knock down the old man in a heart beat.

  “The people above are mostly clones. Some refused to go under this program. All the other colonies are done for, completely obliterated by the undead. Here we keep copies of ourselves, no more than a few at a time. We hope that with additional survivors, we may have a large enough genetic pool to reboot the human race. We only need a sample of your blood.”

  If you… Go to…

  Give the doctor a blood sample Section 63

  Refuse to be part of this mess Section 64

  Section 38

  Charge ahead and make your way through

  With growing numbers of zombies, you weight your chances. At random, you select the corridor leading to the movie theaters and charge in. Running towards the zombie horde, you take footing on a bench and jump high, gaining momentum and ramming the walking dead.

  Mid air, you blade your crowbar and smash the first zombie in the line. The blow sends his remains backwards, opening a weak passage in their rows. You land feet first on his thorax, crunching his rib cage. For a split second, you loose balance. Gripping hands slash at you, ripping out your clothe and scaring your skin. With all your might, you struggle to break free from their grip. Teeth sunk in your arms and legs, but you keep fighting. In a strike of luck, you brake free and run down the corridor. Behind you, an ocean wave of undead chase you down, eager to taste the rest of you.

  Staying only a few steps ahead, you enter the movie theater and head towards the employees only area. Good luck smiles at you. By the end of a short corridor, you manage to enter one of the projector rooms. The door locks behind you, separating you from the dead. But you know, that the wounds you hold are lethal. Even now, the quick run made your blood spread the infection faster throughout your body. Fever invades you. Your muscles ache as your veins pop up through your skin. You may have only a few hours before you turn into one of them. Sitting down, you ponder what to do in your last hours on earth. You pray, remember the good old days, and then turn on the movie projector. The silver screen becomes alive and you smile. The movie left on the projector is “Shawn of the Dead”. Somehow, it feels appropriate.

  YOU DIED

  If you… Go to…

  Start from the beginning Section 1

  Section 39

  Fight to the death

  Holding yourself together, you prepare to fight. You knew this day would come, when you are presented with an impossible situation. You have lived well, surviving this nightmare more than anybody else could have hoped. Now, it’s time to take as many of these with you as you can. The goal here is to die, really die fighting, thus avoiding becoming one of them.

  The multitude steps forward, tightening the circle. You look into their dead eyes, their rotten teeth. Hold your crowbar hard, ready to strike. There is no way to get an upper hand. To heck with it! You charge ahead, swinging the crowbar as hard as you can on the first zombie to break the line. His head explodes like a watermelon. Your blow cuts him all the way down to the heap. A chunk of meat gets tangled into the hook end of the bar. You swing it again across your next victim: A large skinny blonde zombie woman in a stained blue dress. Again, you cut her in half. You keep swinging that bar like an angry Darth Vader. The zombies continue to move forward, slowly. You hack them down. You wonder why they delay their attack. This is not common zombie behavior.

  You are about to deliver another fatal blow, when a hand behinds you holds the crowbar. You turn around. A tall, distinctive zombie stands proudly in front of you. He yanks the bar out of your hands and pushes you against the crowd. Despair decorates your face as the undead hold you still. They push you down to your knees. They hold your arms, but no teeth tastes your skin yet.

  The zombie in front of you signals the others. The zombies stand still. He stares at the bar for a moment, then throws it to a side like it means nothing to him. He stands in front of you, coming to your face. He roars at you with a putrid breath, teeth gnashing. You expect him to rip off your head at any moment… but he doesn’t. Instead, he stands tall again and signals to someone behind him. A small zombie rushes in, carrying an electronic collar. He fastens it around you neck. The collar lights up. Pain like a thousand needles poke every cell in your brain. Then, a couple of zombies bite you in each shoulder and take a piece out. They let you go, and you fall to the ground bleeding to death. Your body convulses and trembles. Life abandons your body. You are turning into one of them.

  Your collar flashes. You know you died. Still, you have control of your body. Your own voice is not alone in your thoughts. The collar changed you. You hear the thoughts of all the zombies around you. They also hear yours. A bonny hand helps you to stand. The lead zombie stares at you. He nods.

  “Welcome, my servant”, the voice resounds in your mind. The collar connects you all, into a single mind of individual voices. The crowd of the dead roars chanting:

  “All hail the Zombie King! The ruler of us all.”

  YOU DIED

  If you… Go to…

  Start from the beginning Section 1

  Section 40

  Climb the tree

  Desperate, you try the best you can to climb the slippery tree. With all the energy you have left, you scratch the wood until your nails bleed. Your heart pound heavily, and feel lack of air. After a few minutes you reach a branch, safe above the ground.

  The top of the tree reaches high pass the second and third story of the mall. It barely has leaves that you can see, but it does have thick, heavy branches. Looking down below, you still see those shining eyes in the dark, and hear the heavy moaning of the undead. You hug the tree, and stay quiet for hours.

  Nothing happens. It seems that there is a stalemate for some unknown reason. The horde doesn’t move. It waits.

  If you… Go to…

  Stay awake through out the night Section 65

  Sleep in the tree Section 66

  Section 41

  Find a way out of the hall

  Barely believing your luck, you don’t wait to see why the zombies stop. Turning around, you head on away from them, full steam ahead.

  A flash of lights crosses your eyes as something hits you hard in the face. The blow knocks you down backwards. The smell of blood fills your nostrils as broken bones in your nose throw agonizing pain signals to your brain. You barely have time to feel it, when a tall zombie grabs you and sets it’s foot in
your chest. He pulls hard from your arms, and in a single blow rips apart both of them. Streams of blood poor out of your body. The intense pain overshadows your broken bones, and just when you think you can’t have enough pain, the horde jumps over you and sinks their teeth on your flesh.

  The strong zombie who knocked you down kneels down on your face, looks straight at you… and smiles.

  YOU DIED

  If you… Go to…

  Start from the beginning Section 1

  Section 42

  Wait out the night

  With the moon moving through the sky, it will be fully dark soon. By the gate, the zombies await. There is no other exit from this place. This thin strip of land seems secured nevertheless. It works as a demilitarized zone or a buffer for newcomers. It makes sense. You would do the same.

  Having nothing to cover yourself, you make the best out of the situation. You lay down on a wooden bench, too short for you. At least is not the cold marble floor of the mall. Above you, clouds dance, pushed by high wind up above. At first you think that you may not fall asleep at all, but soon you’re proven wrong.

  Morning comes. A tall woman wakes you up. She’s accompanied by two strong bodyguards.

  “Well, well, well! You have some real good timing!”, the woman says, “If you get checked out by the doctor, and have no bites, you can stay with us”.

  Before you can utter any question, the two guys drag you inside the palisade. Inside, the whole place is decorated for a massive party. It looks like one of those fancy carnival parades that you saw once on TV from Brazil. People around dances, laughs, and overall have a good time.