Zombie Mall Read online

  Since you have time, and this is the only reading material, you check the papers with care to details. Then, it dawns on you. One of the health centers where the vaccine was administered is right here, on this shopping mall!

  Instead of happy, the realization gives you a bad feeling in your stomach. What happened here?

  If you… Go to…

  Find a way down to the mall Section 125

  Wait out for a rescue party Section 126

  Section 88

  Leave everything else, and get on the truck

  Time’s a wasting. You drop the last load of boxes, noise be damned. You run to the mobile lab and hit the button to close the door. Then, you jump into the cabin. As you suspected, there is enough fuel to make it last a good ride long.

  What a lucky day!!!

  With the engine roaring, you lock the doors, then fasten the seat belt. Never is too late to be safe, especially when you are going to drive over a zombie horde. By the entrance, a handful of zombies are coming through. You pump gas. The engine roars. You grab firmly the steering wheel.

  It’s time to go.

  If you… Go to…

  Go right now, and ram the gate. Section 127

  Make a run to open the gate, and come back Section 128

  Go to the back of the habitat and get the map Section 129

  Section 89

  Try to load more cargo

  You look around and count the zombies inside. They are not that many. They are still wandering around. Most likely, they have not gotten your scent yet. There may be time for one more run.

  With your heart pumping, and counting seconds in your head, you grab a couple more boxes from the deposit. The moment you head for the truck, you freeze. A couple of zombies have moved past you, and are directly between you and the truck.

  Fear sinks in. A rush of adrenaline hits your blood stream. You look at the gate. More and more zombies keep walking in.

  If you… Go to…

  Drop the boxes, and make your way through Section 130

  Use the cans in the food box as a weapon Section 131

  Section 90

  Start the truck and drive away

  You move into the cabin, and turn the engine on. The fuel tank is almost three quarters full. The undead outside become aware. Perhaps because they don’t see you or smell you, they still walk towards the truck but don’t attack. You push the pedal, making the truck move slowly, pushing aside some zombies still in trance. Then, one of them screams. He stares directly at you. Now is the time to make an escape.

  You push the engine to full gear, gaining momentum enough to blast the gate. You are at full speed now, hearing the sound of broken bones as you cut the multitude of undead on your way. Soon, you are on the speedway, heading outside the city.

  You drive for miles and miles before you dare to stop the truck. Without turning the engine off, you grab the map from the back and plan your route ahead. In a few more days of driving you may arrive to the signaled location. It will be a long drive, but is worth the try.

  YOU SURVIVED.

  If you… Go to…

  Start from the beginning Section 1

  Section 91

  Wear the protective suit and walk away

  With the horde of zombies growing in numbers by the minute, you doubt that the truck will have enough power to cut through them before it gets damaged. Sooner or later you’ll have to go out. This moment is as good as any.

  A video on the computer said that the suit masked the scent of people, it protects from bites up to a certain point. It also made it clear that is highly experimental. It is a work in progress, so basically, it comes with no warranty.

  Without any other option left, you put on the suit. The respirator works fine, but it does make some noise. You wonder if the zombies would be attracted to it. The rest of the fabric is quite think. You have some problems to move cross your arms. Somehow, you feel like a rug doll. The helmet is nice though.

  Dressed for the party, now you venture outside. You push the button that opens the habitat door, and feel how it crashes a few zombies down the way. The rest just doesn’t care.

  If you… Go to…

  Walk away the shopping mall Section 132

  Look for an entry to the mall Section 133

  Section 92

  Climb up the storage tower next to you and hide

  You climb as silent as you can the storage tower on your right. It is hard to do this in the dim light, but you’re sure that zombies are not that good climbers. Careful not to drop anything, several meters above the ground you find a place where you can sit and watch the scene below.

  The smell of rotten flesh soon floods the area. Two columns of zombies meet right at the crossroads. The ones from the left wear lab coats. The ones on the right dress military uniforms. To your amazement, the stop a few steps from each other. There are no words, but the body language is clear. The sight fills you with fear.

  The zombies are communicating.

  If you… Go to…

  Move closer to take a better look Section 134

  Climb higher and find another exit Section 135

  Section 93

  Follow the arrow pointing to the lab

  Your heart pumps strong, as if trying to escape your chest. You follow the signal to the lab. The corridor lights flicker. There are no zombies, nor any sign of struggle. You run.

  After a few minutes of nerve wrecking speed walking, you arrive to a door labeled “Laboratory”. The dark room comes to life when you walk in. Automatic lights turn on. On a side, long lines of computers still work hard. By a tall glass wall, a work table covered with containers of bubbling liquids get your attention. All things seem to be in operation. The room is immense. You wonder who build this thing in a shopping mall. Then it hits you… this is not a mall. This is a major cover up!

  Afraid to run into zombies, you inspect the site carefully. Several monitors show you the perimeter around. Hordes of zombies infest each area around the mall.

  At the center of an examination room there is a capsule with something inside. The dark glass only reveals the shape of a person inside. You can’t make up any details. The capsule is labeled: “Solution X”.

  If you… Go to…

  Open the capsule Section 136

  Investigate around Section 137

  Section 94

  Follow the arrow pointing to the exit

  Survival instinct kicks in. You run for the exit. Big mistake. That is exactly the direction where the zombies are coming from. Behind you, a second group closes in. There is no escape. You are surrounded.

  But there is something different about these zombies. They don’t attack you in a mad frenzy like the others. For a moment, they stand still, staring at you in silence. Then, one steps forward. He stands close to you, very close. He smells you. Then, it takes away his face. It is a mask! In front of you, a living middle age man smiles at you.

  “Oh my! You’re alive! Everybody, we have a new human with us”

  All of the sudden, all the zombies remove their masks and cheer up. The group consists of 50 or 60 people. They survive by emulating zombies. They have a safe place to live, and only dress up like this when they go as a group to gather resources and food from infested areas. They embrace you into their collective with much joy. In time, they also give you a “zombie suit” and take you out in food runs.

  This may be crazy, but it works. And why not? It’is the end of the world after all.

  YOU SURVIVED

  If you… Go to…

  Start from the beginning Section 1

  Section 95

  Charge ahead, ready to attack whatever it is

  Zombie bunny

  You are under attack and must fight this monster. If you win, keep reading. If not, find the You are dead page at the end of the book.

  With some luck, you manage to smash the dead bunny’s head. That puts and end to its reign of terror. Catching your breath, you look at the
“now-completely-dead-bunny”. This being used to be vegetarian in life. How things have changed with the apocalypse.

  Out of the pet shop, you walk through the corridors of the shopping mall. Once these were full of life. Now they are empty and lonely. You look at a clothe store and think how useless the fashion is and was. It seems that you are the only survivor in the place. You wonder if the road sign is outdated. Did all of the living left?

  Having the entire place for yourself, you make the most of it. First, you raid a fast food place, of course. With no zombies on sight, you fire up the kitchen and prepare yourself the first hamburger you had in months. You spend the night there, improvising a bed in the kids play area. You don’t dare to venture into the mall in the dark, just in case. The building seems safe, but you know better than try your luck in the night. Tomorrow will be a good day to explore, but today your belly is full and you need to rest.

  If you… Go to…

  The next morning… Section 138

  Noises in the night… Section 139

  Section 96

  Approach silently

  Walking as careful as you can, you move towards the exit when you hear more cages torn apart. Making yourself smaller, you move down the isles hoping to avoid any encounter. If you could just make it to the door, you could lock it behind you.

  Then, in one turn you, just sitting a few inches from your face you confront the glittering eyes of an undead bunny. He jumps at you, while a multitude of other creatures attack you from every corner of the store. You try to escape, but you are covered in them, tearing you apart.

  YOU DIED

  If you… Go to…

  Start from the beginning Section 1

  Section 97

  Trust the tree

  Climbing down the massive tree, you feel secure within the boundaries of it’s roots. Reaching out the entire hall, they create a natural frontier against the zombies. Even in numbers, they don’t dare to walk into the food court.

  The tree is a natural predator for the zombies.

  A quick search reveals under some leaves, a skeleton still sitting by a table, holding a journal. It is the first and only human you have seen to die without turning into an undead. Curious, hungry for answers, you read through the pages of the diary. His story was similar to yours, but he was sick and died not that many months after finding the tree. It talks about a relationship with the plant, how its fruit gave him strength and sustenance. Somehow, he lived in peace… but confined to the food court. He was afraid and too sick to venture beyond its limits.

  So, you take over this old gardener’s duties. You water and take care of the tree. Somehow you communicate with it. You spend your days exploring the food stands around the court. Some days you even forget about the growing number of zombies by the hallway.

  If you… Go to…

  Spend your days in the food court Section 140

  Device a plan to expand the tree Section 141

  Section 98

  Explore another exit

  As the vines place you safely on the ground, your mind focuses on the growing multitude of zombies down the corridor. They fear the tree. A wondering zombie gets too close to the entrance, driven by pure thirst of flesh. You watch in awe as the vines reach out and ravel the walking corpse like a hungry anaconda. Unlike the serpent, the vines just keep tightening without end, breaking bones and slicing the zombie like a giant hand squishing butter. Then, roots slowly crawl to feast on the foul puddles of flesh, bones and gelatinous matter. It stinks, but is quite a sight.

  You water the tree, and feeling safe in the confinements of the food court, you explore around. Vines move around when you walk, opening clear paths for you. They lead you to an unmarked red door. Spores in the air encourage you to open it. And so you do.

  You walk into what may have been a large amphitheater. Now, thick green vines and branches cover the walls. A great part of the roof is missing, with growing branches escaping the confinement of the mall. In the opposite wall, not too far away, there is a glass room. But what gets your attention the most, are the thick trunks of what it looks like a forest of branchless trees. The shape of them is highly unusual, as well as the bright green and yellow colors they have. This fantastic forest has a well defined path leading straight into the glass building.

  You take a few steps, amazed at the beauty of it all. Sunbeams reveal flowers of many colors, bees, and mots of dust floating in the air. It is a scene painted from a fantasy world. The vanilla smell of the food court is stronger here.

  If you… Go to…

  Examine the branchless trees Section 142

  Examine the glass room Section 143

  Section 99

  Join those who want to stay

  You hear the arguments. People argue as if nothing else matter in the world. Politics. They have lived in isolation for so long, that their ideas are running all over the place, disconnected from reality. They are drunk with ideology. They had elections recently. The losing party wants to leave and refuse to accept defeat.

  You rise your hand, asking to talk. People, surprised to see you give you the time.

  “I don’t know about all of you, but I just got here. As far as I can see, outside is much worse than here. There are no humans around, only death”

  Your voice sends a hush all over the place. Your opinion wins friends and enemies before you even know their names. The heated arguments continue around you. The home feeling you had a few moments ago fades away. You tell yourself that this is why people can’t live together. Sooner or later it all goes to heck, zombies or not.

  Karen takes you to your new place. It’s not much, but it has a bed and a water bottle. Your new room is located in what was a library in the top floor. Book shelves act as dividers. Your “room” looks more or less like a cubicle with book walls. Karen explains that tomorrow you both will continue the tour. There is some sort of “program” for people to donate their talents for the good of the community.

  You lay in bed, thinking about the events of the day. It has been a long, demanding day. Just yesterday you were running away from certain death. As the sun sets, the lights go on for about an hour. You try several books from one of your “walls”. Lucky for you, the entire collection of Tolkien is right there within arms reach. You enjoy books, and is something you missed deeply. By the times the lights go off, you’re mid way through the Council of Elrond debate. Marking the page in the dark, you put the book away. Sleeping in a bed is quite a contrast from the bench of last night.

  A scream wakes you up. People around run towards the exit. You look at the source of the commotion. You fear zombies, but no. It’s something worse for people living in a library full of books:

  Fire!!.

  It was too good to be true. Where there is fire, soon there will be a dead or two. When there is one dead, then there will be a zombie, and two, and many more.

  You run towards the exit, when passing a hallway you see an old woman bent on the floor. The smoke and the noise make it hard to distinguish what happens there, but you think she’s hurt.

  If you… Go to…

  Help the old woman Section 144

  Head for the exit Section 145

  Section 100

  Join those who want to leave

  The crowd grows unstable with each passing moment. Those who want to stay make the point that everybody is needed for the colony to survive. Those who want to leave says the resources will soon run out. Some talk about Eden, a fortified city by the old government somewhere up north.

  People in order speak their mind. You don’t want to get involved, but they single you out.

  “I don’t know enough to know what’s going on with this colony, but I just made it here. This place is surrounded by the undead, and it would only take a small breach to ruin it all”

  Some people nod in agreement, others nod and look aside in disdain. It is your opinion nevertheless, and have no reason to doubt it. But the turning tide comes from the
doctor that examined you. He stands up and walks to the front. The whole place falls in silence. Everybody knows him and respects him.

  “I cannot say much about the organization or what will happen in the future…” he speaks with a trembling voice, then continues: “but this I know. We are not clean. All of us is infected. I’ve taken samples of all of us, and the evidence is undeniable: we are all zombies to be.”

  The multitude stays silent. Some speak under their breath, others murmur. One middle age man stands up, holding his cowboy hat in his hands. He’s humble in his speech.

  “So, doc… what do we do? Can you cure us?”

  The doctor’s face turns to ash. He stares the cowboy straight in the eyes.

  “No, I can’t. I’m not qualified, and I also don’t have the equipment needed here. If there is a cure, is not here.”

  Some people cry, some look down in silence, others hug their families with comforting resignation. The elected mayor calls for a hands count. The majority votes on favor of leaving.

  “The voice of the people is law. But it would be safer to send a group, large enough to find the destination and then return to get the rest. We have children and elderly that won’t make it far on the open road if we all decide migrate at the same time.”

  If you… Go to…

  Stay with the main group Section 146

  Go with the expedition group Section 147

  Section 101

  Tell Karen