This month's prompt:
Apocalypse Now!
Give us your take on the zombie apocalypse, be it a zompocalypse story, a zom-com, or a reflection on the genre and the films that inspired it. Write wherever the prompt inspires you, fiction or non-fiction, prose or poetry. Do try and keep things at a PG-13 level, though.
Apocalypse Now!
Give us your take on the zombie apocalypse, be it a zompocalypse story, a zom-com, or a reflection on the genre and the films that inspired it. Write wherever the prompt inspires you, fiction or non-fiction, prose or poetry. Do try and keep things at a PG-13 level, though.
Be sure to check out the rest of my blog chain buddies post below!
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As we
looked up to the darkening sky, a dingy, gnarled fog stretched over us and
separated into murky orange tendrils as if grasping for something just out of
reach. They appeared to be stagnant but as we gathered our survival packs and
prepared to go underground, you couldn’t help but look back up and they were
always a little further across the sky than they were before.
That
was how it all began. Rumors ran rampant as to how it started but after several
months it didn’t seem to matter anymore. Humanity was lost.
Those
that chose to ignore the warning signs were the first to fall. The gruesome fog
slowly descended upon anyone that hadn’t sought shelter. Perhaps they were the
lucky ones with immediate death. Their decaying bodies littered the streets
leaving a constant reminder of the day life as we knew it ended.
We
found each other, my underground dwellers and I, on the internet. I knew there
were others like me. Ones that can never be too prepared, planners, doers and
survivors. We met weekly underground storing provisions. And always enforcing
our plan to meet here if anything out of the ordinary happened. It was better
to error on the side of caution.
The
people in the middle, the ones that managed to miss the initial orange claw of
fog were neither dead nor alive. We started to call them Zombies. They were
trapped on the surface with the dead. We are able to communicate with others
that have gone underground using car batteries to power up the internet. Those
that have more technology than us have posted pictures of the middle people,
the Zombies.
The
orange fog didn’t kill them for they were able to seek some sort of shelter.
But they came out and the residual effects are hindering their thought process.
They wander, from what we’ve seen. And their eyes are what haunts me. When you
look past the blot of gray under the red outline of their eyes they are
lifeless and hollow. We are not even sure if they can see. So far they have
shown no aggression.
Confinement
in our small underground shelter has everyone on edge, some want to leave and
take their chances into the unknown. But it has been made clear if anyone were
to leave they would not be allowed back. We couldn’t risk being affected by the
strange orange fog that fell from the sky. I sometimes find myself wishing
someone braver than me would go out there and tell us everything is fine. Tell
us we can go back to the way it was. But that can never be.
So I write my final thoughts now, it’s only a
matter of time before our rations are gone. Our group is slowly crumbling,
tempers flare and the tension is thick. Should I survive I will have my journal
to look back on the dark days and perhaps write a novel. But if you find this
journal my name, date of birth, family members and picture of them are in the
final pages. I also included my last known address. If it isn’t asking too much
would you go check to see if I left on my iron? Participants and posts:
dclary - www.hardhobbittobreak.com (link to this month's image)
orion_mk3 - http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com (link to this month's post)
randi.lee - http://emotionalnovel.blogspot.com/ (link to this month's post)
Ralph Pines - http://ralfast/wordpress.com/ (link to this month's post)
writingismypassion - http://charityfaye.blogspot.com/ (link to this month's post)
dclary - http://www.davidwclary.com/ (link to this month's post)
SinisterCola - http://acgatesblog.wordpress.com/ (link to this month's post)
PragmaticPimp - http://www.unfoldingmyth.com/ (link to this month's post)
magicmint - http://www.loneswing.com/ (link to this month's post)
SuzanneSeese - http://www.viewofsue.blogspot.com/ (link to this month's post)
AFord - http://writeword.blog.com/ (link to this month's post)
J.W.Alden - http://www.authoralden.com/ (link to this month's post)
Nissie - http://www.paperheroes.net/ (link to this month's post)
MonkeyQueen - http://www.mylifewithmonkeys.com/ (link to this month's post)
areteus - http://lurkingmusings.wordpress.com/ (link to this month's post)
pyrosama - http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com/ (link to this month's post)
pangalactic - http://sonofflash365.blogspot.co.uk/ (link to this month's post)
Sweetwheat - http://gomezkarla.blogspot.com/ (link to this month's post)
Penelope - http://poet-slash-writer.blogspot.com/ (link to this month's post)
kimberlycreates - http://kimberlycreates.com/ (link to this month's post)
Diana_Rajchel - http://blog.dianarajchel.com/ (link to this month's post)
13 comments:
This is a very intriguing piece. I would love to have seen this really fleshed out with characters and plot and all. Is this an idea you have planned on exploring?
I went to turn off the iron you left on and some stupid zombie chomped off my arm. :(
Someone should bottle that orange fog for the future.
magic mint - One day I may go back to it and find a whole story. Thanks.
Diane - So I did leave the iron on, I knew it. Sorry about your arm. You're probably a Zombie by now and won't be able to read this, what a drag.
Interesting use of the fog as a carrier. I liked that.
Hahaha @ Diane and Suzanne's winsome sense of humor--too funny you guys.
Now, about that page turning storyline you shared...was immediately hooked from the very beginning, and can imagine something along these lines could hit the big screen someday. Well done, Suzanne--cheers!
I agree w/the comments on you adding more to this. Great little bit of writing here--I'd love to see an extended version!
I can totally understand about worrying about leaving the iron on!
Lovely mood piece - and I understand about the iron!
I love how, even at the darkest depths of zombie despair, you still think of one day writing a novel. Reminds me of a character in "Wasteland" who is working on "the last great American novel" in a dingy motel room.
That was great, Sue. I really enjoyed it. And the last line was awesome!
Very nice! You captured the confusion and despair that would probably permeate an event like this if it ever happened in the real world. I liked your flavor of "zombies" as well!
Very well done. I enjoyed the prepper/survival aspect of it.
Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments!
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