Saturday, May 19, 2012

Apocalypse Now!

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.

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:

magic mint said...

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?

Unknown said...

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.

Sue said...

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.

Rafael said...

Interesting use of the fog as a carrier. I liked that.

AFord said...

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!

randi lee said...

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!

Diana Rajchel said...

I can totally understand about worrying about leaving the iron on!

Diana Rajchel said...

Lovely mood piece - and I understand about the iron!

orion_mk3 said...

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.

~Charity~ said...

That was great, Sue. I really enjoyed it. And the last line was awesome!

AuthorAlden said...

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!

Anthony said...

Very well done. I enjoyed the prepper/survival aspect of it.

Sue said...

Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments!