away from town. Neither you nor Ernie have phone reception, so you’re not sure who she thinks she’s texting.
Darkness is falling as you crest the hill (odd, you think, since it’s 11 in the morning). Madison tells you that you’ve arrived, and a handwritten, misspelled sign nailed to a tree confirms it. The poor spelling, however, bothers you less than the preternatural darkness and the deep sense of foreboding that seeps out from every leaf, rock, and shrub.
A decaying wooden cross carved with the word “Princess” has been stuck haphazardly into the earth. That would be the devil dog’s grave, you think, based on the marker, the way the ground underneath it is as black as coal, and the overwhelming feeling of evil you get when you look at it. You stand in silence for a moment. Not sure what to do next, Ernie picks up a stick and gingerly pokes at the grave.
Princess, who has been following the three of you since you left the house—growling and shuddering the entire way—suddenly leaps at Ernie and bites hard into his shin. “Ernie!” you yell, running to your friend as he frantically kicks the small dog away. It hits the ground with a yelp and runs under a bush.
“Cut it off!” Ernie howls. “Cut off my leg! Quick, before the zombie sickness spreads!”
Madison looks at him with a mixture of pity and disdain. “Don’t be such a wenis,” she says. “He bites me like five times a week.”
“It’s bitten you before?” Ernie asks, wild-eyed. She rolls up her sleeve to reveal a heavily bandaged forearm, and your friend starts to calm down. “You’ve never turned into a zombie, have you?”
“Also, Princess is a boy?” you add.
Madison just rolls her eyes. “Are you guys retarded or something? What’s a zombie?”
As if on cue, a pair of decaying corpses wander out from the tree line, apparently drawn by the commotion. Your first instinct is to run, but with Ernie’s new leg wound, you’re not sure how quickly he’ll be able to get down the hill. In addition, Madison doesn’t seem big on following directions, and if you get her killed, trying to explain to her parents that zombies did it might come across as a little sketchy.
On the plus side, maybe they’ll eat Princess.
If you decide to run, getting Ernie and Madison away from the zombies as quickly as possible, turn to page 185.
If you think the best way to protect them is to stay and fight, turn to page 240.
Back
56
You settle into forest life and the days take on a steady, reassuring pace. At times you even forget the hellish nightmare you left behind in the city. There’s plenty of wood for the fire, and you replenish your water supplies from the river; if you learn to hunt you could potentially stay out here for years.
You’re not much of a shot (and though you’re not technically related, shooting at rabbits just feels wrong), so you concentrate on finding larger game. Weeks pass, but eventually your patience pays off. You’re lying on your belly in the underbrush when a deer silently appears nearby. Your heart pounds as you get the animal in your sight (and yes, you know this is how Bambi’s mom died, but you could eat for weeks on that thing!). You have only one shot at this. You aim, relax your grip, and squeeze the trigger.
Miss! The animal raises its ears at the crack of the rifle but doesn’t bound off. You can’t believe you’ve got another chance! As you reload, it turns toward you, and you notice the wild, staring eyes. Matted gore covers its downy chest. Terrified, you pump a bullet into it, but the thing doesn’t even flinch. You leap to your feet and run for the safety of the cabin. But you know what? Undead wildlife? Way faster than undead people.
Something hits you from behind and you fall to the ground, feeling teeth sinking slowly into your neck.
You get eaten by a zombie deer.
THE END
Back
57
Forget the whitening action. You flee the approaching zombies and narrowly avoid getting
Darkness is falling as you crest the hill (odd, you think, since it’s 11 in the morning). Madison tells you that you’ve arrived, and a handwritten, misspelled sign nailed to a tree confirms it. The poor spelling, however, bothers you less than the preternatural darkness and the deep sense of foreboding that seeps out from every leaf, rock, and shrub.
A decaying wooden cross carved with the word “Princess” has been stuck haphazardly into the earth. That would be the devil dog’s grave, you think, based on the marker, the way the ground underneath it is as black as coal, and the overwhelming feeling of evil you get when you look at it. You stand in silence for a moment. Not sure what to do next, Ernie picks up a stick and gingerly pokes at the grave.
Princess, who has been following the three of you since you left the house—growling and shuddering the entire way—suddenly leaps at Ernie and bites hard into his shin. “Ernie!” you yell, running to your friend as he frantically kicks the small dog away. It hits the ground with a yelp and runs under a bush.
“Cut it off!” Ernie howls. “Cut off my leg! Quick, before the zombie sickness spreads!”
Madison looks at him with a mixture of pity and disdain. “Don’t be such a wenis,” she says. “He bites me like five times a week.”
“It’s bitten you before?” Ernie asks, wild-eyed. She rolls up her sleeve to reveal a heavily bandaged forearm, and your friend starts to calm down. “You’ve never turned into a zombie, have you?”
“Also, Princess is a boy?” you add.
Madison just rolls her eyes. “Are you guys retarded or something? What’s a zombie?”
As if on cue, a pair of decaying corpses wander out from the tree line, apparently drawn by the commotion. Your first instinct is to run, but with Ernie’s new leg wound, you’re not sure how quickly he’ll be able to get down the hill. In addition, Madison doesn’t seem big on following directions, and if you get her killed, trying to explain to her parents that zombies did it might come across as a little sketchy.
On the plus side, maybe they’ll eat Princess.
If you decide to run, getting Ernie and Madison away from the zombies as quickly as possible, turn to page 185.
If you think the best way to protect them is to stay and fight, turn to page 240.
Back
56
You settle into forest life and the days take on a steady, reassuring pace. At times you even forget the hellish nightmare you left behind in the city. There’s plenty of wood for the fire, and you replenish your water supplies from the river; if you learn to hunt you could potentially stay out here for years.
You’re not much of a shot (and though you’re not technically related, shooting at rabbits just feels wrong), so you concentrate on finding larger game. Weeks pass, but eventually your patience pays off. You’re lying on your belly in the underbrush when a deer silently appears nearby. Your heart pounds as you get the animal in your sight (and yes, you know this is how Bambi’s mom died, but you could eat for weeks on that thing!). You have only one shot at this. You aim, relax your grip, and squeeze the trigger.
Miss! The animal raises its ears at the crack of the rifle but doesn’t bound off. You can’t believe you’ve got another chance! As you reload, it turns toward you, and you notice the wild, staring eyes. Matted gore covers its downy chest. Terrified, you pump a bullet into it, but the thing doesn’t even flinch. You leap to your feet and run for the safety of the cabin. But you know what? Undead wildlife? Way faster than undead people.
Something hits you from behind and you fall to the ground, feeling teeth sinking slowly into your neck.
You get eaten by a zombie deer.
THE END
Back
57
Forget the whitening action. You flee the approaching zombies and narrowly avoid getting
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