by Scott Thurlow
Now...
"This'll never work. I keep telling you."
"And I keep telling you-- we don't know until we try. It worked in movies before. And in that one book."
"I know, I know, you said that! But this is real life...and with real zombies!"
"Exactly! And how else can we know what'll work or not unless we try?"
"I...uh...don't...know, alright. I just don't think this is going to work."
"Yeah, that's right. You don't know. You don't know shit. Maybe I don't either. But I can't take this anymore--sitting here, waiting for something to go wrong. Or for them to get in. No one's coming to save us, you know that right? I told you we're on our own. So you can stay here if you want, but this is it. I'm doing it. With or without you."
"But what if it doesn't work?"
"Then I guess we're dead, right? Just like everyone else. Or undead. Whatever. Did we ever decide on that? Not like it'll really matter. Besides, what if it does work? We'll be the first to figure something like this out. We'll be free. Safe. Safer, anyway."
"Alright, alright! I guess there's a first time for everything. Fine. Fuck it. Help me get mine on."
A few days earlier...
"Look-- we can disguise ourselves like them."
"What? How?"
"How? Man, look around us. We're in a goddamn Halloween superstore! There's all kinds of stuff we can use."
"Yeah? What about a gorilla suit? That might confuse the hell out of them."
"You going to try to run in that thing?
"I...uh...guess not."
"I'm serious though. Maybe if we look and act like them, they'll leave us alone. It's worked in movies before. And it worked in that one book."
"It'll never work."
"Got any better ideas?"
Now...
Simon and Nick donned the masks and matching costumes (complete with a concoction of "zombie blood") they had assembled and cobbled together from various outfits and paraphernalia in the store. As fate had it, the place they were hunkered down in was a Halloween chain outlet. Or used to be. They had found it abandoned, though mostly intact, and had been using it as their shelter since stumbling upon it. The nature of the store being the impetus for the "plan" Simon had come up with that they were now about to enact, despite some reluctance and skepticism over its overall possible effectiveness and merits (or lack thereof) on Nick's part.
Before they prepared to leave, they made sure their masks were on straight and the "blood" was properly applied.
"Looks good. Ready?"
"I guess so. Ready as I'll ever be. Let's go before I change my mind."
They exited the store as they began attempting to imitate the noises they had grown so accustomed to during their brief stay, mimicking the gurgling to keep up the charade as best they could. They made it a few yards out unmolested when, overcome by the initial "success" of his plan, Simon called to Nick, "It worked! It actually worked! Ha! I told you! Now hurry up--"
His jubilant statement was never finished, as Nick turned in time to see that the real creatures had sensed their ruse and were rapidly heading towards them.
"Fuck you! I told you this would never work! Why the hell did I listen to you, you son of a--" Nick's final words were also cut off, as the horde caught up. The costumes had been well-designed, though. The difference between both Simon and Nick's appearances before, and after, being consumed was nearly indistinguishable.
"What? How?"
"How? Man, look around us. We're in a goddamn Halloween superstore! There's all kinds of stuff we can use."
"Yeah? What about a gorilla suit? That might confuse the hell out of them."
"You going to try to run in that thing?
"I...uh...guess not."
"I'm serious though. Maybe if we look and act like them, they'll leave us alone. It's worked in movies before. And it worked in that one book."
"It'll never work."
"Got any better ideas?"
Now...
Simon and Nick donned the masks and matching costumes (complete with a concoction of "zombie blood") they had assembled and cobbled together from various outfits and paraphernalia in the store. As fate had it, the place they were hunkered down in was a Halloween chain outlet. Or used to be. They had found it abandoned, though mostly intact, and had been using it as their shelter since stumbling upon it. The nature of the store being the impetus for the "plan" Simon had come up with that they were now about to enact, despite some reluctance and skepticism over its overall possible effectiveness and merits (or lack thereof) on Nick's part.
Before they prepared to leave, they made sure their masks were on straight and the "blood" was properly applied.
"Looks good. Ready?"
"I guess so. Ready as I'll ever be. Let's go before I change my mind."
They exited the store as they began attempting to imitate the noises they had grown so accustomed to during their brief stay, mimicking the gurgling to keep up the charade as best they could. They made it a few yards out unmolested when, overcome by the initial "success" of his plan, Simon called to Nick, "It worked! It actually worked! Ha! I told you! Now hurry up--"
His jubilant statement was never finished, as Nick turned in time to see that the real creatures had sensed their ruse and were rapidly heading towards them.
"Fuck you! I told you this would never work! Why the hell did I listen to you, you son of a--" Nick's final words were also cut off, as the horde caught up. The costumes had been well-designed, though. The difference between both Simon and Nick's appearances before, and after, being consumed was nearly indistinguishable.
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