ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
literature
World War Z: In Hiding
Deviation Actions
Literature Text
[I wait for Mora Clingman in the entryway of the bed and breakfast she founded the end of the war. As soon as she comes down the main stairwell, I’m surprised to find she’s only twenty-seven, at best. She leads me into the den, calling to the cook for some tea. I patiently wait for her to begin.]
[She puffs on her cigarette, running her fingers through her short hair.] So, you want to know how I survived the war, no?
Yes, that’s correct.
[She nods her head.] You’re not the only one. People assume I’m lying when I tell them that when Zack came, I didn’t run for the hills or hide in some underground cave. How else could someone survive in suburban London without running, right?
It does sound a bit far-fetched.
Yeah, well…it happened. You see, my father worked at one of the many hospitals in London. Ever since I was a young girl, he’d take me to work with ‘im and show me where everything was, how everything ran.
He was a doctor?</b>
No, a janitor. I know, how glamorous. Anyways, seeing as how my mum died when I was little, he tried his best to give me a good life even though I only had one parent. Because of that, I survived.
How?
When Zack came, everyone who was left in the city panicked. They all tried to drive away at once, getting stuck in one of the worst traffic jams I’d ever seen. For miles cars were backed up honking, some getting out and just running. It was pure and utter mayhem. I had little contact with my father, he was in the country caring for his sick mum while I was in school. After everything went, I had no way to contact him.
Have you heard from him?
[She shifts in her seat, looking to the floor.] No. I haven’t.
What made you think of the hospital when the zombies came? </i>
[She sighs, taking another inhale of her cigarette.] Well, for one, the hospitals were the first to be evacuated. Secondly, I knew all the passages and crevices in that hospital. I knew if I could gather enough food and water, I’d have enough knowledge of the building to survive. I have no outdoor skills whatsoever, and knew if I even thought of venturing into the woods, I’d be dead within a week.
So I packed everything I figured I’d need up, grabbed the pistol my father kept, and ventured outside. It wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it’d be to get to the hospital. With all the chaos happening, I was practically invisible. I still ran faster than I’d ever run, my heart beating so fast I thought it’d pump straight out of my chest.
When you got to the hospital, what was it like? </i>
Desolate. There was nothing. It was like…I can’t even explain it. Right away, I gathered materials and boarded up the windows and doors. The only entrance I left open was to the rooftop.
Where did you stay? </i>
Close to the roof there was a room, a closet. I stayed there.
Did your barricades ever fail you?
For about a week it was quiet. I hadn’t needed to go outside for food or anything, but my supplies were dwindling. Fast. It was around then that the first zombie started banging against the barricade.
What did you do? </b>
I went onto the rooftop and put a bullet through its brain. It was alone, so I quickly made my way down using a rope I’d made out of bed linens and dragged the body away from the building. Next to the hospital was a convenience store, so I picked up what supplies I could and headed back.
And you did this until the end?</i>
Yes. As the days went on, I’d have to venture further from the hospital, but I always found my way back. Somehow, I was alive. I remember thinking how scary it was that I had no qualms over killing these…things. I could look into the faces they use to have and just shoot or beat them without a second thought. [She puts her cigarette out, her hand making its way towards her stomach.] I hope my child never has to know that feeling.
[She puffs on her cigarette, running her fingers through her short hair.] So, you want to know how I survived the war, no?
Yes, that’s correct.
[She nods her head.] You’re not the only one. People assume I’m lying when I tell them that when Zack came, I didn’t run for the hills or hide in some underground cave. How else could someone survive in suburban London without running, right?
It does sound a bit far-fetched.
Yeah, well…it happened. You see, my father worked at one of the many hospitals in London. Ever since I was a young girl, he’d take me to work with ‘im and show me where everything was, how everything ran.
He was a doctor?</b>
No, a janitor. I know, how glamorous. Anyways, seeing as how my mum died when I was little, he tried his best to give me a good life even though I only had one parent. Because of that, I survived.
How?
When Zack came, everyone who was left in the city panicked. They all tried to drive away at once, getting stuck in one of the worst traffic jams I’d ever seen. For miles cars were backed up honking, some getting out and just running. It was pure and utter mayhem. I had little contact with my father, he was in the country caring for his sick mum while I was in school. After everything went, I had no way to contact him.
Have you heard from him?
[She shifts in her seat, looking to the floor.] No. I haven’t.
What made you think of the hospital when the zombies came? </i>
[She sighs, taking another inhale of her cigarette.] Well, for one, the hospitals were the first to be evacuated. Secondly, I knew all the passages and crevices in that hospital. I knew if I could gather enough food and water, I’d have enough knowledge of the building to survive. I have no outdoor skills whatsoever, and knew if I even thought of venturing into the woods, I’d be dead within a week.
So I packed everything I figured I’d need up, grabbed the pistol my father kept, and ventured outside. It wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it’d be to get to the hospital. With all the chaos happening, I was practically invisible. I still ran faster than I’d ever run, my heart beating so fast I thought it’d pump straight out of my chest.
When you got to the hospital, what was it like? </i>
Desolate. There was nothing. It was like…I can’t even explain it. Right away, I gathered materials and boarded up the windows and doors. The only entrance I left open was to the rooftop.
Where did you stay? </i>
Close to the roof there was a room, a closet. I stayed there.
Did your barricades ever fail you?
For about a week it was quiet. I hadn’t needed to go outside for food or anything, but my supplies were dwindling. Fast. It was around then that the first zombie started banging against the barricade.
What did you do? </b>
I went onto the rooftop and put a bullet through its brain. It was alone, so I quickly made my way down using a rope I’d made out of bed linens and dragged the body away from the building. Next to the hospital was a convenience store, so I picked up what supplies I could and headed back.
And you did this until the end?</i>
Yes. As the days went on, I’d have to venture further from the hospital, but I always found my way back. Somehow, I was alive. I remember thinking how scary it was that I had no qualms over killing these…things. I could look into the faces they use to have and just shoot or beat them without a second thought. [She puts her cigarette out, her hand making its way towards her stomach.] I hope my child never has to know that feeling.
this is for fallenidle's challenge (: [[link] i probably won't win, because there are some amazing enteries, but it was fun to write, and i love the book. love love love. everyone should read it (: it's amazing.
Zack=the zombies (:
all of my work is original, do not use without my permission.
Zack=the zombies (:
all of my work is original, do not use without my permission.
© 2009 - 2024 losingmyfaith
Comments19
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
this is so incredibly interesting--i wished you'd turn it into a full, fleshed-out story. it would be superb with your writing! :3