Happy smiling faces of people satisfied with their life bounced across the screen of the waiting room tv. Of course, they were happy they were on whatever pill that commercial was peddling. I belched a noxious rolling gas of acidic stomach bile. My eyes teared up just as the warning scroll began at the end of the commercial.

“Ah fuck, just kill me now.”

I ignored the annoyed look of the mom across from me, and her child trying to free themselves from her grip as she covered their ears. Instead, I turned my attention back to the tv with a sigh just as the last sentence disappeared.

“Did that just say it may cause temporary death?” The mother just continued to glare at me. And before I could think about it any further, a nurse emerged from the door that led to the exam rooms in the back.

“Mr. Sim, the doctor is ready for you.”

…

The pills sparkled dimly in the orange light of the break room. I popped one in my mouth, the first one out of the five I was supposed to take a day. They were small like candy and fizzled just a bit on my tongue before I washed it down with the room-temperature coffee I had been nursing all morning.

“That coffees not going to help your acid reflux, Tim,” said Stacey as she plopped down beside me. Her green juice bottle in hand was already in motion as she shook up her lunch. “New pills? You know I keep telling you that if you change your diet and exercise more, your stomach will probably stop trying to kill you.”

I shook the bottle of pills one last time before sticking them back into my pocket.

“Or I can trust science and take the new experimental pill.” I stood, my stomach gurgling loudly, apparently agreeing with Stacey.

…

Four pills fizzled in my mouth as I roamed the aisles of the store as a woman with an overly quaffed bob trailed behind me, complaining about how we were out of Smokey Bubble Pops. My doctor had warned against taking more than one at a time, but my stomach was revolting against the woman and probably the greasy pepperoni pizza I had at break.

Stolen novel; please report.

“This is ridiculous, you are a major grocery chain. How could you run out of Smokey Bubble Pops? You know I have a good mind to contact your regional manager- “

The woman just kept talking, and with every word my stomach rolled, with every word it grumbled, growling at the woman hungry even though I had just eaten. With one final lurching growl, that brought me to my knees in the middle of aisle six. The greasy pizza from lunch made its way up my esophagus and through my lips. It was red, redder than I would have expected, so bright against the dimming light of the world around me. It’s after image hanging in the air as my world went black, and the last thing I felt was the dust of the tile floor as it scattered from me leaving only the cold floor beneath it.

I came to slowly; the world was gray as if the color had been leached out of it. The woman stood over me, looking down on me, but not in concern, in annoyance.

“Really, you’re going to pull the sick card. Well, I will let you know that will not stop me from contacting corporate. If anything, it makes me want to contact them more.”

She wagged a finger down at me as she continued to scream at me. Others appeared from the corner of my vision, peeking around the aisle corners concerned but weary of the woman.

“Come on get up, get up you good for nothing—”

I moved faster than I think I ever have in my life; her screams were barely noticeable as I latched onto her finger and bit down.

….

My feet dangled from the end of the exam bed. Normally I would be cold with only the thin paper-like gown, but I felt nothing. Even my stomach for the first time in my life was silent. I glanced back at the door, knowing there was a cop on the other side. I suppose I had been lucky the moment the EMT found out I was on Britak everything seemed to change, and instead of jail I was taken to the doctor’s office.

The doctor shuffled into the room, the silhouette of the officer watching the door just barely visible. His face was buried in his clipboard as he came to a stop in front of me.

“Well, Mr. Sim, it looks like you’re the lucky, or maybe not so lucky winner of the rare side effects award.”

He looked at me from the clipboard before moving the half step to the counter, setting it down, and taking a seat in the tiny round stool on wheels.

“So, the good thing is you don’t have to worry about the woman you bit the finger off of.” He scooted up to me. “The Mega Corp is going to take care of that. In fact, they are going to not only take care of that, but they are also going to fund your life from now on.”

I looked at him, dumbfounded by just how easy this was all going.

“Ok, ok, but I bit her finger off… and… and it tasted good.”

He sighed and smiled at me.

“One of the side effects… a rare one is a temporary death. You are one of the few people that have experienced this side effect, and thanks to that, you will now be dependent on the pills to… not enjoy it again. So, basically, you are set for life and will live… or not live for a very long time.”

I sat up straight, his words hanging heavy in my head.

“So… I’m a Zombie?”