2 years after The End began, a convoy of military vehicles approached a guarded outpost. One of the personnel signals the first vehicle to stop. “Everyone step out, one person at a time.” This was the second batch of survivors they received that month. “Single file, at my signal, pass through the gate, slowly. No sudden movements otherwise we will open fire.” as the first person steps through the gate, just as instructed, an ultraviolet light flashes, bathing the survivor. “All clear, line up near the RV, Dr. Relim will arrive shortly.” Once the first survivor lines up, Dr. Relim’s assistant, Maren, stands up from the chair beside the RV.
“Welcome, name please” he asks, clicking his pen, readying his clipboard.
“I'm Dana Kyle” she responds.
“Age please.”
“19.”
“Blood type?”
“I don't know. AB positive i think.”
“Thank you.” the next survivor arrives, and the same questions follow. In total, there were 15 new survivors.
“Thank you all for answering the questions, Dr. Relim will be in soon, please sit down on the provided chairs. The survivors sit. Family members huddled, crying. One is holding a blood stained collar attached to a leash. He’s crying the hardest. Maren looks at them all, not knowing how to feel.
Dana sees him in his struggling state, so she pulls her chair closer. “Aren't you a little young to be an assistant in the zombie apocalypse?” he tilts his head slightly in response.
“I suppose so. Started studying under Relim when he was my college professor, so we go back a bit.”
“Ah so you were only picked out for seniority huh?”
“Well, no not really. I had the highest grades in his class.”
“Mhm. so, what's he like? The mad doctor type?”
Maren looks behind her “you might find out soon.” a small helicopter lands on the roof of the RV, and down hops Relim. He carries a metal case with him. He carefully climbs down the ladder on the side, making sure not to move the case much. “Dr. Relim, the new survivors have arrived”
“Good, after I finish setting up inside, I'll inspect each of them one by one.”
“We already passed through the UV, we’re fine aren't we?” Dana asks, pulling in Relim’s attention.
“Yes, of course you are. Perfectly healthy.” He looks over the rest, giving a slight squint, then a noncommittal hum.
A few weeks go by…
A small riot has formed, involving the family from before. Their mother had gone missing. “Let us outside damn it! We have to look for her!” The armed personnel block the exits, trying their best to not let anyone out.
“No one is allowed outside, and please quiet down. There have been reports of a zombie in the area. Do not attract its attention”
“Even more reason to go out and find her then!
“We are doing what we can, we are waiting for the order to begin the search”
“How long is that gonna take?! She's been missing for 3 days!!”
The soldiers stay quiet, not knowing what else to say. They're not used to civilian crowds. The draft was sudden, no boot camp to whip em into shape, mostly teenagers, people who themselves lost family, people who don't even know where their loved ones are. Anything they try to say to appease them only riles them up.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Look, ma’am, we have orders to keep you safe, we can’t go out and search outside without putting your safety in jeopardy. We don’t have enough forces.” The guard commander interjects, being one of the few actually trained military personnel who has had training in dealing with civilians.
After a while, the riot slowly increases in number as more survivors attracted to the commotion appear to the family’s aid, and then Maren appears. “I doubt she's outside the outpost. Security is tight and nothing goes unseen. Maybe she's still inside, have you searched around your camps?” he says, pulling away the remaining mob off the soldiers. Immediately they scatter, nearly turning the camps upside down.
Relim stands outside his RV, watching it all. His arms are crossed and there's an annoyed look on his face. “Another failure.”
Another week passes…
More survivors go missing, and the sighting of zombies outside keeps growing. People fear for their lives as rumors spread of the mad doctor being behind the disappearances. Even the word of the commander is called into question, as his unwillingness to go against the doctor is shown. “He’s a good man, he wouldn’t do anything like that.” He repeats every single time.
Yet they do nothing.
The safety of the majority is not threatened over a couple of missing survivors. But the fear is boiling towards a tipping point. Which is why when another survivor goes missing, it isn’t questioned as much as it should be. Until they come back, with tales of the missing survivors being outside.
The survivors see their loved ones beyond the gates of the outpost, pushing past the guards they come face to face with a shambling corpse masquerading as their mother, father, brother, sister, friend. This is where they all were. How or why they got out no one knew, but fear replaced anger. And as the zombies attacked the survivors, the guards were forced to open fire.
Hearing this, Relim pressed a button on his speaker system, he was livid “What in the hell is the matter with you?! Don't hurt my patients, you'll only attract the immortui! We’ll be overrun!” The speakers were loud enough to be heard by the camp, but low enough to be a buzz in the heightened ear of the undead. It was the middle of the night, where the undead were most active.
The survivors were pulled back as the guards kept up their fire, keeping the zombies at bay. However, the undead flesh resisted against bullet fire, and overpowered the armed guards, as more and more of the horde grew. The infected soldiers turned quickly, muscles seizing up as their mind was taken over. Their fingers pressed tightly on the trigger of their weapons, as they lost balance and fired wildly with limbs twisting and contorting into broken twigs. Everyone around them were riddled with bullets, some immediately reanimating, some taking longer as their bodies mutated.
A large beast-like roar stops everyone in their tracks, zombies included, as they turn to the forest from where the noise is coming from. A deep rhythmic pounding gets closer and louder, and within seconds, a large almost roid-filled zombie barrels through the trees. 10 feet tall, and muscled beyond belief with little to no holes revealing its undead nature, and blood covering its mouth. A tank slowly turns towards it.
Fires, and the shell causes the Buster zombie to stand back a bit from the explosion, before it roars in rage, and rushes at the tank. With its shoulder, it smashes into it, causing the barrel to crumple in on itself, and then the entire tank is flipped backwards, landing on top of the UV lights.
In an instant, the horde redoubles its efforts as the weakening lights disappear, and they ferally push forward.
Maren and Dana find themselves surprised as they run out of their tent, barely clothed and eyes wide. “Oh crap.”
Maren turns to a groaning noise, finding a zombie running at him. Quickly thinking on his feet, he grabs a steel chair and caves the zombie’s skull in. Looking for a relatively safe path, the couple quickly make their way to Relim’s RV. He bangs on the door, trying to whisper shout for both their sakes.
“Doctor! Please, let us in!” The only response is loud groaning nearby. “Doctor!” Once again, barely anything. Until a few seconds later an inhuman screech echoes out of the RV. “Doctor Relim!?”
Then, a face phases through the steel door, a wicked smile on his face. The pair fall back, and Relim floats above, scanning the area. His misty form pulls down to his hands as he lands, and from him, a miasma that fills the air. The undead halt their assault. They stand around Relim.
“Doctor… what… what are you…?” Maren asks. His heart rate at 120 bpm. Relim can feel it in his ears. The hunger built up quick, but it died down just as fast.
“After a year's worth of study, experiments and wasted subjects.” He says, floating above them once more, rising, shining under the brightly lit moon. “I am the result!”
“No..” Maren stares wide eyed. “But the brain matter required to do so would be-” He lowers his voice, mumbling to himself before looking back at Relim in shock. “The survivors. You used their-”
“Yes. AND IT WORKED!” Relim laughs, the zombies beneath him seeming to grow in stature, as they straighten up. Akin to soldiers.
“I HAVE BECOME A GOD!”