Zombie Food

By Lisa Doesburg

Sixteen year old Elli was barely surviving in a world gone mad.  Each day she would head out to hunt and scavenge out of the ruined remains of the town she grew up in. Alone and with no where else to turn, she was swiftly giving up hope of finding others in the shattered husks of civilization that were not a zombie.

Until she met Skye.

And just when she thought her world couldn't get any crazier, the ten year old Skye managed to upturn the world Elli had carved out.

Skye....

... Was a hybrid between human and zombie. 

Intelligent, and still very much the innocent ten year old girl she had been before being bitten.

• Language: English
• Publisher: KCEditions
• Release date: May 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9781988124179

Book preview

Zombie Food

Lisa Doesburg

Zombie Food is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to any person, organization, or nation is purely coincidental or used in a fictitious manner.

Copyright May 2018 – Lisa Doesburg

Used under license by KCEditions.

No part of this document may be copied, resold, or otherwise disseminated—except for review purposes—without the express written permission of the publisher, KCEditions and the author, Lisa Doesburg.

First Edition May 2018

Library and Archives Canada CIP Pending

ELLIE and SKYE

I lay under the Ford Mustang, hand over my mouth, heart beating so hard I wondered if they could hear it. There were about fifteen of them walking past the car, stinking to high heaven. My body shook, every muscle trembling as I fought to stay perfectly still. They shuffled and lurched unsteadily, dead, rotting limbs holding them up almost supernaturally. Tears rolling down my face, I thought of my family. During the first week of the infection, Dad was bit first, protecting my little sister, Becky. He killed everyone; my mother, two brothers, even our dog, Tank.

Everyone but me because I knew what was happening.

My name is Elli Perry and I’m sixteen years old.

No one believed in Zombie Apocalypse except for me. I watched enough zombie movies and YouTube videos about it, so it was no surprise to me. I knew it was coming. I also knew the rules. A shot to the head is the only way they die, never get caught without a weapon, and run like hell if there were more than you could handle. I learned the rules from watching the movie, 'Zombieland'. I knew, too, that unless you had a group, you were zombie food. So, my goal was to find a group of likeminded people to band up with for protection.

The last zombie ambled past unsteadily, but I waited at least another twenty minutes, making sure there were no stragglers. Gently easing myself out, I looked in all directions. The name of the game was survival. Brushing the dust from my clothes, as if it mattered now how I looked anymore, I quietly slipped westward into the woods.  I needed to find shelter before sundown. The next town was just up ahead. I would clear a house, secure the doors, and stay there for the remainder of the night. After surveying each house for potential hiding places, I found the perfect one. Tucked away at the end of the street, the house was surrounded by trees and a white, wooden fence. Overgrown gardens stood wilted and dying in the fading light. Gun in one hand, knife in the other, I went inside. Back against the wall, I peeped around the corner of the living room door into the kitchen. Nothing. A scratching sound made me whirl around to my left. Opening the door quickly, knife held at striking height, I threw the door open ready to kill.  On the floor was a zombie child. I especially hated killing the kids. It felt so wrong. This one was probably about nine or ten. I didn’t want to use the gun, because of the noise factor. Just as I was about to bring my arm down with the blow, it turned its head and spoke.

Nooo, please don’t!

My arm froze in mid air.

What?

Zombies don’t talk!

It looked like a zombie, smelled like a zombie, and I saw the bite wound on its arm. Watching where my eyes went, it looked up quickly, holding its hands out beseechingly. The zombie was a young girl. 

No! It's only part way! I was sick, but I never died, she cried, Please don't kill me. I only eat when I must. I don’t crave, like the others. Please, don’t kill me. I won’t hurt you.

Okay, so here was a new development. But a Zombie was a zombie, and I wasn't taking no chances. She was cute and all, but...

I can keep them away from you! she insisted. They don’t bother me! I can walk with them, if I wanted, but I don't want to ‘because they smell funny and they drool and make funny noises. 

She sure sounded like a kid, I thought after her rambling stopped. My arm lowered as my brain tried to wrap itself around this new and very strange addition to the apocalypse. I thought about how the zombies always stayed in groups, which kind of blew my mind considering their brain function was the most basic of functions; feeding their ugly mugs. When you think about it, even that didn't make any sense! I mean, they didn't go to the bathroom, as far as I knew, anyway, so how could they keep eating but not digesting? Where did all the food go? Why didn't their teeth fall out? How could they hear? See? It didn't make any sense to me whatsoever. Did they dream? 

I backed away from the kid and lowered my knife. I had to think. She watched me warily, like a fox with its foot caught in a trap. Under all the dirt, blood and gamy smell, she was quite pretty. Her hair, from what I could see beneath the tousled snarl of blonde, was amazingly curly. Reaching just below her shoulders, I knew girls, I used to know girls who would kill for ringlets like hers. Her cornflower blue eyes didn't have that glazed, opaque look the zombies. Instead, they looked at me with fear and longing, as if she'd been alone for a very long time. I knew that feeling. It's the feeling you get when you've forgotten what a hug feels like, or when the sun doesn't shine for a really long time. When you've seen so much horror and death, you just want to close your eyes from it all and pretend like it didn't matter anymore. 

What's your name, kid. I asked her. 

Skye, she said softly. My name is Skye.

So, you're telling me that you've only turned part way? How is that even possible? When were you bit? I said.

I noticed she visibly relaxed after that. 

I was bit right in the beginning, when it all started she said, tears shimmering in those puppy dog eyes of hers. 

Well, how can I be sure that in the middle of the night I'm not going to wake up and find you munching out on my leg or something?

She giggled at the picture I put in her mind, making me smile at the childish sound.

'Cause I don't like to eat people. It's gross and I always throw up, she answered, and I hate throwing up, don't you?

I had to laugh at her childlike logic. 

"Yeah, I do, it's really gross. But if you don't like to eat people, what do you eat?"

"I try to catch animals, but sometimes, most times, my tummy hurts, she said, What I like best, and it doesn't make me sick, is cat or dog food."

Wow, now that’s really gross! I told her, feeling a little sick to my own stomach. 

I know. But at least I'm not one of those. she said, pointing outside. I would really want to die if I was.

So, where's your family? Are they dead? I asked bluntly. This wasn't a time to sugar coat anything. Not anymore. I saw the pain flash in her eyes and knew they were. 

Yes. My parents tried to protect my little sister and me. She was only three, Skye said. When the biters came, we were outside playing. We heard screaming from down the street and then people were running towards us. Daddy heard, too. He came out to see what was going on.

Then what? Did he stop them? I asked her gently.

Her eyes grew damp, glistening with tears.

"Yes, only, he was bitten. Then he bit mommy. After that, he came after me and my