The Alien Invasion Apocalypse Marauders: The Zombie Apocalypse Call Center, #11

By Taylor Ellwood

The aliens have been defeated. If only they could remember how…

And life is back to normal. Sidney is working at a boring retail job each day, without a care in the world. The problem is she's been mindwiped to forget about the aliens and the zombies.

But when Sidney's memories get restored by Mulford, there's only one person who could have mindwiped her: the telepathic zombie Sam.

Now Sidney's on the hunt to get her revenge on Sam. She's joined Mulford and there's nothing she won't do to get her revenge, including joining Zombii. Co.

Will the zombies finally be wiped out?

Will Sidney lose her soul, on her quest for vengeance?

Find out in the thrilling conclusion to the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Taylor Ellwood
• Release date: Dec 3, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227224422

Taylor Ellwood

Taylor Ellwood is a quirky and eccentric magician who's written the Process of Magic, Pop Culture Magic, and Space/Time Magic. Recently Taylor has also started writing fiction and is releasing his first Superhero Novel, Learning How to Fly later this year. He's insatiably curious about how magic works and loves spinning a good yarn. For more information about his latest magical work visit http://www.magicalexperiments.com For more information about his latest fiction visit http://www.imagineyourreality.com

Book preview

The Alien Invasion Apocalypse Marauders

Taylor Ellwood

Eugene, Oregon

The Alien Invasion Apocalypse Marauders

by Taylor Ellwood

© 2023 first edition

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

The right of Taylor Ellwood to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

Cover Art: Mark Reid

Editor: Sav Schort

IYR014

Imagine Your Reality Publications

http://www.imagineyourreality.com

Other Fiction by Taylor Ellwood

Learning How to be a Hero Trilogy

Learning How to Fly

Learning How to be Free

Learning How to be a Hero

The Zombie Apocalypse Call Center Series

The Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

Secret Missions of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

Rebels of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

Heroes of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

Tales of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

Outlaws of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

The Zombie Apocalypse Militia

The Zombie Apocalypse Farmers

The Alien Invasion Apocalypse Prophet

The Alien Invasion Apocalypse Marauders

Dedication

To my mom, in appreciation of your unique perspective and approach to life.

Acknowledgements

Writing a book is always an adventure and its one that is never done fully alone. A big thank you to Sav Schort for editing this book and making sure the details lined up. Thank you to Mark Reid for the awesome cover. And to the following people who are a continual part of my life: Jim Drews, Tom Lundberg, Robert Croell, Kelly Staines, Lee Hansen, Mohammed, Kokayi, Joey Barone, Alex Bustamante, John Williams, John Bahr, Mark Bartholomew, and Lee Barto – You enrich my life with your presence.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Interlude

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Author’s Note

Bonus

Chapter 1: Sidney Day 13 after the end of the Alien Invasion

I’m quietly sipping some tea and getting ready for another boring day working at the retail shop when my front door is roughly shoved open, banging against the coat rack and telling me I am not alone. I almost cry out, but keep my mouth shut. You don’t make unnecessary noises after surviving the zombie apocalypse, because you know that unnecessary noises will bring the zombies to you. Even though the zombies are gone, having died in the alien invasion that recently occurred, there’s still a part of me that is ready to run and fight. This time around, I decide to run. It’s likely not a zombie that’s coming into my house, which means it’s someone coming in with premeditated plans to do something to me. I’m not about to find out what.

I slip out of my chair and grab my backpack and gun. I never go anywhere without them anymore. I glide out the back door and warily crouch down and look around. I can’t see anyone else, which probably means whoever is coming into my house is alone. At least I hope they are, because it will make it easier for me to escape my immediate danger and hopefully get somewhere safer.

I crouch, my pistol in my right hand with the safety off, and move down the stairs of the back porch to the lawn. I go into my neighbor’s backyard and climb up the fence on the other side of their yard. I drop into another backyard. Fortunately, no one’s there. I quickly skirt across it. The last thing I want to do is call attention to myself and alert whoever’s coming after me.

The other side of this yard leads to another fence. I hop over it and find myself in an alley. I’m far enough away from my house that I feel like I can relax a little bit. I’ll get out of this alley, on the street, and then make my way to work. I’ll call the cops after that. I don’t want to call them, but for all I know my house is being ransacked right now and while I’m not overly attached to any of the items, I do want to feel safe in my home. I know I’m not going to feel that way for a while with what’s happened, but maybe someday. Maybe not.

I start heading to the street when I see two men appear at the street entrance. I start to freeze and force myself to gingerly keep walking. I’ve got my gun, I’ve got my self-defense training, and I’ve got my collapsible baton. Besides, they’re probably just walking down this alley because they’re trying to go somewhere else. I want to give them that benefit of the doubt, but I keep my right hand on my gun while also moving it so it’s a bit harder to see that I’m carrying a weapon.

The men are talking with each other and barely seem to notice me. I walk past them and keep a wary eye on them, but they’re laughing about something. They’re just going about their day. One of them looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t take the time to figure out where I know him from. I’ve probably seen him around town.

I get past them. I’m almost on the street. Then I’m abruptly grabbed from behind. I push both my arms out and go into a horse stance, and drive my left elbow into the belly of the man behind me. He woofs. I curl my left hand into a fist and then knuckle punch him in the balls. I step back with my left foot, pushing him away with my right hand. I then step on his right foot and elbow him, but my elbow is blocked by the other man, who crouches and punches me in the belly, knocking the air out of me.

I told you she would try to escape. You owe me $20, the vaguely familiar man says.

Guess so. She’s a fighter. She almost fucked me up, the other man whines.

The vaguely familiar man snorts in amusement and says, She would have fucked you up if I wasn’t here. I didn’t know she knew martial arts.

They’re still talking. I push myself up and back away, lifting my pistol to point it at them.

Who are you and why are you trying to kidnap me?

It’s nothing personal. You don’t seem to know who we are, anyway. I just need you to draw someone else out, and then I’ll let you go, the vaguely familiar man says.

Mulford, should we be telling her that? the other man asks.

Well, you just told her my name, you idiot! Mulford snaps.

The other man’s face flushes and he shuts his mouth.

Now look, Sidney, I respect you. This doesn’t have to get any worse than it’s been. You need to come with me, and if you lower your gun and go cooperatively, I’ll make sure you get through this situation unharmed. You have my word on that.

The word of a kidnapper. No, thanks. I don’t trust you.

I know you don’t, but you can trust me on this: You’re not getting away today. You can think otherwise, but no matter what happens, you’re not getting away.

I believe you think that, I retort.

She can’t shoot both of us, Mulford calmly says to the other man and starts toward me. The other man gets an ugly grin on his face and also comes toward me.

Mulford’s right, I can’t shoot both of them at the same time. So I opt to do the next best action. I click the trigger and shoot the other man in the leg. He howls in pain, but I’ve already dismissed him. I train my pistol on Mulford, who’s moved forward a couple steps. He’s too close for comfort—I pull the trigger. He seems to blur and then he grabs the barrel of my gun, twists it and has the pistol pointing at me.

I’m not letting you shoot me again, he pants.

I never shot at you until today, I reply.

That you know of.

What does that mean?

Mulford gives me a tight smile and says, I might have answered that if you’d been cooperative, but you chose to be combative instead. Now you’re coming with me.

How are you going to keep my gun on me, and help your friend?

I won’t help my friend, but fortunately I have a couple other friends as well.

Mulford purses his lips and whistles. A few moments later, a couple of other people come up behind me. One grabs me by the arm and I go along with it. The other moves past Mulford and kneels down by the man I shot.

Looks like she didn’t get you too badly, Mick.

Hurts like a mofo, Mick says and glares at me.

Bullet wounds tend to do that, the other person says unsympathetically. She stands up and holds out her hand. Mick gingerly takes it and stands up.

We’ll get you patched up in the van. Mulford, Jim’s bringing the van over.

Good. We’re too exposed out here and we need to get her out of here. We’re on a timeline.

Yeah, I know. We need the zombies to finish off the aliens.

Zombies?! They’re all dead, I say incredulously.

Mulford shakes his head and replies, He really fucked you up in the head, didn’t he? What do you remember about the last few weeks?

I quit my job at the alien invasion call center and moved out here to be near my family. They helped me get a job at the retail store I work at. I’m still getting to know the area, though there isn’t much to know when it’s a small town like this.

He completely replaced your memory for at least a week of your life. I didn’t think he had that kind of power.

Who?

Sam, the leader of the zombies.

My head aches when I hear that. I feel like I’m trying to remember something, but there’s a block in place. I stumble and the person holding my arm shakes it warningly.

No funny games.

She’s not playing a game. She’s trying to remember. I actually kind of feel bad for her, Mulford says.

Well, I don’t. Come on, the other person says and roughly pulls on my arm.

I follow the person docilely, my head aching and swimming. Everything is a blur. I’m trying to remember and just when I start to get clarity, it all swims away.

A van pulls up and I’m roughly pushed into the back. Mulford joins me in the back, along with the man I shot and the woman who’d been holding my arm. The door closes and the van rumbles to life. My head aches so much that I close my eyes.

**********

We’re here. Wake up!

A moment later I’m roughly shaken by the woman. I open my eyes and glare at her.

Yeah, just try something. I want you to. I’ll put you down hard, bitch!

What is your problem with me?

You shot my boyfriend. The only saving grace is you didn’t kill him!

Pick a better boyfriend who doesn’t try to kidnap people, I retort.

Mulford amusedly snorts and says, She’s got you there, Karen.

Karen shoots him a dirty glance, but doesn’t say anything else.

I’ll take her into the safe house, while you attend to your boyfriend, Mulford says.

Karen gets out and helps her boyfriend hobble out, while Mulford gently takes me by the arm and steers me toward a white house.

Where are we?

It doesn’t matter where we are. Your role in this is almost done, and whether you believe me or not, I really will let you go. I just need you to draw Sam out so I can have a little conversation with him about wrapping up the work he was created to do. He thought it was vacay time, but I need to call him back to duty and he’s made it very hard to be found.

Why would the leader of the zombies care about me?!

I don’t know if he cares about you, but then again, maybe he does. I do know he set you up in that little town you were in, with the job and the place you lived in.

I snort in astonishment.

I’m not lying! Mulford protests.

If he cared about me, why did he set me up with a shitty retail job?

Heh, it could be worse. You could be a call support representative.

Ha ha. Seriously though, this isn’t adding up.

You’re thinking that if Sam cared about you he would set you up to live the high life, right?

Well, something along those lines. At least a better job, I say.

He wanted you to keep a low profile. It’s hard to find someone or notice them if they’re working a crappy retail job.

Then how were you able to find me?

I found you because I was looking for him. He left tracks, if you know where to look.

And I suppose I’m one of those tracks?

Most definitely. And perhaps the best yet, because I can hopefully draw him out as a result of finding you.

What do you hope to accomplish if you do draw him out?

I have some business with him. That’s all you really need to know about that. The other thing you need to know is that I’ll be putting you in this safe house and you’ll be guarded by the people I have with me. I’ll also be keeping an eye on you. I recommend you don’t try to escape. While the people guarding you have orders not to kill you, I think you already know they can make your life miserable and I will let them do so if you prove to be difficult. Do you understand?

I understand, I say.

For now, I’ll have to go along with the insanity of this man’s plan, but eventually they’ll let their guard down and when they do, that’s when I’ll take my shot and escape. I don’t know where I am, but there’s bound to be other people somewhere nearby.

Mulford gives me a skeptical look, as if he can read my mind. We get to the door and he holds it open for me. I step into my prison. It’s more comfortable than what I imagine a typical prison looks like, but it’s a prison nonetheless.

Your room is upstairs. You can use the rest of the house and can go out on the back porch as long as you behave. My people will keep an eye on you but won’t interact with you unless you initiate a conversation or try to escape. I don’t recommend doing either. I took the liberty of bringing some clothes and books from your place. They’ll go back with you when this is over.

Thanks, I guess.

Mulford gives me an amused look, then turns around and leaves.

I walk up the stairs and open the first door I come to. It leads to a bedroom with a queen bed.

I see some books on the bed and then check the dressers. There’s my clothes. I guess this is my room. I walk out in the hall to find the bathroom and use it. Then I wander the rest of the second floor. There’s a game room with a pool table and a balcony. I go out onto the balcony. There’s another person standing on it. One of my guards. He looks at me. I nod at him and he nods back. I walk to the railing and lean on it to look around.

We’re in the countryside and there are no houses nearby. In fact, there’s not much other than fields of grass and the occasional tree. There’s no place for me to hide and no sign of civilization nearby. Trying to escape from here is likely going to be a waste of time if I plan on hoofing it. I sigh and continue looking around. I see the van nearby, but without the keys I can’t use it to escape. There aren’t any other vehicles I can see. The only other building I see is a red barn, and chances are there isn’t anything in there I can use. Mulford picked the