Ill planned menu ideas

"Ana...ANA! What is that woman doing over there?? She...oh my god! She's biting that other woman's shoulder!! ANA!!"

It had been a long time since Fallon had screamed so loud. Loud enough to wake the dead would have been an appropriate description, if it wasn't apparent that the dead were already very much awake.

What had started out as a nice, quiet, albeit slightly sad and disturbing evening, was rapidly going down hill. But damn if Fallon was going to let that happen without putting up a fight.

She had no control over Cyrus' leaving, and admitted to herself that she needed to find a way to deal with such occurrences, because they were bound to happen again at some point. She was an adult, married woman now, and needed to act the part. Falling apart at the thought of being alone was ridiculous these days, especially since she had come to terms with her phobias. Or thought she had, anyway.

Besides that, it had been ages since she and Ana had quality girlfriend time. Fallon adored Ana, and if anything found it frustrating that being so happy with Cyrus and their life had sometimes squeezed out any extra time for the sweet librarian. So in that sense, Cyrus' sudden departure had dropped a gift into Fallon's lap, and at least she had the good sense to recognize the gift, and was happily planning to make full use of the time they now had.

The one tiny fly in the ointment had been the lack of food, and things at the mansion for humans. While Cyrus and Fallon did eat and drink things besides their nightly life sustaining fluids, they often did so out. If they planned to have a meal at home, Fallon would let the staff know the night before, and all the shopping, and preparations would be done while Cyrus and Fallon slept. Cyrus' leaving so surprisingly quick hadn't allowed time for Fallon to plan for Ana's arrival. And that was what brought the two women out into the night now. Grocery shopping!

Unfortunately, Fallon was prepared for getting a shopping cart, walking up and down the aisles, checking out and going home. She was not prepared for seeing the small group of panic stricken patrons, being attacked by the growing group of....


"Zombies??? Good god, they look like the zombies you see in movies!"

At least they didn't look like vampires...rather no vampires Fallon knew of. Vampires looked normal...like Cyrus, Aishe. and Kem. These things...for that was what they resembled, looked anything but normal.

Fallon grabbed Ana's arm. and pulled her into a doorway, behind a makeshift tower of Pepsi cartons, piled high in front of them. It was an instinctive move that she knew would only offer them a modicum of protection from the frenzied undead dead. Hopefully it would be enough time for the two women to come up with a plan on how to get away.


"This is crazy insane!"

Montana 16 years ago
Fallon's near-screeching had her shying away from the shorter woman just enough to lessen the piercing of her ears up until she was dragged and nearly pinned against a doorway.

Leaning over, Ana gave Fallon a stage whisper:
"Need I remind you of the irony of a vampire screaming about a woman getting bitten?"

Grinning as widely as a cat who caught a canary, she looked into the doorway they were standing in. "Stock room. Hmm."

She wracked her brain for things she'd learned about zombies from movies, games, television. Popular culture depicted them as brain-eating, slow moving, mindless automatons which did naught but amble from one cranial buffet to the next. "I can't imagine they have any shotguns or chainsaws in here..." Suddenly she gasped. "Ever drive a forklift before?"
Zombie Horde 16 years ago
The horde of freshly tainted moved quickly and not at all silently down the streets of downtown. They left splattered, freshly contimated flesh behind to rise and conjoin with the collective. Flashes of recognition crossed the faces of the infected, recognizing the shopping district in front of them. Clean flesh congregated here and finding a small group of them was easy.

The taste of fresh clean flesh sent the horde into a fury - racing towards the group and decimating them in seconds. Screams turned to gurgles which turned to silent whispering within a minute; their numbers growing with fierce intensity. They pushed into the store and rushed more clean flesh, two of which were females making their way past the groceries, only prolonging the inevitable. The horde followed the two females through a doorway and again there was another flash of recognition within the small collective.

There was no where else to go.
Fallon 16 years ago
There just wasn't any time for Fallon to question Ana on chainsaws, and forklifts. Within scant moments the supposedly safe haven was spotted, and she could see between the cartons of Pepsi cans, a throng of beings heading their way.

Shoving her body backwards, pulling Ana along closely, Fallon entered the stockroom she hadn't even thought about prior to Ana's revelation.


"I hope you know how to drive one of those things...if they have one, that is."

Checking the door, which turned out to be two, Fallon saw a broom nearby, and shoved it into the door handles, acting as the best lock she could come up with in her haste.

"That probably won't hold long."

What she wanted to do was yell for Cyrus to come and take care of things, but that thought was fleeting. Fortunately for her, and Ana, Fallon's history had taught her that sometimes people just had to do whatever they could to survive, and if you had to learn how to do that on the fly, so be it.
Montana 16 years ago
Ana shrugged sideways at Fallon's comment. "You'd be surprised what you pick up when trying to unload a truck full of library books."

Casting her eyes about, she saw the dirty yellow ass end of a forklift hanging out of the long, darkened bay of a trailer. "maybe..." Running over, she leaned up into the seat and in the dim light of the receiving area saw the keys still in the ignition. Hopping into the seat, she flicked the switch to enable the ignition, and turned the key. It started with a cough and a flurp, but she was able to flick the gearshift into reverse and backed it into the central area.

She called over to Fallon, who had just blocked the door with a broomhandle.
"There's nothing to pick up as a shield so we'll have to go through like a giant shrimp fork."

She was briefly tempted to use the forks to gouge a hole in the side of the trailer, but she had no idea what would be waiting outside. Besides, it made more sense for them to be moving on wheels than on two feet.
Zombie Horde 16 years ago
The horde flailed themselves against the door to the next room. The handful that were there stayed focus on their prize - the door would not hold, but something told them that it wouldn't have to hold for very long for them to get away. With even more urgency they began to beat the door, feeling it bow underneath their collective weight. More were coming from inside the store - these were newly contaminated and although quick and agile still disoriented. Real life memories would try and stay with the contiminated mind but after several minutes they would fall in line with the collective and this is exactly what they did. Together a group of fourteen began to push on the door and after two full thrusts, it broke under their weight. They immediately ran into the stock room, their hungry rage compelling them to act before evaluating the situation. They ran...

...directly into the waiting fork lift.
Fallon 16 years ago
Fallon's eyes grew wide while she watched Ana get the vehicle moving quickly. When she had the chance, she'd have to take a little more time and really see what there was to driving one of those things, but now wasn't that time.

Pulling the broom handle out probably wasn't necessary, yet Fallon went to do that very thing, and was brought up short.


"Oh my god, they're trying to break the door down!"

Changing her position, Fallon ran toward the fork lift now, and climbed up alongside Ana, holding on for all she was worth.

"Drive Ana! Just drive and don't look anywhere but toward the way out!"

Undoubtedly it was an unnecessary command, but Fallon seemed to be high into screaming mode, and couldn't do anything else.

The doors broke open, and a lot more zombies piled into the shrinking stockroom. Unmindful of the possibilities they might encounter, several fell after crashing into the forklift, some instantly beheaded, some ripping off other body parts. Yet the casualties were too few to be really significant. If Ana wasn't able to plow through, and beyond the horde, Fallon...well Fallon refused to contemplate those possibilities.
Montana 16 years ago
The doors crashing open caught the bespectacled librarian by surprise. It shouldn't have, her brain reflected momentarily and she tossed a sidelong "gee thanks" look at Fallon's advice.

Lifting her left foot from the clutch she slammed her right down on the gas. The drive wheels spun for a moment, a gentle waft of burnt dust peaked across her nose while zombies literally fell apart before them, before rubber gripped cement and pushed them forward.
"You and I need to see if Suki can suggest a self defense course."

The building weight of the zombie parts against the forklift made it a bit difficult to steer. Fallon's hand swung down and blocked a zombified hand from grabbing her wrist; she yanked the wheel a bit hard and felt the right wheels lift from the floor a little as they turned into the frozen food section, headed for the bakery. "Should have looked for an axe or something in case something does grab us..." A disconnected arm swung into view as the still-mobile hand rotated around the rollcage bar. "Fallon! Overhead!"

More ambulatory bodies lurched around the corner as Ana's flight path directed them towards the exit doors. "I don't know if we'll fit..."
Zombie Horde 16 years ago
The front assault of the horde was immediately decimated, causing the collective's flash of recognition to try and reassess their situation, but the pangs of hunger caused confusion and the horde continued to press forward, directly into the fork lift. From behind them the other horde held their position and watched as the rest pushed forward towards the two in the back room. The streets were filling up with more of the collective and outside they stopped, watching inside the store - waiting in waves to take the clean flesh that was exiting.

Mangled bodies continued their onslaught, sliding towards the fork lift with bits and pieces of disembodied limbs flailing about. There was no stopping them - no stopping the need to feed.
Fallon 16 years ago
Ana's look didn't escape Fallon's attention, and she immediately felt bad, and hoped she hadn't sounded terribly condescending. Though her friend really wasn't that much younger, for whatever reason Fallon always thought of her as being younger, and therefore in need of a certain amount of protection.

Not that Fallon herself always had the ability to protect even herself, as was now being seen, but that didn't stop her from feeling the need to provide comfort and shelter for Ana. The fact that Ana had saved Fallon's life also didn't filter through her consciousness. Somehow those things, though not forgotten, just didn't weigh into her logic.

But looks aside, Fallon didn't have time to offer an apology then. As they drove through the aisles, Fallon's attention was distracted momentarily by household items. Grabbing a couple brooms, and even managing to swipe a big bottle of bleach, she figured something was better than nothing when it came to the task of trying to fend off zombies.

The bleach she let slide to the floor of the forklift, and one broom she rested against Ana's side, if she was able to use it, it was there for her. The remaining broom Fallon aimed ahead, and used to swat away a couple monsters, just as they were trying to climb onto the vehicle.


"I don't think we have a choice..."

It would be a close call, fitting the forklift through the exit doors, but really, what else could they do? If they abandoned the vehicle, they would be overtaken in minutes, if not sooner. Hell, that could happen even if they made it outside. Fork lifts weren't the fastest means of transportation.

When it looked like the time had come, Fallon struck out at yet another zombie, and this time the broom handle broke in two. Throwing the broom parts at the responsible offender, Fallon squeezed her eyes shut, grabbed hold, and braced herself to go through the market doors, all the while hoping they would make it.
Montana 16 years ago
Mentally chanting to herself, "It'll fit, it'll fit", the librarian lowered the twin forks enough to push the closed and seemingly unpowered automatic doors open. Giving it gas, Ana nonetheless let out a whoop of surprise and relief when the forklift actually fit through the exit doors ...

Where her field of view was treated to the sight of the parking lot for car lengths in any direction filled with various sized bodies... all standing, all waiting for them.

She looked at her friend and gave a brave smile.
"Thanks for everything, Fallon." Turning back to the lot, she raised the forks to knee-height again and gave it gas.
Fallon 16 years ago
Somehow Ana did manage to get the forklift through the doors, as it was the outside that Fallon saw when her eyes opened. Unfortunately, what she saw made it very difficult to keep her eyes open.

Swinging her head sharply toward her friend, Fallon could only look incredulously. Where did the sense of defeat, and finalization come from? As bad as things were, Fallon never once considered she was close to dying...being terribly injured possibly, but dying? Never.

Of course Fallon was a vampire, and Ana was human...was that where her feelings of immortality came from?


"Ana...don't be silly...nothing is going to happen to you. There is nothing to thank me for...yet anyway."

Considering her friend's vulnerabilities brought an idea to head. Perhaps if Fallon reverted to her cat, she could clear the way for Ana, and get them both to safety. Fallon would certainly be more agile, and dangerous as her cat, and there was also the hope that zombies might not lust after furry flesh.

Without further contemplation, Fallon gave Ana a quick explanation.


"Listen, I'm going to shift, and perhaps be of better use to you that way...I'll try to clear a path, you do your best to follow. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, just take off as quickly as you can, and don't look back."

Not giving Ana time to argue, Fallon grabbed her and gave her a fast kiss and hug. From that point on she went into shift mode, and did the best she could in her seat on the forklift. Shifting so quickly was more painful than her normal leisurely morphing, but the pain would be short lived. Besides, once she sprang into action, her mind was full of nothing but being a distraction, and with any luck at all, her friend's salvation.

Jumping down from the forklift, Fallon felled several zombies, and ripped at the clothes of others, while knocking them to the ground. Circling around to the front of the vehicle, Fallon growled, and cried out, charging forward. It looked like the shift had caught the creatures off guard, as a couple seemed to look at Fallon in utter confusion. She wasted no time considering that though. Her agenda was to get Ana away...she planned to do that any way she could.
The Voice 16 years ago
'Move! MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE!!!'

Jake Hamilton was driving as fast as humanly possible, but he wasn't talking to his broadcasting van, he was in fact talking to his partner Gerry Jones who was holding onto dear life and trying to read the announcement.


'READ. READ IT ALREADY!!!'

Gerry let go of his hold on the van and fell back towards the doors with the receiver to the public announcement system in hand.


'THIS IS...CHRIST SLOW DOWN! THIS IS THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL. PLEASE STAY IN YOUR HOMES, BARRICADE ALL ENTRY POINTS AND DO NOT ATTEMPT...OH FOR FUCK SAKES...DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REACH LOVED ONES. THERE ARE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF INFECTED HOMICIDAL RESIDENTS AND THEY ARE CONTAGIOUS. DO NOT....WHOA!'

Gerry again grabbed onto the side of the van or rather was pressed up against it as Jake took the corner that lead them directly in front of the commercial district.


'DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LEAVE THE CITY. NACHTON HAS BEEN QUARANTINED BY THE CDC AND MARTIAL LAW HAS BEEN ACTIVATED BY THE GOVERNOR. STAY INDOORS!'

Throwing the receiver behind his shoulder, Gerry climbed to the front of the van and sat in the passenger seat next to Jake.


'You might want to put your seat belt on,' Jake said taking another corner and pressing Gerry up against his passenger side window. Once the G force was off him, he complied and snapped his seat belt on.

'That's it, that's our entire quadrant.'

'Good, we're fucking out of here.'

The streets were filled with screaming uninfected and bloodied infected. Each turn put Jake and Gerry further in the isolated infected zone. There was no way out. Picking up the CB on the dash board, Gerry radioed in to the CDC command station.

'Requesting immediate air evac. Quadrant One C is pinned in. Over.'

A screech of static ripped through the speakers and the command center answered.
'That's a negative, Quad One C, entire area is hot. Seek uninfected area zone.'

Without waiting for Command Central to finish, Jake grabbed the radio. 'AND JUST WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT?'

Where indeed.
Zombie Horde 16 years ago
The strength of their numbers was beginning to swell the streets and now not just with the screams of the infected, but the howls of the mutated. Their dripping mandibles could not be mistaken for interspecies virus jumping - at least not with the domestic animals. No, not only was the virus indiscriminating it was smart. Nachton was ripe for infection - three species living within its city limits and it spread through out not just the vampire populace but the werewolf.

Within the human DNA the virus had heightened their strength, agility and speed. Within the vampire and werewolves it made made even the newest of sub creatures as strong as their ancients and elders. Newly infected vampires possessed strengths that took a millennium to hone and the werewolves abilities 100 fold quicker, more ferocious and exceptionally keen. So as the market place zombie horde was decimated, a small pack of werewolves quickly entered and positioned themselves outside the only way out.

With sharp, hungry teeth the wolves waited for the females to show themselves - ready to spring and feed without hesitation.
Montana 16 years ago
The sudden carnage Fallon wreaked upon the zombie horde pinning them to the grocery store's entrance made Ana feel vaguely useless.

She also found herself pining for a sword of her own, or perhaps a rocket launcher. As Bobcat Fallon cleared a path wide enough for the forklift, Ana cast her eyes along the plaza. A UPS truck stood unmolested several stores down, outside of a Gamestop.

Rolling her eyes at herself as she wished one last fleeting time she could help "save" Nachton, she yelled out,
"Fallon GO BROWN" and hoped the cat's ears would communicate to the human-turned-cat's mind what she wanted.

She just hoped the driver was either dead nearby (how macabre, to wish to find someone dead) or that the keys remained in the ignition.
Fallon 16 years ago
More than likely it was her animalistic survival instinct that took over, though Fallon being who she was, it would have been equally as likely that her human survival instincts also kicked in. However, a big part of her needed to fight against the desire to blend, and just disappear from the zombie's viewfinder. Had she been alone, she would have attempted that in a second, but she wasn't alone, and since Ana was human, and much more limited in her abilities to protect herself, Fallon knew she had to take over.

Not allowing herself to become cocky, somewhere in Fallon's cat brain she knew she was being effective in her task. Though it wasn't seen as a human image, the way it would have been had she been human, she could see Ana now had the opportunity to make some strides toward freedom. The noise coming from the other vehicle, as it neared the two of them, distracted Fallon, and caused her to lose focus. Again, she heard the words, and they registered, but not like they would have had human female Fallon heard them.

Besides which, she knew what had been said really didn't offer any assistance for her or Ana.

She was unable to give further attention to the vehicle, or Ana then, for a new scent filled her head, and caused the fur on her back to bristle. A low bobcat cry escaped her throat, followed by a very loud hiss. This new scent was both familiar, and new...but above all else, Fallon knew it was dangerous...even more so than the creatures she and Ana had been fleeing.

Ana's cry pulled Fallon's mind away from the bad scent, and caused her momentary comfort. She now knew Ana was close to finding some safety, and to assure that Fallon turned her attack mode back on full throttle. Tearing into the new scent, Fallon's mind finally registered what that scent was...wolf...and her cat cries grew louder, and angrier. She would do her best to see that Ana was fully enclosed inside the new vehicle, and with any luck be able to join her there as well.

If not, Fallon wouldn't give up her fight. For all she knew, she was still just as invincible as the zombies, or even the infected wolves, and this gave her the freedom not to hesitate. Delving headlong into the larger furry masses, the sting in her flank went unnoticed as her teeth found purchase, and she shook hard, trying to convince the intruders to cease.
Zombie Horde 16 years ago
Their uncanny speed and agility felt like a loud whistle in their mind. The werewolves moved quickly through the alley ways and down the commercial district with their bellies low to the ground. The scent of untainted flesh was over whelming to the half werewolf, half zombie creatures and the packed neither slowed their advancement or tempered their blood lust as they attacked last of the untainted near the shopping center.

The zombie infection had done more than taint them - it created ancient strong, elder brute strength monsters that tore through the mobs of the tainted and untainted and the group of four werewolves descended on the feline emerging from the store with such ferocity that it sent them into a frenzy. The untainted female on the machine that was careening wildly was momentarily ignore, but not forgotten as the four circled the feline and ate.
Fallon 16 years ago
Perhaps if it had only been the one bite, Fallon would have finished tearing her catch to shreads, and run off to catch up with Ana. As it was she felt yet another, and another bite tearing into her fur covered flesh.

Crying out in her loud bobcat wail seemed to momentarily surprise one or two of her attackers, even while in their frenzied state, and Fallon managed to tear herself loose. A small piece of herself remained in the mouth of her attacker, but even as she started to run she could feel the blood stop, and the muscle begin to mend.

In addition she felt a strange fog enter her head, and begin to cloud all of her thoughts.

The crowd of animals around her were losing interest in Fallon, and moving away. Taking advantage of the inattention, the bobcat ran, at first with a purpose, but soon slowing and becoming disoriented, and fuzzy as to where she was, and what she was up to. Another catlike wail filled the air as Fallon stumbled a few times, finally falling into the middle of the street, to lie in a shuddering heap. In no time her nose twitched, the scent of something filling her nostrils, and the cat that once held the conscious Fallon, sat up and sneezed twice.

Her stillness didn't last long as she caught the scent again, and this time recognized it as food. Food. She needed food. She needed to find the source of the scent and feed. Moving onto her four paws, she began walking, focused on the scent of her prey. Blood, sweat...fear...flesh...somewhere, not far off, she knew her prey lay in wait.

The cat began walking faster, then lopping, then all out running. Soon she would feed, and the growing ache in her belly and head would stop.

It had to.
Montana 16 years ago
It wasn't the first time Ana had seen hunger in Fallon's eyes, even as a cat.

But it was the first time she'd ever seen blood streaming from her friend's body, the first time she'd seen the agile and graceful bobcat stumble and fall.

And she kicked the gas pedal in the UPS truck repeatedly, trying to get it to start. "Engine's flooded" her mental Joey voice said, and she slammed the taller-than-a-man door shut and waited a few seconds before twisting the ignition again.

The zombies were leaving Fallon alone, and for a moment the librarian had hopes she would be able to zoom by and pick up her friend... Until the bobcat regained its footing and began stalking slowly towards the van.

But now the zombies seemed to be focusing on the van, too, and Ana didn't want to be there. She buckled in quickly and, throwing the shifter into reverse, pressed her foot to the gas pedal, and the pedal from there almost to the floor.
Fallon 16 years ago
Had she been able to think like a human, Fallon would have been amazed at how quickly her body adapted to the virus, and all humanity seemed to evaporate from within her. In truth, about the only thought in her head was to feed, and though as a vampire she'd experienced similar cravings, never had they gotten to the point of obliterating every other single thought in the way this virus did.

Almost as if she didn't even see anymore, Fallon's movements were directed by her sense of smell. Barreling through the many creatures around her, her paws took her towards the only thing that mattered at the moment. Flesh...fresh, clean, blood filled flesh. Moving stealthily at first, that soon changed, and Fallon began charging toward her prey. Unmindful of the fact that the scent was encased in metal, Fallon dashed madly, and slammed head first into the side of the van.

Knocked backwards for a moment, she was back on her feet again seconds later, and running. Other creatures had bounced off the vehicle as well, but Fallon didn't even notice. All she knew was there was a growing hunger deep inside her that needed to be appeased, and until it was she had one sole purpose.

Unfortunately, seconds or not, the time it took for her to regain her footing was sufficient for the van to move too far ahead of her to catch. Fallon continued to run in the wake of the van, not noticing the space that separated them was growing. Until she lost the scent of flesh, or another stepped in to takes its place, she would continue.
Zombie Horde 16 years ago
Hungrily the infected began to chase after the van; there was at least one uninfected left after the shape shifting female's clean flesh smell faded. The virus augmented their physical abilities and with great speed caught up to the van. Their hunger was overwhelming and focused them as a unit - that was until the explosion several blocks away caught their attention.

They slowed, now ignoring the van and turned towards the mushroom of black smoke in the sky. The orange flames quickly lit the city block. There would be uninfected running away from that area now, they surmised and with great speed they dispersed, heading towards the fire.