#Escape from this Zombie Nightmare
Story by Trinady L Chase
[[Start]]{(set: $time to 20)
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A scream pierces through the music playing in your headphones. Startled, you look up from your endless social media scrolling and see a crowd of people fleeing in terror.
Sliding off your headphones, you can hear the other equally confused patrons in the cafe murmuring questions and gathering information.
You move close to the cafe windows out of morbid curiosity. A limp figure is shuffling around in the middle of the street covered in filth.
This being San Francisco, it wasn’t really an abnormal sight.
Peering closer, however, you realize there’s a body on the ground. Did that homeless person attack them? Is that person okay? Is someone going to do something?
> [[You. You’re going to do something.->zombie 1]]
> [[Quietly leave the cafe, and don’t look back.-> early escape 1]](set: $timer to 20)
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|timer>[$timer]{(set: $time to 15)
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You step out of the cafe and hesitantly approach the situation.
As you come nearer, you notice other bodies further down the block, swinging around the corner, and more listless people walking around.
Five feet from the body on the ground, it suddenly twitches.
> [[Scream->zombie 2]]
> [[Freeze, they can't see you if you're not moving.->alt escape 1]]
> [[NOPENOPENOPENOPE! Run!->late escape 1]]
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Following suit of the other patrons, you move out of the cafe and quickly hustle to catch up with the other crowd of people.
“What the heck is happening?!” You yell over the bustle to //some one, **anyone**//.
A person roughly grabs your shoulder and stares at you wide-eyed. “ZOMBIES.” Then they run off in a different directly.
> [[Scoff. No way. Nuh uh.->denial 1]]
> [[Quietly accept the impending doom.->early escape 2]]{(set: $time to 15)
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A shrill shriek escapes your lips, followed by an uncomfortably long silence.
Slowly, the listly homeless person turns to you, and for the first time, you notice their slack jaw smeared with blood, and their blind eyes drifting aimlessly. They begin to mash their teeth and they shakily lunge at you.
You glance at the twitching body on the ground and they raise their head to stare at you with the same dead eyes, and mash their teeth hungrily.
> [[Need. To. Start. Run.ning.->zombie 3]]
> [[Attackkkk!!!->fight death]]
{(set: $time to 10)
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You freeze, trying to catch your shaky breath.
The zombie sniffs the air, and slowly turns to you. The zombie on the ground, climbs to its feet, and follows suit.
> [[OK, here’s my chance runrunrunrun->late escape 1]]
> [[Fight? FIGHT! These zombies are going down!->fight death]]
{(set: $time to 20)
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Without hesitation, you sprint.
You can feel the zombie’s putrid fingers just graze your developer hoodie and you thank you past self for deciding on your lightweight trainers instead of your designer loafers.
Half-way down the block, you chance a glance backwards to assess your distance.
Unfortunately, instead of reassurance, what you see is a small horde of zombies slowly making its way down the street.
You’re stomach drops.
> [[Evasive maneuvers, dash into an alley->evasive 1]]
> [[Meet up with more people, keep running down the street->late escape 2]]
{(set: $time to 20)
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You slow to a light jog, scoffing at the notion.
You mutter something like, "This can't be real." as a nervous chuckle escapes your lips.
You stop and turn around. A small horde of stumbling pedestrians make their way towards you.
"Pfft," you smirk incredulously, "The special effects are great. But t-this is just a Thriller flash mob, right?" You glance around the deserted street for confirmation. "R-right?"
> [[Definitely. Yup. Thriller strikes again.->denial 2]]
> [[Not gonna stay to find out.->evasive 1]]{(set: $time to 20)
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"Ah." you say, processing the statement that you definitely just heard said aloud. "It's a good thing I read that Zombie Survival Guide in high school..."
Recalling the steps in the guide, you remember that you need weapons for defense, food, and shelter--
A guttural scream interrupts your thoughts and sends a chill down your spin. You can feel panic starting to grip your chest.
> [[Supplies. Need supplies to survive this.->supply run 1 (left)]]
> [[Get. Home. Plan.->evasive A]]
Zombies have caught you, and humanity has lost its last hope...
[[Credits]] {(set: $time to 10)
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Your legs are jelly. Your mind races for every possible reasons. //Nononononononononono// you can hear yourself whispering.
You push yourself to take steps, trying to fend off the zombies’ outstretched arms and gnashing teeth.
//Just. One. Foot. In. Front. Of. The. Other.// you repeat through clenched teeth.
You take a wobbly step, miscalculate and fall over.
> [[CRAWL, DAMMIT->zombie 4]]
> [[Curl into the fetal position. This is it. Goodbye, World.->You have died.]]
Armed with nothing but your fists and lightweight sport shoes, you punch and kick the zombies' outstretched arms.
But, alas, the walking dead overpower you and tear you limb from limb.
Humanity has lost its last hope...
[[Credits]]Story by Trinady L Chase (Chase Designs)
Website: https://trinadychase.wixsite.com/chasedesignsShear will is the only things moving your legs. Your vision blurry, and your heartbeat in your ears, you drag your body desperately away from the zombies.
But, it was not enough. A firm grip of your ankle told you it was all over. You kicked out at, but nothing connected.
The walking dead overpower you and tear you limb from limb.
Humanity has lost its last hope...
[[Credits]] {(set: $time to 20)
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You quickly turn on your heels, and dash down the nearest alleyway.
Nimbly dodging bollards, trash and sleeping persons you run through the alley to the other side.
You survey the street and it seems quiet--deserted, even.
> [[left, going to stock up on supplies at CVS->supply run 1 (left)]]
> [[right, just keep going back to your place->evasive 2 (right)]]
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__Just keep running, just keep running, running, running__ you anxiously sing to yourself.
At the next block, you chance a look to your left, right, then behind and keep running straight. You quietly thank your trainer for making your work on your cardio despite your protests.
Then, finally, up ahead, you see a bus and a group of people.
You slow down to a light jog to catch your breath.
> [[Stock up on supplies at CVS before joining->supply run 1 (left)]]
> [[Join up! Get. On. That. Bus.->bus 1]]
> [[Just keep going back to your place->evasive 2 (right)]]
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A CVS sits on the next corner over. You jog over to it, and notice people darting in and out with family sized chip bags, bottles of alcohol--both medical and drinking--and random assortments of clothing.
A window has been smashed, and a half flayed body lay hung on the sill.
You avert your eyes and cover your mouth. Inside, you notice smeared blood on the ground, and a distinct smell of rust burns your nostrils.
> [[Hold your breath, grab everything you can.->supply run 2]]
> [[Nope.->bus 1]]
> [[You know what? You’ve got food at home.->evasive 2 (right)]]
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You dash out onto the street, and beeline for your apt building. Home isn’t too much further from here, but you can hear moaning, and crying.
Screams ring out and reverberate off the building and echo down the alleys.
You can begin to feel panic setting in. Your chest is tight.
**But you have to keep going.**
Another block passes and you can see your building in the distance. Relief floods every cell in your body.
Then something hits your blindside hard.
> [[Panic->blindsided panic 1]]
> [[Pause, assess->blindsided calm 1]]
> [[It’s nothing, it’s nothing, it’s nothing->blindsided nope 1]]
You sprint.
A bus pulls up and you squeeze yourself on.
Panicking voices, and muffled sobbing can be heard.
You find something to hold onto as the bus begins to move. It’s in that moment, you realize you have no idea where you’re going.
Then the bus stops and the driver calls out the stop. “Van Ness” they say over the intercom.
The doors swing open and people scream. The driver, unawares, is being yelled at by the passengers to shut the doors.
But it was already too late. Zombies have already pulled several people off the bus. You hold tight, but your ankle is pulled with unhuman force and you feel you strength give out.
The walking dead overpower you and tear you limb from limb.
Humanity has lost its last hope...
{(set: $time to 20)
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You’ve come this far, can’t back out now.
You pull your sleeve and cover your mouth and nose. Then, taking a deep breath, you quickly and quietly sneak into the blood smeared aisles, grabbing everything that fits within your arms.
A couple sturdy bottles of water, a handful of packaged sandwich triangles, and a huge bag of chips. The loud creaky crunch of the chip bag draws the attention of something in the store.
A raspy moan and a faint dragging noise can be heard as you attempt to dash out--but the smear of blood slips underfoot causing you to stumble, losing some of your supplies.
The moans get louder and more numerous.
> [[Pick up the dropped supplies, you’ve come this far!->supply run death]]
> [[Leave the lost items, and get out!->supply run 3]]
Frozen in place, your chest tightens and you can barely breathe. Your vision blurs, and you look around.
__What was that? What’s happening? How--__
Your confused, swirled thoughts are cut short by a strong, tight squeeze on your ankle.
Wide-eyed, you look down to see a zombie with its teeth gnawing at your ankle.
You attempt to pull your ankle away, but its in a vice grip.
Tear sting your eyes, and you see a swarm of zombies slowly approaching.
You struggle valiantly, but alas the walking dead overpower you and tear you limb from limb.
Humanity has lost its last hope…
[[Credits]]
You stumble forward a couple steps, steady yourself, then look around.
Your shoulder aches, but doesn’t feel broken. You can hear ragged moaning behind you, and a scraping noise uncomfortably close.
The sight of the zombie reaching for your ankle makes you jump, and you realize, the half splattered zombie must have been what hit you.
You continue moving away from the nearest zombie, and pick up into a run again.
The ache in your shoulder worsens, but your goal is just within reach.
You fumble for your keys to open the gate, and slam it shut just in time.
You take a shaky breath before climbing the stairs into your apartment and collapse from exhaustion.
Your cats find you, and curl up with you on the floor as you cry into their fur…
The nightmare has only just begun.
[[Credits]]
You stumble forward, but keep running, not even glancing backwards.
You set your sights on your goal and keep the painful pace forward.
You become painfully aware of the ache in your shoulder, but your goal is just within reach.
You fumble for your keys to open the gate, and slam it shut just in time.
You take a shaky breath before climbing the stairs into your apartment and collapse from exhaustion.
Your cats find you, and curl up with you on the floor as you cry into their fur…
The nightmare has only just begun.
[[Credits]]
You kneel down to pick up the supplies, and suddenly hear a wet, fleshy body hit the ground and drag across the floor.
You can feel a cold sweat cover your body, and try to steady your breathing.
All at once, you abandon your supplies and stumble your way away from the __thing__ that came up behind you, only to meet two more sets of hands waiting for you.
The walking dead overpower you and tear you limb from limb.
Humanity has lost its last hope…
[[Credits]]
{(set: $time to 10)
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Bidding the lost supplies farewell, you scooby doo run your way out of the CVS.
You only have moments to decide what to do before you can hear the ragged moan growl louder behind you.
[[Run!!! Home!!!!->evasive 2 (right)]]
[[Rescue? Bus? Get out of town?->bus 1]]
A confident smile breaks the tension in your body.
“Hey!” You yell to the horde of exceptionally well dressed folks in special effects makeup. “You’re makeup is great!” You laugh. “You almost had me.”
The horde continues to slowly encroach on your space around you. Guttural moans, and ragged screams make your knees weak. You never were great with horror movies.
You can feel yourself instinctively step back as the people reach for you. Their fetid breath starts to convince you that you may be wrong. Very wrong.
With a strong tug, you are pulled into the crowd, and realize just how wrong you were.
Tears sting your eyes and you struggle valiantly to break out of the crowd, but alas the walking dead overpower you and tear you limb from limb.
Humanity has lost its last hope…
{(set: $time to 20)
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You turn on your heels, and beeline for your apt building. Home isn’t too much further from here, but you can hear moaning, and crying.
More screams ring out, reverberate off the building and echo down the alleys.
Your chest is tight.
**Keep it together. You have to keep going.**
Another block passes and you can see your building in the distance. Relief floods every cell in your body.
Then something hits your blindside hard.
> [[Panic->blindsided panic 1]]
> [[Pause, assess->blindsided calm 1]]
> [[It’s nothing, it’s nothing, it’s nothing->blindsided nope 1]]