A zombie horror short by Nicola C. Matthews. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.

“Come on, move already!” I mumbled under my breath as I honked the horn of my four-year-old SUV.

It was Thursday morning, and I was already running late to work. As I sat in the traffic jam that hadn’t moved in nearly half an hour, I realized the honking of my horn was useless. I sighed, trying not to let my frustration get the better of me. I knew better than to take the 520 today, but it was the fastest route to work. Or it was under normal circumstances. For whatever reason, today the traffic seemed denser than usual.

I fought the urge to bang my head against the steering wheel. A few cars ahead of me, a man shuffled down the side of the road. I rolled my eyes.

“Seriously? It’s not even eight in the morning and already the crack heads are out in full force,” I said as I honked my horn again. He stumbled onto the road, weaving aimlessly through the vehicles that were still at a standstill on the interstate.

The driver in the small sedan in front of me rolled down his window. “Hey, buddy! You okay?” he called as the guy came closer.

“Yeah, just cracked out of his mind,” I muttered to myself. I couldn’t figure out why the guy in the sedan would bother with this guy. His clothes were dirty and torn, with a dark stain along the front that looked like motor oil. I frowned as I noticed the stain growing on his shirt, dripping down onto the road. I leaned up in my seat to get a better look. That’s when my eyes moved up to his head, gasping as I saw the jagged tear in the side of the man’s throat. That wasn’t oil on his shirt. It was blood.

“What the hell?” I said to no one as I opened my car door and stood up, watching the man intently.

The man in the sedan did the same, taking a few steps toward the obviously injured man.

“Is he okay?” I called out, but neither the driver of the sedan nor the other man paid me any attention as the driver suddenly let out a yelp of surprise as the man lunged for him.

The two men fell back against the car, the driver screaming as the man ripped into his throat. I gasped, my stomach churning as I watched the driver slump over and fall to the ground, his voice little more than a gurgle as his hand clutched at the gapping wound that looked a lot like the one his attacker had.

I took a few steps toward them. I stopped as the man fell onto the driver, biting and clawing into his flesh as he ripped out huge chunks. Somewhere, someone else was screaming.

That’s when I saw more of them. Across the highway, small groups of people were climbing over the concrete divider and spilling into oncoming traffic on the other side of the interstate. Cars were screeching to a halt, some slamming into each other in rear-end collisions. Others, those much more unfortunate, plowed over some of them. The wandering people paid no attention to the surrounding carnage. They just kept walking with stiff, awkward gaits. Their arms hung limply at their sides.

What was going on? My first thought was a terrorist attack. A biological weapon, maybe? But as I looked around at the spreading chaos, I realized it was much bigger than that. Where there had been just a handful of stumbling people, there were now more than a hundred of them, all making their way down the embankment on both sides of the interstate.

Another scream, this one only a few feet away, brought my attention back to my surroundings. I watched in horror as one of the staggering people slammed his body against the passenger window of the car behind me. The woman inside screamed again as she tried to roll up her window. But the man clawed at the glass, leaving bloody streaks as he made low gurgling noises. His upper torso was covered in fresh blood. His eyes were white, glazed over, like those of a corpse. The skin of his face, what wasn’t covered in bite marks, was ashen, almost gray.

My body jerked as I took in my surroundings. These … things … were coming from all over the place. More than a hundred of them now, all of them attacking anyone who was dumb enough to get out of their vehicles and approach them to help the hapless souls.

I swallowed. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way what I was witnessing was what kept running through my mind. Walking corpses? It was ridiculous. But there was no denying what I was watching right before my own eyes. Even if there was a logical explanation, I wasn’t waiting around to figure out what it was.

I grabbed my keys out of the ignition and popped the hatch of my SUV. I grabbed my emergency go-bag , suddenly thankful for my neurotic preparedness. People were abandoning their cars now, fleeing the highway on foot to escape the escalating violence. I knew I couldn’t stay here either. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I joined the panicked masses cramming onto the shoulder to get away.

Police sirens wailed in the distance but were largely drowned out by screams as the infected, or whatever they were, attacked anyone who got close enough. They moved with that twitchy, jerking gait, fresh blood smeared around their mouths. Some of them were missing limbs, while others were trailing their entrails behind them like long, dank sausages. Their bites and scratches spread the infection like wildfire.

I forced my way through the teeming crowd, narrowly avoiding the grasping hands of the infected. My progress was slow as more and more people joined the group, everyone pushing their way through the crowd in their desperation. A thunderous explosion rocked the highway, opening up a hole in the crowd. An overturned tanker truck erupted into a fireball, sending bodies and debris flying. The shockwave knocked me to the ground, but I staggered back to my feet and kept pushing through.

My ears rang with the screams of agony, those pleading for help, the sound of metal scraping metal as more and more vehicles rammed into each other as the crowds of both the living and unliving flooded the roads. My eyes took in the chaos, but my brain refused to accept what was happening. There was just one thought running through my mind. Just get home. I had to get home, back to my wife and my daughter, who were still tucked safely in their bed when I had left the house barely an hour ago.

By the time I made it down an embankment to the suburban streets below, the entire city was plunging into anarchy. People ran wildly through the streets. Gunshots rang out, mixing with the shrill sounds of sirens, the screams of civilians as they were gunned down or attacked. And beneath it all, the low moaning of the dead and the rustling of their feet as they dragged their corpses through the streets.

I kept running, unsure where I was going, just trying to get away from the epicenter. The neighborhood I found myself in seemed quieter, though deserted cars clogged the streets. I started trying doorknobs, looking for an empty house I could hole up in. I had to get off the street before more infected arrived. I had to call my wife, make sure she took Anna and got into the basement before it was too late.

Finally, I found a small house whose front door pushed open at my touch. I slipped inside, locking the door behind me. The place was tidy but had signs of a hasty departure – jackets still on hooks by the door, dirty dishes on the kitchen counter. I did a quick sweep to make sure it was empty. Sure there was nothing lurking in the shadows, I sighed as I pushed the curtain back to peek through the large window of the living room.

The street outside was empty, but I could hear the distant screams and gunshots getting closer. A sudden sharp noise brought my attention around to the television that had been left on and was broadcasting an emergency news report with aerial footage of the city. Infected citizens were everywhere, their sheer numbers overwhelming any resistance. The mayor was urging everyone to remain calm, as he promised the National Guard was on the way. But the terror in his eyes told the true story. The city was already lost. And I knew that without a doubt.

What had started this? It didn’t matter. Our town was relatively small compared to something like New York. What was going on in other towns? Was this localized? What if this was happening all over the country? What if the infected that were in our town made their way to other cities? Nowhere would be safe. This was the beginning of the end.

My hands were shaking as I stepped away from the window. I had to pull myself together and start planning my next move. I took a deep breath and started taking stock of what I had. My go-bag, a bit of food in the kitchen, a sturdy house with a metal front door. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. I knew more infected would come, but somehow I had to get back to my family.

The human race was facing extinction and the fight for survival started now. I was determined to do whatever it took to survive. To find my family. To stay alive.

Blood rains down on the streets of Anaka City.

For over a century, the mysterious Shield of Humanity has stood defunct, it’s crimes against the kindred world all but a distance memory. Now someone is targeting members of the vampire royal families, and the vicious slayings have The Council on edge. They dispatch their elite detective, the vampire Stealth and his shapeshifting metahuman partner, Annaleigh Shade, to unravel the dark mystery surrounding the murders.

Following a gruesome trail of dismembered bodies from the shadowy alleyways of Louisiana to the dusty roads of Texas, they are desperate to apprehend the relentless killer before another royal falls prey. 

But everything is not what it seems. Their cunning foe always seems to be one step ahead. Can Stealth and Annaleigh uncover the malevolent force responsible for the grisly slayings? Or will more royals fall victim before they uncover the truth?

Behind every shadow lurks sinister secrets. The stakes have never been higher as the bloodthirsty assassin taunts The Council, leaving death and destruction in its wake. The bodies are piling up, and the clock is ticking in this thrilling paranormal mystery.

Coming late 2023

And I, for one, think it needs to be restricted even more.

Earlier this week, Amazon announced it will be lowering the volume limits on new title creations being uploaded to KDP. The limit? Three new title creations per day. This comes after generative AI novels and short stories have been seen flooding the Amazon platform and pushing human-created books off of the top 100 bestsellers lists.

For the most part, authors are thrilled. However, there are those choice few who have been outspoken about the new limits, citing those prolific writers who routinely upload numerous content files every week.

I’m about to be that person. If this new limit affects you in any way, you are part of the problem. Now that I have no doubt peeved some folks off, let’s dive into this.

Personally, I feel there should be a limit in place of one “new” title each month. Let’s face it, if you are one of those who are pushing out content this fast, or faster, chances are slim to none that it is worth reading. But in these new self-publishing times, quantity over quality seems to be the norm. Yes, I understand some writers will try to release entire series at one time, or within a few days of each other. Again, if I have to explain to you why this is an economic disaster for this industry, please leave it. Because, again, if this is how you operate as an author, you are part of the problem.

Finally, it looks like Amazon is trying to stem the avalanche of subpar material that has been hitting their proverbial shelves since the inception of KDP and ebooks. As I’ve said many times before, we need gatekeepers in the form of quality control. This is the first step I’ve seen Amazon take toward trying to obtain that since my self-publishing journey started back in 2003.

The whole GenAI craze is just the newest incarnation of the ghost-written crap that started up around 2015/2016. As with any half-assed venture, GenAI and authors who churn new content to flood the market every few days are making matters worse. They are literally cutting off their own noses to spite their face. And if your attitude is ‘Well, so long as I am making money, then I don’t care!’ then again, YOU are part of the problem. I’m not going to sit here and explain common economics to you. Heave knows I have harped on this for the past 8 years and made numerous posts about it. The problem is no one wants to listen. And with GenAI now taking Amazon by storm, my predictions of this industry collapsing in on itself are quickly coming to pass.

As I’ve said before – I hate to say I told you so, but, well, here we are.

The night was black as pitch, the only light coming from the full moon hanging low in the sky. Malya drew her cloak tightly around her as she approached the ring of ancient standing stones on the windswept moor. This was the night. Tonight, during the Witching Hour, she would open the portal and contact the demon realm.

She could feel the power thrumming in her blood, the magic of her ancestors passed down through generations beyond count. They had said it would be the thirteenth witch, but the thirteenth had been named Amelia. And she had been nearly mute, a waste of a life, unable to comprehend the power she held in her hand. It had driven her mad. Had it not been for the actions of her own family, their legacy may very well have ended with her. But it had not. And now it would be Malya who claimed her destiny.

Carefully, she withdrew the ancient tome from the folds of her cloak, its pages crackling with arcane energy. She found the page with the inscription and chanted, her voice rising and falling rhythmically. She called upon her ancestors, and upon the elements, and upon the ancient deities. Come forth! Do my bidding!

The air grew heavy with ozone, the hair on her arms standing on end. The wind picked up, howling angrily through the stones. Malya continued chanting. She shouted the words against the gale. A glow appeared within the center of the stones, faint at first but steadily brightening. The stench of sulfur filled the air.

She was close now. With a final shout, she pronounced the demon’s true name as she drew the ceremonial dagger across her palm, letting the blood flow heavy and rich onto the blessed ground. The glow flashed blindingly, and a rift tore open the fabric of reality. On the other side, swirling shadows moved and twisted, demonic whispers echoing from the void.

Malya’s heart pounded in exhilaration and fear. “I call upon the dark powers!” she cried. “Grant me the knowledge of the ancients! I call upon Abbadon! Come forth now!”

A form coalesced from the shadows, a horned humanoid figure wreathed in black smoke. It fixed her with eyes of swirling darkness, black as the night around her, the golden flecks reflected in the faint glow of the full moon. When it spoke, its voice was as rich and soft as velvet, melodious and deep.

“You who have disturbed our slumber. State your desire that I may grant it, for a price.”

Malya lifted her chin. “I wish to learn the forbidden magics.”

His full lips lifted at the corners. “Is that all? Such a small request. Not worthy of my time.”

She returned his smile. “I wish for you to love me.”

“Ah, and so we get to the true nature of your commands, what hides in the darkest parts of your heart. So tell me, little one. What would you grant me in return for this type of devotion?”

She took a step forward, her smile widening as she held out her hand. “For this, I offer my soul in return. And my eternal love.”

The demon’s mouth opened wide as he chuckled. “So shall it be done.”

The rift exploded in a searing light, and Malya laughed.

---

As Brea opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the eerie silence that surrounded her. Nothing but the sound of her own breathing and beating heart. As she tried to sit up, the roar inside her own ears grew louder with the exertion. Her body felt heavy, like she was weighed down by an invisible force.

She managed to get her body to obey, her blue eyes surveying her surroundings. She was inside a dimly lit cave, the jagged rocks glowing softly. The air was thick with the musty, damp smell of earth.

She tried not to groan as she moved. She glanced down at her hands, letting out a small gasp. They were different, distorted, as if she were wearing gloves made of shimmering pixels. She plucked at her fingers, trying to remove the glistening covering, but she only grasped her own plastic-like flesh.

Where was she? She thought back, trying to remember where she had been right before she woke up. The last thing she remembered was being in her room, logging into her brand new virtual reality video game that had become all the rage. Then – nothing.

She stood up, wobbling a bit on unsteady legs. She surveyed the small cavern around her. Everything looked pixelized, distorted, and shimmering. That’s when it hit her. Was she – inside her new video game? Her heart flipped over inside her chest at the thought. Surely not. It had to be a joke, or a dream.

But there was no denying what her eyes saw clearly around her. She had somehow been transported into her game. But the question remained – how did she escape?

Her head moved, causing the scenery around her to flail around like a camera that had been knocked asunder. She stopped, placing her feet wide apart to stop the upheaval of her own stomach. She moved more slowly, the scenes righting themselves. The cave was empty except for a narrow tunnel that lead deeper into the earth. She knew she had to explore, had to find a way out.

She took a step forward, then another, and another, until she could walk without the world tilting wildly on its axis. The darkness seemed to press in on her, suffocating her with its weight. She stumbled and fell, scraping her pixelated hands on the rough stone floor. And then she heard it: a faint whisper, coming from the depths of the tunnel.

She followed the sound, her heart racing with fear and anticipation. The tunnel widened into a large chamber, lit by flickering torches on the walls. And there, in the center of the room, stood a figure of a woman. She was tall and slender, dressed in a flowing gown of crimson colored velvet. Her hair was black as midnight, her face white as snow and beautiful to behold. But her eyes gleamed with a wickedness that chilled Brea to the bone.

“Welcome, my dear,” the woman said, her voice smooth as silk. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Brea took a step back, her mind racing with questions. Who was this woman? Was she a player, like her, trapped in this imaginary world. Or was something else entirely?

“I see you’re confused,” the woman said, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Allow me to explain. My name is Lilith. I am the ruler of this realm, and you are my newest plaything.”

Her words caused Brea to falter. She swallowed the fear that caught in her throat. Lilith’s words were cold, calculated, and filled with a sense of power that made her feel small and insignificant.

“What do you mean, plaything?” Brea asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

“Oh, don’t be so naïve,” Lilith replied, her eyes flashing with amusement. “You are here to entertain me. To play my games. And if you’re lucky, to survive them.” She tilted her head, regarding Brea. “But I must warn you. No one has ever played my games – and lived to tell the tale.”

Brea took a step back, her eyes searching for a way out. She wasn’t ready for this. But the chamber was sealed, and Lilith was blocking the only exit.

“What kind of games?” she asked after a moment, her voice trembling.

“All kinds,” Lilith replied, her smile widening. “Mazes, puzzles, battles, riddles. I have a whole world of challenges waiting for you.”

She shook her head violently as a sense of dread wash over her. She had to get out, had to find a way to escape this twisted game. “What if I don’t want to?” she asked in a whisper.

Lilith only smiled. “You’re wondering how to escape, aren’t you?” she asked in a voice low and laced with danger. “Well, my dear, the answer is simple. You have to win. And in order to win, you have to play the games.”

Brea’s heart thudded heavily inside her chest. But she felt a flicker of hope. If she could win the games, she could escape. She eyed Lilith. Somehow, she knew even if she refused, she would still be forced to play. She might as well get it over with. Finally, she nodded.

The woman’s smile grew wider. “Here’s your first challenge,” Lilith said, snapping her fingers. The walls of the chamber dissolved, replaced by a vast, dark forest. “Find your way out of this maze, and I’ll let you live to see another day – and another game.”

A second later, the dark cavern, along with Lilith, disappeared. Brea discovered herself standing in the forest, trying to get her bearings. The forest was dense, the trees towering high above her in every direction. She could hear the rustling of leaves, the cawing of birds, and the distant howling of wolves.

She took a deep breath and started walking, her pixelated feet sinking into the soft moss-covered earth. The maze was a blur of twisting paths and dead ends, and she soon lost track of where she was going. She tried to backtrack, but every path seemed to lead her deeper into the forest.

Hours passed as she wandered around the forest, time blending into itself until she thought she would pass out from exhaustion. Just when she thought she would surely go crazy from the never-ending sea of trees, she stumbled upon a stream. She fell to her knees, drinking her fill and resting upon the rocks of its bank. After a while, she felt more refreshed, more determined to finish this game.

A noise came to her ears, and she sat up to look into the trees across from the stream. Within the darkness glowed a half-dozen red eyes. As they grew closer, their owners emerged from the trees. She froze, her heart racing as she pack of wolves came into view.

She ran, her heart pounding, trying to find a way out of the forest. Her mind kept telling her it was futile; the wolves were faster. But she kept going, urging herself on. All too soon, they caught up to her. She fought them off as best she could, her pixelated hands turning into claws, but there were too many of them. She gauged at sides and punched snarling muzzles. For every wolf that failed, two more spawned in its place. Before long, she was completely surrounded.

Just when she thought she was done for, she saw a glimmer of light in the distance. Breathing labored, she ran towards it, her feet pounding against the ground. Seconds flew by along with the trees. Then, she burst through the trees.

She found herself on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast, sprawling city. The sky was blood-red, and the buildings were twisted and distorted, as if made of bones and flesh. She could see misshapen figures in the streets, their feet shuffling slowly. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

A sense of unease wash over her. This was not a place she wanted to be. But she knew she had no choice. She had to keep playing Lilith’s game, had to find a way to escape. She took a deep breath and ran toward the city.

As she came to the outskirts, she noticed the people she had seen in the streets were quite different from what she had witnessed from the cliff. They were dressed in rags, their faces twisted into grotesque masks. They didn’t seem to take notice of her presence. She swallowed down the fear that clutched at her heart.

She walked through the twisted streets, trying to find a way out. But every road seemed to lead her deeper into the city, deeper into the heart of darkness. She walked like this for hours, the sky only growing into a deeper shade of crimson as a light mist of fog clung to the ground.

Finally, she came upon a tall, dark castle, looming high above her. It’s black stone dripped with droplets of water, the iron barred windows looking forlorn where they stared blankly at the dirty city landscape.

The sense of dread intensified. This is where Lilith waited for her. She was sure of it. This hellscape is where the final game would take place.

She had to continue. If she didn’t, she would be trapped her for the rest of her life, possibly longer. She took a steady breath as she walked up to the castle gates, pushing them open. They groaned and creaked angrily on their rusty hinges, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. She walked on, her footfalls echoing off the walls, sounding hollow and far too loud in the otherwise eerie silence.

At the end of the corridor was a staircase. Her heart raced with anticipation as she climbed the slick steps. She climbed up one flight, then two, then three, then four. And then, at the very top, she saw her: Lilith, standing at the end of the hall, her eyes gleaming with a dim light.

“Congratulations,” Lilith said, her voice smooth as silk. “You’ve made it this far. But the final game is the most dangerous of all.”

Brea nodded, feeling her chest tighten with fear and dread. What did Lilith have in store for her this time?

“Here’s your challenge,” Lilith said, snapping her fingers. The castle walls dissolved, replaced by a vast, swirling vortex. “Escape from this dimension, and you’ll be free.”

The wind around her picked up, forcing her to raise her arm in a vain attempt to ward off the torrent. She tried to see into the vortex, but it was nothing but a blur of intermingling colors and shapes. She felt dizzy and sick just looking at it. Seeing no other options, she took a deep breath and stepped forward into the mass, her body dissolving into pixels. She could feel herself being pulled forward, her body disintegrating at a molecular level with every passing second. She opened her mouth, tried to scream, to fight against the darkness that rushed up to claim her, but it was hopeless as the blackness consumed her …

She opened her eyes with a start, her heart hammering heavily inside her chest. She looked around, but there was nothing but the smooth, white walls of her room. She was still sitting at her desk, the computer screen dark.

The game was over, and she had won.

---