Zombie Off - The Beginning Read online

follow us, I believe all your questions will be answered.”

  One of the armed guards quickly walked forward and punched a code into a small box near the fence. Seconds later, the large gate slowly slid open as Morrow and the guards returned to their vehicles. Four of the guards remained outside of their SUV as Morrow’s and the other pulled away. Waving their hands, the guards signaled for the crowd of onlookers to follow.

  Eight vehicles and Connors motorcycle fell into line behind the Chemcorp SUVs as they headed around the outer loop of the complex. Driving past the main gate, the SUVs came to a stop on the backside of the complex where the roadway widened.

  A large chain link fence with barbed wire on top surrounded part of the complex, and that fence ran just feet from the edge of the road in this particular spot. A large grove of trees sat on the other side of the fence.

  But what garnered the most attention as the vehicles pulled up was the horde of zombies gathered at the fence in an open grassy area to the left of the trees. No less than 25 zombies stood at the fence, moaning in anticipation as the various groups exited their vehicles, their hands gripping and shaking the fence as they tried to reach the living.

  Climbing from his vehicle, Morrow walked towards the zombies and stopped about five feet in front of them, the smile never leaving his face. His close proximity to the undead only fueled their desire for flesh, exciting them further.

  “Please. Gather round. There’s enough room for all of you. I want everyone to have a good view of my presentation.”

  Slowly, his confused guests moved to join him, their eyes darting around as they cautiously stood before the undead horde. Connor, meanwhile, calmly walked up and stood with the others, watching intently.

  Once everyone was present, Morrow turned sideways and swept his hand in the direction of the zombies.

  “The undead,” he exclaimed in a dramatic voice. “The new top of the food chain.”

  He paused for dramatic effect as he turned back to the crowd.

  “We, the living, are the minority. The hunted. The prey,” he exclaimed loudly, stirring the nearby zombies into a near frenzy.

  Again he paused, looking across the gathered ranks of survivors, his face grim and somber.

  “But it doesn’t have to be that way,” he said, his facial expression turning to one of determination.

  “We no longer need to run. We no longer need to hide,” he said, the smile returning to his face.

  “We are no longer prey!” he said dramatically.

  Turning to the fence, he placed his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly, the zombies violently shaking the fence in response.

  The gathered guests were now looking at each other with a mixture of confusion, concern, and apprehension. All except for Connor. Slowly he moved forward, a look of curiosity hidden behind his sunglasses.

  As the onlookers stood transfixed, they watched in amazement as two men emerged from the tree line behind the zombies. Gasps could be heard throughout the crowd as the figures moved into the open, for both men wore nothing more than a pair of shorts and boots. What was even more shocking was that neither man was armed. No guns. No machetes. Not even so much as a pocketknife.

  One of the onlookers spoke up.

  “What the hell, Morrow? Did you call us here to witness a massacre?” he yelled.

  Morrow turned back to the startled onlookers, his grin even wider.

  “Watch,” he said with a smug look on his face.

  Slowly, the two men walked forward. Calmly, methodically, they headed towards the fence. There was no fear in their eyes. No worry on their faces. It was as if they were on a simple walk in the park before the apocalypse hit.

  But what really got everyone’s attention was that the zombies never turned around. Sure, the men were being quiet in their approach, but everyone present knew that one of the undead’s primary sources of detecting the living was smell. They should have smelled them long before now, especially since they were upwind.

  The two men were now no more than 20 feet from the fence, yet the zombies continued to ignore them. It was as if the men didn’t exist.

  The two men continued forward, now only 10 feet away. Connor removed his sunglasses as he watched in amazement. Others around him stood transfixed, their jaws open in shock and bewilderment.

  Suddenly, the men stopped, as if waiting for permission to step forward. That is when Morrow spoke, his voice booming over the moans of the dead.

  “Behold! I give you ZOMBIE OFF!”

  With that the two men walked forward the final ten feet, taking their place among the zombies at the fence, their hands gripping the metal as the horrifying abominations next to them continued to focus on the stunned observers, ignoring the living flesh next to them.

  There they stood, two living men, elbow to elbow with the undead. They not only weren’t being torn apart, they weren’t even seen. Not one person watching could believe what they were seeing, not even Connor. As if to drive home the shock value, the men actually moved from spot to spot on the fence, at times forcing their way between zombies to stand between them.

  The astonished crowd stood, transfixed, as Morrow smiled in triumph.

  “Oh, one more thing,” he said as he walked over to a nearby guard.

  Taking two large knives from his soldier, he tossed the blades high over the fence, the knives landing silently in the grass behind the zombies. The two men slowly walked from the ranks of the undead, each retrieving a knife. Walking back to the fence, the two men split up, each heading to the far edge of the zombie line.

  Connor’s eyes widened as he witnessed what happened next.

  As each man reached the end zombie, they walked up behind it, thrusting the knife deep into the back of the skull, dropping the creature instantly. Systematically the two men walked down the line, killing each and every zombie at the fence, totally invisible to the ones still standing. When all was said and done, every zombie in the horde lay dead at the fence, leaving the two nearly naked men standing alone in front of the speechless spectators.

  Turning his attention to the crowd, Morrow spoke two simple words.

  “Any questions?”

  Suddenly the group of onlookers erupted, everyone speaking at once. Everyone, that is, except Connor. Standing calmly in the back, he watched as the others fawned over Morrow and his new product.

  Connor had no doubts as to the product’s validity. He witnessed it with his own eyes. What he wasn’t convinced of was the ultimate motive of the man who created it. Connor was a good judge of people, and something about Abe Morrow didn’t sit well with him. And one thing was certain . . . he didn’t trust him.

  Flanked by his guards, Morrow headed back to his SUV with the crowd following close behind. As they gathered around the vehicle, Morrow opened the back and pulled out a neon green spray can, about the size of your average can of tick repellent or hair spray. Turning around, he held it out in front of him for all to see. Printed on the can, in large, red letters, were the words ZOMBIE OFF.

  “This, my friends, is ZOMBIE OFF. The product that will level the playing field against the undead. Simply spray it on and the zombies won’t even notice you.”

  “How does it work?” yelled one man from the back.

  “In a nutshell, it blocks the human scent. The details are a bit complicated, but suffice it to say, when you’re wearing it, the zombies simply can’t detect you.”

  “So you’re saying we can just walk among them, worry free?” asked another.

  “Well, there are a few rules you have to abide by,” replied Morrow. “One, it has to be applied directly to the skin, it can’t be applied to clothes. Also, you need to leave the skin exposed. Covering it up minimizes its effectiveness. Two, you can’t get wet. It’s not waterproof, so getting wet will wash it off and leave you exposed. Three, don’t sweat. If you sweat too much, it will disrupt the formula and leave you exposed. Finally, it only hides
you from the zombie’s primary means of detecting us, which is smell. If you make noise or move quickly, they will find you, and they will eat you. So never, ever run.”

  There was muttering among the group as they digested the information Morrow just revealed.

  “So, as long as we follow those rules, we’ll be safe?” asked one of the women in the crowd.

  “Guaranteed,” said Morrow, smiling.

  “How long do the effects last?” asked another.

  “Very good question. The duration varies slightly from person to person, but you can expect at least four hours out of one application. On some of our test subjects it lasted five.”

  Morrow waited patiently for any additional questions. With the crowd now silent, he snapped his fingers. Immediately, a guard appeared from behind one of the other SUV’s carrying a small box.

  “A little something for each of you,” said Morrow, his grin widening. “This is a sample spray can good for one full body application.”

  The guard walked around, giving everyone a single, miniature version of the can Morrow still held in his hand. Connor took his, inspecting it closely.

  “Give it a try. If you like how it works, there’s plenty more where that came from.”

  “And what will it cost us?” came a voice from the crowd.

  “Ahhh. I was waiting for that question. By now you’ve all probably figured that my ZOMBIE OFF comes at a price.”

  Looking around the crowd, he continued.

  “I take only one form of payment, my friends.