Zombie Dinner

• Jayden Richards, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2019

I ran down the alleyway, tumbling over bins and tripping over rubbish. I turn around and I see it stumbling around the corner, a hideous creature shrouded in shadows. With half it’s face torn off and the rest covered in rotting skin, I could barely make out the face that I once called my friend. I turned around and started running again, I round a corner and start to speed up and run straight into a person. I look up and it’s a zombie, covered in rotting skin and shuffling towards me. I shut my eyes as it leans down above me and opens it’s jaws wide. Everything goes black and two red words appear in front of me. GAME OVER. I yell “DAMMIT” across the room and look at my friend Liam as he grabs the remote out of my hand and says “better luck next time.” I look down at my phone and realize that it was nearly 9 o’clock. I look at Liam and tell him the time. He said “ok I will just finish this go, and then let’s go to bed.” I agree with him and go and get the snacks out of the fridge. Once Liam finishes we turn off the TV and the Xbox, and head up to my room. I lie down in my bed and tear into the pack of Doritos. Once we finish all the Doritos, Liam lies down in his sleeping bag next to my bed and we go to sleep. I slowly doze off into deep sleep. I wake up later, covered in sweat and heaving. I sit up and look for Liam but he is gone, ‘he must of just gone to the toilet’ I thought. I look out the window and see the top of the trees swaying in the wind. Then the tapping started, it sounded like bones taping on the window and it wouldn’t stop. I look out the window and it stared at me, a zombie, just like out of the game but this was real life, and then I recognized the face. It was Liam, but this wasn’t a mask. I scream and run out of the room. I run down the stairs and into the living room. I look out the window, then realize just how ridiculous this is, i live on the second floor, how would a zombie get up to the window on the second floor. I head up the stairs back to my room, walking past the toilet door. Then it jumps out at me, zombie Liam, jumping on top of me, and tearing into my flesh. I scream at the top of my voice, but I know no one will hear me. I die a slow death, but then i wake up, “it was just a dream” I whisper to myself. I sit up and look for Liam, but he isn’t there. I am starting to get scared again. Then the tapping started.