Story Archive: Choose Your Own Adventure - Zombie-style

ChaseThisLight

It feels like hours have passed by since the door burst open, and though you don't dare glance at your watch, you know it's only been a handful of seconds. Have you ever felt more alive than in that very moment, and yet so very close to death? Your mouth suddenly feels like it's been stuffed full of cotton and you swallow hard. You can feel sweat beading along your spine. Heart hammering in your chest like a cacophony of drums, you brace yourself, feet shoulder width apart, and you grip the handle of the meat cleaver tightly, ready - but are you really?

It's a question you don't get to ponder further because Jen rushes through the doorway, reaching for you with gore covered hands. She's closer now, and you see that though half of her throat has been ripped out, she's somehow managing to make the most god awful mewling sounds, and oh god, the smell coming from her, as if she'd rolled around in decaying meat. Your stomach rolls, but you manage to keep it together. Wielding the meat cleaver, you swing it in an arch, the gleaming blade making contact with Jen's reaching left hand. It cuts cleanly through four of her fingers and they fall to the ground - a sight that normally would have set you screaming, but you keep moving. Using the dustbin lid as a sort of shield and shoving hard, you push her, causing her to stumble backwards a few steps, knocking her off balance. You keep going, pushing her again, until the wall is at her back, slashing with the cleaver simultaneously. It makes contact again and again, and the last time, when you go to draw it back, you find it's stuck to the hilt in the side of her neck.

From the doorway comes a sickening inhuman sounding growl, and you glance over to see Jen's overweight friend has decided to join the fray. You try desperately to wrench the cleaver free, but it's no use. Letting go of it and stepping back from Jen - whose body slides to the floor- your eyes dart desperately around for another weapon. On instinct, you step towards the stove, grab up the frying pan from the burner, just barely managing to duck around the hulking mass of his belly as he grabs for you. You come up behind him, swinging the frying pan with all your might as you whirl back around. There's a resounding meaty thunk as it hits home, making a sizable dent in his head, and you swing again, and again, your arm burning from the effort. His knees are buckling, and he begins to fall, but you don't stop to question it, turning on the balls of your feet and heading for the door…


a) Now that your office is clear, go back for your keys and phone, and head straight for your car.

b) Head out the front door, wanting to check on the two people you saw before.

c) Quietly slip out the front door, avoiding your office and the people you saw, and make your way alone.



Inventory:

Edibles:
1 bottle Water 1.5L
dairy milk bars and cans of fanta

Weapons:
1 frying pan
1 Swiss army knife

Defence:
1 Dustbin lid

Medicine and self welfare:
1 first aid kit ( basic)
3 pairs Socks
2 Packets Condoms
1 Beanie Hat
1 spare shirt

Miscellaneous:
1 Packet Cigarettes (17 left)
1 Zippo Lighter
1 can Lighter fluid
1 vice grip

DakotaYoda

I'm a loner Dottie.... a rebel.

C is for me!


Sorry friends. It's best I leave ye behind.

Mahatma coat

Get to the Land Crooooozahhhhhhhhh

Option A

SmileyPaul

opntion A for me, but I don't think I'd concern myself with the two people outisde, I'd use going back to the office as a kind of rest period to be honest

SUNGOD

great stuff chasethislight.
its option A for me head to office get keys and phone and head for car

Sticky_Fingers

Bit of a tough decision, meet up with other survivors or go it alone in the car. My first instinct would be to bail as quickly as possible but the roads are likely in a terrible state so I doubt I'd get far before having to ditch the car.

I go for B, meet up with the other survivors (cautiously though), you'd have a better chance making it out of town within a group than going solo.

Conorv

B

allanb49

im gonna go with B mainly cause i smell a sitcom

wavehopper1

Option B, but approaching the two people with extreme caution, clutching my frying pan in one hand and my dustbin lid in the other.

Micky Dolenz

Great work ChaseThisLight, and the other writers, the story is coming along nicely.

I'd take a second, I just killed my first undead. this takes for a celebration, I'd crack open some fanta and light a cigarette. My heart beat only staying fast from the sudden influx of sugar and nicotine in my blood along with the rapidly decreasing levels of adrenaline.

Cars and phones mean nothing in the new world, so I wouldn't even bother going for them. how am i going to get my car out of the car park and down the street, no mind out of the city. My trusty battered frying pan is the only key I need for now, a hammer would be better, I'll keep my eyes open for one.

I would naturally go alone, and slip away to safety but assume my character has never had the advantage of the Zombie Survival forum i would defo look for company,as I would mistakenly believe that there was safety in numbers.

OPT B

wavehopper1

I run through the canteen door, grabbing the key and locking it behind me. Thankfully, the reception is empty. I think ruefully of the meat cleaver embedded in Jen's neck - the frying pan has a bit of weight about it but I'd prefer a more conventional weapon. Again, my mind turns to my brother John and his guns out west. Thinking of John, I decide that teaming up with others is my best bet.

The reception has large glass doors and I can see a couple outside hiding between two cars parked at the kerbside. The man is pointing up the street and the woman is shaking her head vigorously and pointing towards office buildings. I move to the door and scan up and down. There are crashed cars in the road, most have open doors. Looks like some people who jumped out and ran didn't get very far. Spaced along the middle of the street there are three different clumps of writhing bodies: blood and flesh is being thrown up in the air as groups of these things have collected around unfortunate victims and are ripping them apart.

All the zombies I can see are occupied with feeding. I count eight in three groups. 50 yards north of the crouching couple there are two nasties, and a futher 50 yards past those are another three. South of the couple, in the distance down about 100 yards is a second group of three.

Stepping out to the pavement I run as quietly as I can to the crouching pair. As I hunker down beside the woman, she looks at what I'm holding, and whispers: "For god's sake, a frying pan? Do you intend to cook their dinner for them?" I look sheepishly at the metal pipe she's clutching. The man beside her is gripping a claw hammer. The guy looks at me with what seems relief. But there's something else in his eyes, some dark chilling emotion.

"Pal, you want to get outta here?"

The woman swears softly and shakes her head. I ignore her, this bloke now has my full attention. I have to strain to hear him as he speaks quietly but urgently. He gestures north up the street.

"My van is at the top of the road. But those damn murderers are in the way. Even if we legged it past the first lot, there's a bunch of them right at the rear door. Here's what we do - you cross over the street, climb up on top of that jeep over there and start calling them over, they'll all move towards fresh meat. Once the van is clear I run up the street, get in and start the engine. All you have to do is hop along the top of a few parked cars, jump down and go like the clappers for my passenger door. We take off for my old man's workshop."

His eyes blaze fiercely and he brandishes the hammer. "Back at the workshop, there's stuff that can do proper damage. Let's see how those effers like a flame thrower in the face."

I stare at him. The woman hisses: "It's too risky."

Maybe the guy takes my silence for assent because suddenly he's moved out from behind the car headed for a large green post box on the pavement. Hiding behind it, he looks back and gestures at me to run for the jeep.

Behind me the woman speaks again. "Look, I don't know this fellow from Adam but I do know he's in shock. The monsters at his van? They're busy chewing on his father. Einstein Senior tried to make it up there on his own about an hour ago, he dodged them for a while but it didn't turn out too well".

I ask: "Got any better ideas?"

She nods. "I was at a client site when all hell broke loose. That's my office over there". She points at a building two doors up from mine. "My boss sent out a text this morning. A group has barricaded themselves in at the top floor. He says going in through the lobby is too dangerous, but he thinks the side stairs is clear. Let's run for the alley, in the side door and up the stairs to join them."

She's right about one thing, I can't wait around behind this car. I have to move - but where?

A. Agree with the man, and sprint across to the jeep to hop onto the roof and act as bait. Getting into the van doesn't mean I have to go to his father's workshop. He could have another claw hammer in the back.

B. Agree with the woman, and make a break for the side entrance of her building. Lets hope her boss is right about the stairs.

C. Leave these two behind, they're both liabilities. While the zombies I can see are chowing down, I'll take the opportunity to sprint southwards on foot on my own. Once I make it past the group of three, I'll slow down and get my bearings.

ChaseThisLight

He's an idiot and asking you to risk both of your lives.

She's doing the same by depending on information that might not be reliable.

C is my choice. Get away from them both before they get you killed. Sure, it'd be nice to not be alone in this, but it's not worth the possibility of death.

DirtyBollox

very hesitant to go for C but thats my decision. defo not gonna act as bait for anyone and i'm not gonna rely on a text she got that morning and if followed could end up dead or stuck in the building with no means of escape or defense apart from a barricade or 2.

defo C but as i am hungover i might not be sprinting :pac:

Micky Dolenz

A is going to end in disaster, you ain't surviving that.

B I would discount because the intel is too old and highly unreliable, a lot happens in a few hours when there is panic all around.

I'd go for c, cut them loose and slip away.

SmileyPaul

C
but for me I'd take it quitely, head south and then work my way down a side street if possible avoiding the group of 3 Z's down that end

let's roll out


Inventory:

Edibles:
1 bottle Water 1.5L
dairy milk bars and cans of fanta

Weapons:
1 frying pan
1 Swiss army knife

Defence:
1 Dustbin lid

Medicine and self welfare:
1 first aid kit ( basic)
3 pairs Socks
2 Packets Condoms
1 Beanie Hat
1 spare shirt

Miscellaneous:
1 Packet Cigarettes (17 left)
1 Zippo Lighter
1 can Lighter fluid
1 vice grip

SUNGOD

option A is just asking for trouble, acting as bait and relying on a complete stranger to stop the van so you can get in , thats if he makes it alive to start it

option B is ok if the situation is still the same in that building but even if it is you could be running in to a dead end. and if the barracades have been breached you will be heading straight into a bunch of hungry Z's

so its option C for me cut them loose and head off alone the girl can follow if she wants her metal pipe might come in handy

DakotaYoda

C for me... for similar reasons I would have tried that in the last post.

Nice work wavehopper!!!

Mahatma coat

Option C

I mean seriously, Bait is ALWAYS Someone elses Job

DakotaYoda

You briefly consider your options and decide you’re better off on your own, even though that claw hammer would be preferable to this frying pan...

“Thanks for the offers - but I’m getting out of this mess on my own for now. Good luck to ya.”

And with that, you slip out the door, heading south... As you do the the Woman suddenly screams “No - you’ll never make it!”

Well, the zombies WERE busy eating - but now their heads have turned toward the woman’s scream - and then you immediately hear a dull reverberating moan escape from their lips. A second later you hear this echoed through the streets - perhaps staying inside would have been a better idea.

You dart down the abandoned-car-crowded streets and across to the next block. You are making good time until a lone unaware zombie from the Deli shambles out in front on you. It’s in front of you and hasn’t noticed you yet.

Making a snap decision you dodge behind it and head down the alley to the right, preferring that to the cluttered chaos of the main avenue. The only problem, you discover, is that the alley splits 2 ways at a T intersection. One is blocked by a barricade of dumpsters and old furniture and the other way dead-ends into the entrance of an old warehouse. You decide to head for the warehouse. With no other choice you try the door - it’s open. You’re not sure if that is a good or a bad sign.

You slip inside quickly and pull the door closed behind you, throwing the deadbolt closed as you do. You find a few odd boards on the ground and brace up the door a bit more before moving on.

Making your way through the old building, it is easy to tell that this place has been abandoned for some time. Insulation peels from the walls, the paint that is left is cracked and peeling, and the few remaining sections of carpet smell dank and mildewed - but at least you seem safe.

For the first time since this started you are alone and out of immediate danger - you stop and collect your thoughts; reflecting on the carnage you’ve witnessed; the people you know from your office who are now, presumably, dead,.. or undead. Undead. Really?

You close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, letting your head rest against the wall behind you, and start to consider your options...

You decide to explore the warehouse to see what it holds and find some exits. The warehouse is rather large but the rooms are few and rather big so it doesn’t take too long to explore. Not much here but you notice it has many skylights which provide good natural light. Several rooms can be secured by dropping steel roll-up firedoors that are mounted over the doorways and there is a room with a section that had plastic sheeting hung that you wanted to double check in case there were any tools left behind by workers of an ill conceived renovation attempt.

You are making your way to look for wayward tools when you think your ears may be playing a trick on you. The problem is that you are fairly sure you heard.... something. Not a voice or the moan from outside, but definitely something. There it is again - maybe more of a thump this time. Moving silently you glide through the adjoining rooms, keeping an eye out for anything useful. Your search has been unfruitful until you come to set of big wooden doors... (watch video )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vMbAUhjJIQ

A. Spring forward, head through the doorway across the room in front of you and pull down the metal fire door behind you.

B. Leap at the plastic sheeting and try to pull it down over the zombies and knock them over to give you time to Pan them all down.

C. Close the big wooden doors and go back the way you came.




Inventory:

Edibles:
1 bottle Water 1.5L
dairy milk bars and cans of fanta

Weapons:
1 frying pan
1 Swiss army knife

Defence:
1 Dustbin lid

Medicine and self welfare:
1 first aid kit ( basic)
3 pairs Socks
2 Packets Condoms
1 Beanie Hat
1 spare shirt

Miscellaneous:
1 Packet Cigarettes (17 left)
1 Zippo Lighter
1 can Lighter fluid
1 vice grip

ChaseThisLight

This is by far the toughest choice yet for me. I'm juggling A and C....

If the wooden doors looked sturdier, then I'd go with C, because, maybe they haven't noticed you yet - but there doesn't even seem to be a way to secure them.

So A wins out. Get behind the metal fire door. You want to be fast in getting there, too, but quiet as well - maybe they won't notice you until you're rolling the door down.

Mahatma coat

C, You know whats behind you at this stage, you dont know whats on the other side of the roller door, could be a room full of the B@strds :eek:


Nah Screw it, I'm writing next,
B

Head for certain death, Jump wildly at the sheet of plastic, that'll end well :D

SUNGOD

great stuff dakota, love the video feels like im there
tough choice im torn between A and C
tearing the plastic down is too risky so its either go back or forward

so i have to go for A run through and pull down the fire door

wavehopper1

Outstanding :eek:

C for me. Who knows what's over on the far side, at least I know something about the way I came.

Micky Dolenz

Good job Mate, starting to rise the bar.

The nutter in me whats to start cracking zed heads. the new world will be be mine. But sadly not with a frying pan as a weapon.

Option c for me, I agree with Mahatma coat that you know where you came from Going past the zeds into the unknown could put you between a rock and a hard place.

I know my back is clear, thats where I am going.

And by the way, can a writer let me smoke a fag for fecks sake, I'm hanging here

Sticky_Fingers

I'm going to go with option C as well, excellent use of video by the way, it really adds to the story.

SmileyPaul

option C for me

go back out and grab a plank thats beside the door and shove it between the handles, that'll hold them for at least a while while you get you're head together

Seriously good job man

Mahatma coat

You SWING* the doors closed, Oh Shoite theres a few of them in there, you grab the handles and hold them tight, to your left you see a piece of timber, its 2.8 X180 X 45 4PR F27 Kwila, Nice you think, that'll hold em, the doorway is 2.6M wide, you link your left arm through the door handles and with your right hand you reach for the Kwila.

the door pulls forward enough that you can slide the plank through the handles and spread it evenly across the doorway.

Safe, you think to yourself, But from what?

You walk towards the center of the room, you scan the area, theres a mezanine level towards the Street side of the building with some wwindows.

you climb the stairs, its a reasonably large Mez, so you cant see the back corner from the ground, You have your frying pan in your hand.

You reach the top of the stair, its clear, you see a packing crate, you sit down.


.
..
.
.
.

Oh Fvck, What is happening to the world, WTF was, no IS all this, Last night I was out with my friends at a bar everything was Fine, I drove to work,Probably shgouldnt have:o, the WTF WTF WTF

you reach into your bag, why couldnt this have happened at the Weekend Id have some Vodka and a Bag of hooch:(

you open a can of fanta, you pause, you relax your shoulders and bring your legs in to a comfortable position, you sigh lowly.

you reach into the bag for your Marlboro and Zippo, you light one, you allow your body to ease itself from tension, if only briefly, you arch your spine and take one long Soulful Drag on that little white coffin nail and you breathe out.




you finish your cigarette and Fanta.

You push the crate to the window, you stand on the crate and look out, in the street below you can see over the Barricades, You are on the edge of a Greenbelt, there is a Park 50M beyond the Barricade, its relativley open and clear.

the Zombie from the Deli seems to have followed you down the alley, he's directly in your path, but you can see the way through the barricades from here, its simple enough but it should keep him at bay.

You look again along the Wall side of the Street, you see that the building you are in extends t back onto the Park, you can see a set of stairs that lead down its 4 Tilt Panels from the end, you look a the room you are in its 4 Panels, the building is 12, the one with the Z's is 4, that means that the Fire escape is on the other side of the Fire door, pas the room with, how many Feck I was too busy in reversin the Feck outather to be doin such things as a Census, but at a guess 3 maybe more, maybe theres more on the other side of the Firedoor.

you look around you, the Mez is a Dexian type, its all interlockable by thumb, the stair is of the same material, the treads can be removed and carried up one by one, y'd only really need to take out the first 8, the Area is well lit and warm, there has been someone sleeping here recently, probably not a wino, the place is too well kept for that and its got a small Gas stove, the type you could buy in a hardware store for $20 and there are two cans of Gas left in a 4Pack, with one in the stove, there are also some tins, they have no labels but are marked with some form of code.

Inventory wrote:

Inventory:

Edibles:
1 bottle Water 1.5L
dairy milk bars and cans of fanta
Random Tins (contents Unknown)

Weapons:
1 frying pan
1 Swiss army knife

Defence:
1 Dustbin lid

Medicine and self welfare:
1 first aid kit ( basic)
3 pairs Socks
2 Packets Condoms
1 Beanie Hat
1 spare shirt
1 Gas stove
2 Spare Canisters Gas

Miscellaneous:
1 Packet Cigarettes (16 left)
1 Zippo Lighter
1 can Lighter fluid
1 vice grip

A) Stay put take away the stairs have dinner

Head out into the street and make a run for the barricade

C) Head back through the building to the Fire escape

SUNGOD

great stuff Mahatma coat
tough one, im deffinitely ruling out option C as they are probabily gathered behind the door waiting to eat me
so its either A or B for me
i would love to have a bit of R&R and dinner but if any Z's come in downstairs then im trapped .

so i vote for option B make a run for the barricade

ChaseThisLight

Option B. Get out while you can. Sure, it might be dangerous heading out there, but it's better to chance it than to be stuck for who knows how long.

DakotaYoda

Tough call on this one for sure as I know I'm heading into at least 1 zombie... I don't think staying put is an option, even with the stairs up and I really don't know about the fire escape.

I will vote B - hoping to make it to the barricade and maybe find who ever built it. Survivors with enough sense to barricade alleys are ok in my book. At least they aren't huddling in a room waiting for someone to save them. They took the initiative to start to build defenses.

Here's to hopin'!!