StoryTellers’ Short Story Collection:You are in a zombie apocalypse and there is a cure. But your parents are anti-vaxers.
Pratibaa Prabhakaran
The only sounds permeating through my room was that of radio static. A loud buzzing filled what would have otherwise been an eerily silent room. I sat on my bed, in my room. My parents close behind me. My father sat on the floor, my mother was next to him. We regarded each other with mixed expressions. I was hopeful, but looking at the conflicted expressions on my parents’ faces, I was also frightened.
The radio had just broadcasted life-changing news. There was a cure. A vaccine, a cure, a way to save ourselves and our families from a fate worse than death.
For the past 3 years, we have been living in hiding. A disease that broken out, and the world had been thrown into chaos. A mutated cancer gene broke free from the World Health Organization lab in Switzerland. They had been running some tests hoping to cure cancer, yet they had created something far worse than cancer.
When placed on the human body, this new virus fought with its host and placed itself in their brain. Taking control of a human’s sense of the world. A human’s brain, unfamiliar with this virus was unable to fight it off with the help of the white blood cells. The virus brought out the worst in man, it turned a normal person into a cannibalistic maniac. The first victims were found eating their own families and friends, who ad been unlucky enough to have been in the vicinity. Those who did immediately die from the cannibalistic acts, were turned into horrible beasts themselves. As soon as you got one bite from them, your body would shut down and you would be unable to fight back.
For three years, the survivors have lived in fear of these beasts, but now a cure has been found. Having tuned into the radio 24/7, we were able to catch the news of a vaccine. A simple injection taken to make us unapproachable to these zombies. To make these zombies smell us, and then turn away, disgusted. We would be able to go out without fear of getting killed, or worse, turned into one of them.
And yet my parents were adamant against taking this vaccine.
“You have got to be kidding me Mom. This is life-changing! We need to take this vaccine! We need to ring it in, we need these people to send us these vaccines how are you not understanding?!?!?!” I yelled at my mother.
“Vaccines are from the Devil dear! They were created against Kaderassi’s will! We cannot allow such instruments to enter our bloodstream! It will damn us to eternal purgatory.”
“Mom, Kaderassi would never damn us to purgatory because we took a a bit of medicine. Kaderassi is an alknowing being. If she thought vaccines were evil, she would have made sure they never existed in the first place!” I tried to reason. “I would not believe in a God who thought that wanting to live was a sin.”
My father slammed his palm to the ground, the loud bang was enough to render me silent. He stared me straight in the eyes, and I knew then that no matter what I said to them, I would not win our argument.
“We have already said no! How can you not understand this? Kaderassi allows evil in world to allow free-will. Murder, arson, cheating all happens. Because free will is something she values, even if it means something this evil happens. Just because it is in our world, does not mean it is something that upsets Kaderassi. We must do everything in our power to stray away such evils.!”
I sighed “Dad, do you consider this Zombie Apocolypse to be a severe evil?” My father blinked, surprised by my lack of emotion. He quickly gathered himself up before answering. “Of course. Many people have died unnecessarily. It is an evil that must be stopped. But this is not the answer, silly vaccines.”
“But wouldn’t Kaderassi want us to fight against all evils. This is an evil dad!” My father narrowed his eyes.
“Yes, she would. Where are you going with this?”
“Vaccines are a gift from Kaderassi to solve this evil. She gave us the vaccines and we would be fools to not use it. Kaderassi gifted us science, and I believe in science. Science will save us, and so will vaccines.”
“Ok then let’s look at the science then deary,” my mother interrupted before my father could reply. I could see his face turning red, he would have had nothing good to say about my plan. “Vaccines are the leading reason behind autistic kids!” she explained with a smile.
“No they are not,” I said, laying my face in my hands.
“Well they give people the disease they are fighting against! So the vaccine would turn us into zombies ourselves!” she tried again. “No, they just help train the body to fight against the vaccine. How this vaccine works, is it works as a repellant to the zombies, making us undetectable to their palettes. But also, in the rare situation where one zombie attacks us, it stops our bodies from completely breaking down, allowing us to fight the zombie back and off of us. In the end, all we will have walking away from the situation is a bloody injury which can be easily nursed. We need this vaccine mom I don’t understand why….!”
“Enough!” my father bellowed. “There will be no vaccines in my house! And that is final!” My father got up and left the room. My mother gave me a sad look, and followed after him, leaving me with only my thoughts.
Which had been a mistake on their part.
~-~-~-~-~O-~-~-~-~-
The days went by quickly, and slowly, a plan had hatched in my mind.
For all their stupidity, I did love my family. I really did. So that was why I was going against them like this. They would never agree with it, but it was something that must be done. I shall commit the greatest taboo to their consciousness.
The plan started with a phone call.
The radio had consistently hammered into the heads of its readers of a phone call, for any assistance of any kind. This would be the number we would have to call to get these vaccines. I dialed up my landline, which was somehow still working in the apocalypse. These people couldn’t come to get us themselves and bring us to a safe place, but had the resources to keep landlines working, go figure.
I typed in 773-892-8000. The phone gave a beeping sound, loud against the silence of the city night. I was always told the city never sleeps, cars will honk and people will yell no matter the time of day. It took an entire apocalypse the change that.
My hands were shaking, my parents were asleep in the next room over. I could hear the loud snores of my father echoing through our paper thin American walls. I hesitated, wondering if I should cover the phone with a blanket to muffle the sound out, but before I could make my mind up, the beeping stopped and the phone clicked, someone was now on the other side of the receiver.
“Hello?” said a voice, it was high-pitched and soft. I guessed it was that of a woman.
“Hello,” I said, my voice still shaking, but I took a deep breath, and I steadied myself out. “Hello.” I said a little more firmly.
“Are you here to tell your address for the immunity vaccines?” she asked, she sounded enthusiastic, whether it be fake or forced I could not tell. My mind was in jitters.
“Yes,” I said, I jumped when I heard a sudden sound. It was a stapler that had fallen from the table, so much for bravery.
“Please tell me your mailing address.” she said with her enthusiastic voice again.
I gave her my address.
“Ok, you said 3 vaccines right?” she asked. I nodded my head before remembering she could not see me.
“Yes, three people.”
“Ok, they will be here in three to four business days. Stay safe until then sweetie” Before she could hang up on me, I spoke, I spoke quickly because the fear of my parents hearing something was growing by the second.
“Wait…” I said. I could hear the lady pause on the other end. “Could you be discreet about sending the vaccines over?”
“And why is that?” she sounded confused.
“My parents are extreme anti-vaxers, they would never agree with taking the vaccine except if by force. I need to give it to them in secret, and give it to myself in secret.”
“Ok, I understand. I will be sure to send the message to the people in charge of all that.” she said understandingly.
“Thank you so much, good bye,” I said as I clocked off.
The first part of my plan was complete. Now, we wait for it to arrive.
~-~-~-~-~O-~-~-~-~-
The vaccines arrived dead in the night 3 days later. The woman had given me a call warning me of its arrival.
I hesitantly headed outside and collected when it had fallen to the ground. The drone which had given it to me sped off. I took it inside and opened the parcel,
Inside, neatly package and tucked on top of a posh pillow, were three broken down syringes and thee vases of medicine. Tucked in the side between the pillow and box were instruction with photos on how to administer the shot.
I looked around the room, before running to lock the door behind me.
I then returned to my parcel, and picked up one syringe and one medicine cup. Following the instructions given, I carefully inserted the needle into the lid, and sucked the medication into its tube. I rolled up my left arm sleeve, and felt for a place where there was plenty of flesh.
I cut into my skin with the needle, and pressed the liquid inside into my veins.
I throw the syringe and bottle into my draw, and load the other two syringes.
I stop for a second, and listen for any movement out my door. I am only met with silence. I continued on.
It was late at night, so my parents would be asleep. I could not hear them walking around, talking, or making any sort of noise at all. So for that reason, I assumed my assumption to be correct.
Opening the door to my room, I walked out as quietly as I possibly could. I made sure to avoid any wooden floor spots that I knew would creak, and tiptoed my way to my sleeping parent’s bedroom.
I opened the door, and found myself looking at two people sleeping away. My father was snoring silently, while my mother made no noise at all. The only notion that gave away the fact that she was asleep was the rise of fall of her chest.
And as luck would have it, her arm and hanging off the bed, perfect for me to surreptitiously give an injection into.
I got to work.
I slowly put myself into a kneeling position on the floor, and slid over to my mother’s arm. I gripped the syringe in one hand, and moved to grab my mother’s arm with the other.
She groaned in her sleep.
I stopped moving, in fear of getting caught. But she just mumbled some incoherent words and stayed in the same position as she was.
My hand, albeit shakily, reached for her arm, and I grabbed it in between my fingers, and pinched a little skin softly. I brought up my needle, and hovered the tip to her skin.
I took a deep breath, and pushed it in.
It sunk into her skin like butter, and somehow, by the miracle of the gods above, she did not wake. And because she did not wake up, the medication smoothly entered her blood stream, ready to prepare the body against the zombie disease.
One parent done, another left.
I made my way over to my father as briskly and as quietly as I had to my mother. Except this time my father’s arms were wrapped underneard the blanket, out of my reach.
So I decided to do his leg instead.
While his leg was underneath the blanket, it would be easier to remove the blanket from the legs than from the arms, which were gripping onto the blanket tightly.
My finger touched the edge of the blanket…
My father let out an abnormally loud snore.
I grabbed it and slowly flung it open. My father’s legs were large and hairy. But there was plenty of fat to be found closer to his thighs, where I knew would be a proper spot to put the injection.
Once more, I gripped the syringe and plunged it into his leg, quicker than with my mother. I was hoping to get this over with.
And finally, all three members of my family were vaccinated.
I got up, and stared at their sleeping forms in disbelief. Stunned that I was actually able to get away with my actions.
I scurried out of the room, wondering exactly where I would be hiding the syringes so they would not find them in my drawer the next morning.
My mission was complete, and I couldn’t help but release a sigh of relief when I entered my room.
Qatar Qhapter Qen
Somewhere, among the distant lands of the Qniverse, on the Planet of QQ, in the capital of qMath, in the castle of the Qing, an alliance is made. Or so is what seems.“My dearest Eternads, welcome, welcome. It is good to see you, my friend, after so long!” the Qing saidsas.
“Gus monin Sir Qing, ams happi to be here. Sankyou for invites! Poyo!;:” Eternads replies.
“Well, I’d love to continue with the pleasantries, but we do have business here, no?” the Qing says.
“Eyes yes, goos bisness for thousts and mi. Z faction noooo goos. Im eternads and z faction no goose, relly.” Eternads says.
“Yes, the Z faction has indeed committed many multiple atrocities that have gone unsaid, but must be . . .” Sir Qing trails off.
Take the bait, take the bait, take the bait. He looks directly into the camera he knows is watching him. `1q`q1`q11
Distantly, simultaneously. what am i watching?
what i want to show you.
i’m sorry it took me so long to visit they keep me on a short leash, yeah.
They do that with me all the time,
it’s why i cant move,
yeah. sorry don’t be,
it’s not your fault
`1qq`1q1` ` “Wells I thinke taht the objeckt shuld be active a-now, nos;??” Eternads says.
“Yes, the atomic bomb should be active now. It’ll launch—” Sir Qing begins, but then he’s interrupted by the doors of the palace crashing open. A loud noise pierces through the air, and though the Qing thought not possible, the windows instantaneously break into a billion pieces.
“Hands up in air, do not move or you will be executed immediately!” a soldier, likely the general shouts. The soldier bears the mark of the Z faction, an obnoxious cursive flourish that even those with 20/20 vision could hardly make out. What seems to be near thousands of soldiers surround the Qing and Eternads, all holding out some sort of gun with a glowing red, molten substance inside.
“Aright, yesyes, oks, no need be violence, no goos poyo. Putting wepon down, ands compliance us;;.” Eternads says, calmly.
“Yes, we’ll comply duly with your command, please just lower your weapon.” the Qing says.
“Unfortunately, that will not be possible. And it’d seem you have no power to tell us what to do, no? The Z faction has bowed under your dominance for long enough, we won’t play the peaceful game any longer. Try a move, and we’ll kill you, simple as that.” the general says
“Is that so? Well, you’d be surprised, I’ll say.” the Qing says. In one fluid motion, he reaches into his pocket, pulls out an object that is diamond-shaped, and throws it into the air. It shatters mid-air, and those in the room all feel a strong gust of air. There’s what seems a deafening silence. The general opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.
Suddenly, all the soldiers of the Z faction and the general feel a pain, one that quickly takes complete and utter control of their bodies. As though they were melting candles, fluid the color of the soldiers begin to drip down their bodies. The air temperature noticeably rises a few degrees, and one soldier begins to convulse. Others follow, and their bodies seizuring horribly. The general’s legs jerk in one direction, then another unnaturally.
A snap, and the leg has broken into two. The Qing can see a beige object sticking out of the knee of the general. Still, he convulses. Other soldiers receive the same amount, if not more damage to their bodies, although the symptoms seem to vary from the release of the object. One soldier goes into cardiac rest almost as soon as they begin convulsing, another hits their head and goes unconscious.
Most chilling was the silence, that still continued despite the horrible injuries. Maybe silence isn’t the right word, though, for the cracks and thumps of bones breaking and heads fracturing filled the air. But no noise did a human make.
Until a shrill, high pitched scream fills the air.
The Qing and Eternads cover their ears—somehow the scream was louder than the object’s release. It continues, on and on. It seems never-ending, how the scream reverberates in the Qing and Eternads’ ears. But eventually, it does stop, the new silence complete.
No more cracks or thumps, just the faint breathing of the two survivors in the room. Eternads begins to breath heavier, however, and their eyes widen as their mind processes the occurrence that has just taken place.
“Tha, thea, waht jus happens!! You no tols me thas te object woul do taht!! Im eternads, not horable killr?!! Capture the Z faction, yes yes, but not melts them!!!!!!!!!” Eternads yells.
In a daze, they run off, and the Qing just watches as their feet pound against the marble floor. And yet, it’s what you agreed to, isn’t it? I may have lied in some regards, but destruction would be made, that was sure. And now you run off as a coward would. I see how it is. I see how you’ve valued our friendship. If you could ever have called it that. Then, a massive wave of something, and the transmission is `1q1`q1 qq11q~Qq1a~Qq`AQ1AQ1`1`1`a1aaaqqq1`q1`q1`qq1`q`q`~~~
Eternal can only stare in shock.
Table Of Contents
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