May's Workshop Stories

Grave Danger

I am not sure what led me to that unfamiliar street, to that particular fateful turn I took on a day that seemed like any other. The day which turned out to be anything but an ordinary one.

As soon as I stepped onto the street, I could feel like something was off. The tension in the air made the high humidity even harder to deal with. I wasn't sure if I was breathing hard because I kept trying to catch my breath in the humid air or because fear started rolling in with the dark clouds that suddenly blanketed the sky.

At first, I thought I was just a bit unnerved because the street was so unfamiliar and abandoned, which wasn't that surprising for such an early hour of the morning. However, it soon became clear it was more than that.

The deeper I went into the belly of the beast, the more I felt like something was terribly wrong. Not only did the street feel endless, but every house had a strange eerie feeling. It seemed as if someone or something was watching me. Yet, when I looked around, I was all alone.

No person was in sight, just the unfathomable stillness in an already syrup-thick air. What was supposed to be a leisurely walk to take advantage of the more refreshing hours of the day turned into a sprint as the odd feeling nagged at me. It kept telling me to leave the street as soon as possible.

In my hurry, I tripped on something and almost fell down. It was the last thing I needed.

My first priority was to get to a familiar street and hurry back to the safety of my home. Yet, I couldn't help but glance at what had almost caused me injury.

The second I realized what it was, I wished I hadn't lowered my gaze. Maybe that way, I wouldn't have added another thick layer of fear coating my skin. Because there, in front of me, was a big chewed-up bone, large enough that it couldn't possibly belong to any of the smaller animals people ate. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, it was just the size and shape of a human femur, that much I knew.

Yet, how did one accept the impossible? The only way out for any sane person (who wishes to remain sane) is denial. Thus, denial became my best friend as I started hurrying down the street.

It was like one of those dreams where you keep moving through the impossibly thick air and never seem to get anywhere. Either the street was longer than I anticipated, or I was a fool for not trying out one of the side streets, but the struggle to get out felt endless.

Suddenly, I heard a low growling. Then, all hell broke loose. Instead of a wild animal that escaped from the zoo or even one coming down from the mountains in search of food, what I saw when I turned in the direction of the sound were humans.

Well, not precisely humans, more like rabid humans growling and drooling, zombies, if you will. Don't get me wrong, I have seen as many zombie movies as your average person. I could recognize the signs: the shuffle, the dead look in their eyes, tattered clothing, and bodies with bloody holes. Yet, my brain refused to connect those with the facts that were served before me in all their horrors.

Yet, I still had enough common sense to start running as they poured out of each house on that street. I even had enough presence of mind to abandon that cursed street and take the first turn available. However, as you might imagine, leaving it didn't mean leaving my pursuers there. They continued their slow shuffle towards me with a cacophony of growls, grunts, and other inhuman sounds.

To my bitter amusement, the road I had taken led me straight to the new amusement park that someone thought would be a good idea to build in my neighborhood. All those happy, smiling rides seemed to be mocking me with their offer of joy in my moment of terror.

The merry-go-round was on for some reason, even though no one was riding it. The joyful horses kept prancing around in circles as the zombies started arriving from every direction I could see. Whatever happened was clearly not an isolated event. Yet, I didn't feel any ill effects of whatever had changed the others.