Zombie Story - Back from the Dead - Part 1

or The Cows Ate the World (?)

This one is also still in progress. One person picks two words to be used, the writer writes something using those words. They then 'tag' the next person with two words tehy must use, and so on and so on.

By (so far): Qbryzan, Sue, Doghouse, Garvis, and D.A.

WORDS: PLETHORA and ANTITHESIS

As I write this, the human race is exhaling its last breath. At the beginning of the 21st century we were faced with a plethora of life-threatening problems, from Global Warming to Nuclear War, but ironically what did us in was so much more insidious. I only hope one day some other race may discover this and learn from our mistakes.
You see, we thought bacteria were bad. And in a way they were. But our solution was the antithesis of a life-saving measure - we developed anti-bacterial soap. Lots and lots of anti-bacterial soap. It got so bad you couldn't even find non-anti-bacterial soap anymore, unless you made it yourself.
And that is where our trouble began.

***

WORDS: PERIPATETIC and SERENDIPITY

Now normally a peripatetic person would carry anti-bacterial soap on their travels. A backpack would include the germ killing soap or at least hand sanitizer, water, toiletpaper, a map and other necessary items that one might need at the drop of a hat while wandering around aimlessly, but on this particular day, our traveler had to make a quick exodus from their abode as zombies had attacked their peaceful Iowian town and forced our hero to leave her home quickly.
"Damn it!" Susan mumbled under her breath as she searched through her fanny pack for the millionth time. "I just want clean hands.... Is that too much to ask?" But she had the serendipity to notice the bottle of hand sanitizer sticking out from under her car seat. "Viola! I am saved."

***

WORDS: QUIXOTIC and CONUNDRUM

She had the thought of tossing the hand sanitizer onto the heap of trash spilling over the side of the metal trashcan along with all the spoiled food that was lost when the power went, but shrugged off that quixotic notion as an old habit dying hard.

Across town Rick was hunkered down inside an old wooden shed, his survival pack strung taut across his back and his rifle clenched tightly in his sweating fingers. The sun had just set and he could hear them on the other side of the thin wodden wall shuffling back and forth aimlessly. They were most active at night and he knew he was here, trapped until sunrise. Rick hated the outdoors, he hated cabins and he hated camping. Putting together a survival pack was difficult, but second only to figuring out how to load the bullets in the rifle. And here he was stuck, alone, hungry and cold until dawn.
Rick laughed silently to himself and whispered, "What did I do to deserve to be stuck in the night of the living dread?". His smile faded as he realized that this was no time for conundrums; he shook his head to bring him back to the present.

***

WORDS: FRISKINESS and RECIPROCITY

Rick looked around trying to locate his comrades. If there was one lesson Rick had learned it was that as long as you were with a group of people you are safer in the event of a zombie attack, especially if one of them is just a little bit slower than you are. He saw Jay and Bob leaning against the back wall. Jim and Pam had slipped off somewhere probably engaging in a little friskiness he thought. He looked around the cabin. Where was Randy?
Rick took his walkie talkie and asked Randy to reply. He didn't think Randy fully understood the scope of the disaster they were facing. He hadn't come face to face with this new breed of walking dead. It was doubtful he would even recognize them if he was face to ... suddenly a burst of static came over Rick's walkie.
"Randy, is that you? Where are you?" Rick radioed back.
"It's me. I had to get some fresh air. I think I was getting cabin fever," Randy replied.
"Randy, are you telling me that you are outside?"
"Well duh, where else would the fresh air be? Besides, do you have any idea how many bacteria are inside that cabin? And I don't have any anti-bacterial soap, Rick. It's not safe in there." Then Rick heard Randy speak the words he hoped he would never hear. He heard the words that told him that even though there were bacteria inside the cabin, there were worse things outside."Rick," Randy's voice was static filled and unearthly, "Lookie Dat Cow."

If Randy could see them it was too late. The zombie cows would soon be all over Randy. Considering how many times Randy had eaten their kin at McDonalds and Burger King, Rick figured this was a cosmic act of reciprocity, bovine intervention, kine karma. Tonight Randy was on the menu and the cows were gonna have it their way.

***

WORDS: PARADIGM and RECALCITRANT

Damn that Randy for beings so recalcitrant. If only he'd listened! Rick did a quick headcount and was relieved that there were at least three other people slower than him. Unless the paridgm shifts, I should be safe for a little while longer.

Meanwhile, in the cornfields of Iowa Susan walked wondering what had happened to all the people? Just then she heard the sound of cattle lowing. Where are those cows I keep hearing? She thought to herself.

***

WORDS: OLIGARCHY and LUGUBRIOUS

In Canada, a group of freedom fighters were trying to regain order with an oligarchy group. Chaos reigned worldwide, and there was no end in sight to the looting and rampant anarchy.

"David, we need to let the others know that we're here," the doctor said. "How else can we unite against this lugubrious situation? Someone has to rise up and save us from the cows."

Meanwhile in Milwaukee a discovery was made. "Hrmmmm. Bacteria?"

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TO BE CONTINUED ...

Next Words to be used: RAGLAN and OSSIFY