Journal:Cub McBub: Difference between revisions

From The Urban Dead Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 477: Line 477:


She smiled… raised a finger to her lips… and patted him on the head. This reassured the boy… ''“I will stay quiet!”'' Cub thought with determination…
She smiled… raised a finger to her lips… and patted him on the head. This reassured the boy… ''“I will stay quiet!”'' Cub thought with determination…
== Cub’s First Horde: Part 2 ==
For what seemed like an eternity all Cub and his grandmother could hear was the constant groans… moans… and occasional growls… of Zombies shuffling through the street outside of their home…
Also heard was the thumping and shuffling of Zeds on the front porch of this home… how many there were hard to tell… but it was at least two…
'''CRACK!!!'''
Something was torn away on the porch… ''“GRRRAHH!!”'' One of THEM called… then '''THUD!!'''
One of them hit something… the wall or front door… followed by…
'''SMAAASSSH!!!'''
The picture window of the living room just got shattered!
What followed that was a high pitched but guttural squeal… it sent a chill through Cub's spine.
Then… there was no noise for several minutes on the porch… the groans from outside were getting fainter as well… THEY had moved on down the street… next…
'''CRASH!''' More glass broke… not as loud as before…
''“Maybe it was a loose piece from the window that broke…please!”'' Cub thought… and prayed…
'''thump.thump…. thump.thump… thump.thump'''
Footsteps… just above them…
'''“Oh God… one of them is inside!”'''

Revision as of 15:18, 28 January 2009

Malton chronicle.jpg This story is part of the Malton Chronicles.
This story is fan-made, and is not officially part of any background history for Urban Dead.

Cub McBub

Origins

Cub sat on the couch inside the Malton Angel’s headquarters. Headquarters sounded so official… but it really a run down building… like almost every building in Malton. Signs of the epidemic where everywhere…broken furniture… boards on the windows and doors… lazily placed weapons about the room… and … blood-splatters on the walls…

He watched his new partners… a couple going over maps of the city on a table… discussing plans of this or that… a couple of others just seemed to be chatting amicably…

Everything was relaxed… even though there were a couple of zombies wandering the streets a mere block away. That’s what this world has come too… at least the world of Malton… a couple of Zeds were just not anything to get excited about anyone…

This young boy of 10 remembered a time when that was not the case… when even one zombie shocked him…


Day One: Part One

Cub remembers the day of the outbreak…he was playing on his bedroom floor…

“Pishu … pishu…” the boy of 7 made the sound of laser blasts… his Star Wars figures shooting at each other… the good guys always won…

Grandma was over to baby-sit … as she always did after school. She seemed very intent on the TV today… seemed there was another disaster somewhere in the world…

“Charlie… come down for supper!” Charlie… that was his real name. Charlie McBub… but everyone called him Cub… even his parents and sister… everyone except for Grandma.

“Come-on down Love”

“Supper?” Charlie thought to himself. “Where's Mom and Dad… and Clair?” Cub’s Grandma usually only baby-sits until someone else gets home. Clair, Cub’s sister, was 15 and often at cheerleader practice… at a friend’s… or at the mall… so she was often late… but his parents were usually home right after work.

Cub looked out the window … “Getting dark…” the young boy ran down the stairs…

“Where’s Mom and Dad? When are they coming home?”

“Well…Charlie…” Cub could sense a tension in Grandma’s voice… worry started to creep in… “It seems there are some traffic problems in another part of the city… some roads are closed… so your parents are probably stuck at work…” Grandma gave a reassuring smile… “Your sister is stuck too... stuck at the mall. She would like that wouldn’t she? hehe” The old lady patted Cub on the head, but the laugh was nervous and forced...

Cub cocked his head and scrunched his lips in confusion… “Stuck?” he thought to himself… even to his inexperienced seven-year-old brain this didn’t seem to make sense.

“Did you call?” Cub asked… he knew Clair had a cell phone… it was a birthday present… bit really it was a way for Cub’s parents to keep track of this outgoing teen.

“Well…” his grandmother shuffled her feet… she couldn’t hide her worry… “It seems like the phones are out of service. So I can’t get through right now.”

Day One: Part Two

Just then a Cub heard a number of large trucks driving on the street outside the home at high speed. The young boy ran to the front window to see that they were military troop transports… all heading towards the centre of town.

Three passed by… the forth stopped just down the street. A number of army troops jumped out the back… fanning out…

Cub was transfixed on these events… never having seen anything like it before… then he felt his shoulders grabbed…

He turned his gaze toward his grandma… “Charlie… do have supper love…”

“But I want to see…” Cub replied…

His grandmother gripped his shoulder more tightly… and repeated in a firm voice…

“Go eat now… please!”

Begrudgingly… Cub shuffled to the dining room table where the meal waited on his plate… spaghetti! One of Cub’s favourites...

Cub started to eat while his grandmother looked out the window…

“What’s happening grandma?”

“Oh… nothing love…” he could hear that tension in her voice again… “You just keep on eating…”

Cub grits his teeth. Grownups always said “You just this or that” whenever they didn’t want you to know something. He was dieing to see what was going on…

Then Grandma stood straight… and rushed… as much as the old lady could rush… more of a quick waddling shuffle… towards the door…

KNOCK!! KNOCK!!

Day One: Part Three

Cub stood as his grandmother opened the door… standing there was a soldier…

“Ma'am… this is an emergency!”

“Wait! Wait… let’s talk outside…” glancing back at Cub…then gently pushing the soldier back so that she could get out of the door…

Cub raced to the door and planted his ear…

“Ma'am… the riots in the central part of the city are spreading outwards… fast… I suggest you and the boy get to a designated safe house.”

“Bu…But… my Son… the boy’s parents and sister… They are there! They might come home. We have to wait for them…”

There’s a long pause…

“Ma'am … we are not directed to force you… it’s your choice… but… from the reports… it’s bad…VERY bad…”

Another pause…

“You didn’t hear it from me… but… it’s more than riots… people are dying… take this map… get to a designated safe house… it’s defended. Go while it’s safe…”

Cub heard the footsteps of the soldier walk away… he ran back to the dining room table. The boy watched as the old lady slowly came back into the house… all the color was gone from her face…

“You OK Grandma?”

The smiled… to reassure him or herself the seven year old couldn’t tell… “Yes Charlie… I’m fine…”

“Are we leaving?” The grandmother’s face scrunched at Cub's question.

“Charlie…” she shakes her head… “You shouldn’t have been listening!” she paused… “No… I don’t think so… Look at all those soldiers! This should all be done by tomorrow. Anyway… we want to be here in case… ah… when… your parents or sister get home”

“Are they alright?”

“Yes Charlie…I’m sure they are fine. They wouldn’t be involved in any of that stuff. They’re just stuck until the roads are cleared.”

She smiled again… Cub thought that it looked too forced… but he wanted to be reassured… to take Grandma’s explanations at face value… and at seven… he still could…

So he ate the rest of his supper… then went upstairs to play some more…

About two hours later the lights went out…

“Grandma… Grandma!!” Cub was still a little afraid of the dark… there was still some light from outside as it was July… so there was no panic.

The boy heard his Grandmother’s heavy stomping steps coming up the stairs…

“It’s alright Charlie… just a power outage. It looks like the whole block is out.” She entered the boy’s room as she finished the last sentence. “Let’s… have an early night…”

Cub lay in bed that night… but had a hard time sleeping… police sirens… more large trucks driving by… and in the distance gunfire and the occasional explosion could be heard.

“Are we at war or something?” Cub asked... but finally the boy went to sleep…

Day Two: Part One

Cub awoke and stretched… the sun shone in through the window… another warm July day.

Ratt-tat-tat-tat

Cub shot up straight… gunfire… and closer than anything he heard last night…

He remembered now… jumping out of bed… still in his flannel Spiderman pyjamas… he ran downstairs.

He saw his grandmother walking quickly towards the bottom of the stairs to meet him.

“Morning love.” She said… forcing a reassuring smile… “Come have some breakfast.” She looked exhausted… like she didn’t sleep a wink…

“Grandma… what about Mom and Dad… Clair… they didn’t come home did they? Did you talk to them?” Cub’s words were coming out like the machine-gun fire in the distance…

There was a pause from his grandmother. Cub stood wide-eyed in anticipation of an answer.

“No love… I haven’t been able to reach anyone.”

“Well… what should we do? We should find them…” Cub ran to the front door…

“Charlie! Stop!!” His grandmother pleaded… stretching her arm after him…

Ignoring her Cub threw open the door and ran out on the front step… where he stopped…

Up the street… about 100 ft… was a man walking… well lurching was more like it… slowly up the road…

Blood covered the left side of his pale shirt… also on that side his shoulder slumped low… the arm dangling as though he had little control of it. The source of the blood… a large flap of skin in the left side of the man’s neck was flopped down… partially covering his slumping shoulder. The exposed wound from the neck pulsated… but not much blood flowed. The man’s eyes were distant… the pupils black…

Of course, Cub did not recognize this as his first Zombie encounter…

Day Two: Part Two

"Grandma!! Grandma!! There's an injured man!" The old lady got to the door just as Cub ran down the front steps of the house...

"It's OK Mister..." Cub started to shout at what used to be a man... then stopped... frozen in fear... for the creature heard Cub... and turned to face the boy...

Looking directly into the eyes of this creature Cub recognized that something was not right... not quite human…

The dead man’s eyes looked filled... with hatred...

The Zombie bared his teeth and growled... his teeth looked filled... with hunger...

The former account executive... who yesterday morning was worried about his promotion... now moved with greater purpose and speed towards Cub... not running per say... but stumbling... throwing his decaying body towards the boy... his dislocated arm flailing wildly...

"CUB!! RUN!! COME INSIDE!!"

Cub was snapped out of his shock… for his grandmother had never called him Cub before. The Zombie had halved the distance between it and Cub while the boy had stood there frozen. Now Cub stumbled backwards... and fell on his ass...

"CUB!!" His grandmother screeched. The boy could hear panic in her voice... The Zombie grinned in evil anticipation... then tripped on the curb when it tried to cross a lawn to get at Cub...

Cub scrambled to his feet as the Zombie thrashed on the ground...

Then, out of the left corner of his eye Cub caught the image of a man approaching... a man with a shotgun...

He walked within five feet of that shambling dead creature... whose attention was now on the man in front of him... and had managed to get to one knee...

The man looked over at Cub... who was at this point only 20 feet away... then turned back to the undead man...

The Zombie roared as it rose back to his feet...

BOOOOMMM!!

The man had raised his weapon and fired... the creature’s head was obliterated... blood sprayed … it’s body flew back on the ground...

Cub saw it all...

Interlude: Present - Two Days Later

Cub shook his head... bringing himself back to the present. He gritted his teeth... he wondered why he was thinking of the past so much lately… the boy shrugged…

It was time...

"Time to go hunting..." he announced to the room. Moving to the barricades and peeking between two of nailed boards Cub could see nothing... but he knew there were Zeds close… he had heard the moaning…

Cub didn’t really expect the survivors to win this war... maybe just draw them to a never-ending stalemate... unless a real "cure" could be found. So that... when you die... you stay dead…

"Wonder who would test that" Cub thought to himself and chuckled...

Cub crawled out of a gap in the barricades... one to large if an adult… being small was a real advantage sometimes…

Out on the street Cub immediately drew a pistol… in case there was a Zed within direct striking distance… nope…clear here…

The boy stood… threw a shotgun over his shoulder and pulled the strap snug against his chest to prevent it from knocking him on the back of the head as he ran. The shotgun was his last resort weapon… when his pistols ran out of ammo…

He then drew is second pistol… now holding one in each hand. The boy started to scan the area…

He saw six Zeds tearing at the barricades of St. Telesphorous's Hospital… and thought of moving there… but then saw another… lone Zombie, just one block away from the Angell Building.

“Oh, no you don’t” Cub thought to himself and trotted towards the Zombie. Cub stopped within 100 feet… and noticed that the undead thing was already labouring… he smiled…

“Easy target…” Cub whispered to himself as he brought both guns up…

BLAM!! BLAM!! BLAM!!

The creature fell before it was even aware of Cub’s presence.

But the gunfire was noticed by some of the Zeds at St. Telesphorous's Hospital. Cub ran towards that hospital… having enough ammunition to continue the hunt… but two of the Zombies had turned their attention away from the barricades… and started walking towards the sound of Cub’s gunfire…

Cub stood in the street as they shuffled their way toward him… lifting his guns and taking aim…

BLAM…BLAM…BLAM…BLAM… Another Zed drops… slowly flailing on the ground for a moment before becoming still…

Cub smiled… his aim was true tonight… which wasn’t always the case… but tonight he seemed in the zone…

Cub continued firing at the other Zombie that was walking toward him… the bullets finding their target on nearly every shot… but this Zed was stronger…

Click… click…

“Poop!” Cub cursed… the bullets ran out… and this Zed was closing the distance… the four others outside St. Telesphorous's Hospital had taken notice too and were slowly making their way towards Cub… but further back from the front one…

Cub stuffed the pistols into his shoulder holsters and pulled a snap on the strap holding the shotgun… immediately the strap loosened and the boy caught the weapon… swinging it to face the approaching creature… now just 20 feet away…

Cub braced one foot behind the other… knowing there will be massive recoil…

BOOOOMMM!!

Cub gets nearly knocked over and is disoriented for a moment… gaining his senses his looks as the Zombie still approaches… still moving despite taking the full blast of the shotgun in the chest… which is now red… the shirt tattered…

“Die damn-it!!”

The undead creature is nearly on top of him… it grins... anticipating victory…

BOOOOMMM!!

Cub is thrown off balance by the recoil… not having time to brace himself properly... he rolled on the ground…

Shaking his head he looks up… seeing a shotgun about five feet away… and the prone body of that Zed… a couple of feet further on…

“Got cha! Hehe” There were more of them coming though. Cub hurries to pick up the shotgun… running away… to find a safe… barricaded... place to rest… “A good night…” the boy thinks to himself...

Day Two: Part Three

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!! THERE'S A BOY HERE"

The older lady trotted down the front steps... a kitchen knife in one hand... nearly tripping. She ran towards Cub...

"Ma'me... Mrs. McBub... watch that knife..." He was right. Cub's grandmother was clutching the knife... apparently she ran to the kitchen between her second scream and the Zombie being shot. As she ran at Cub she nearly stabbed him as she dropped to her knees to hug him. Cub was still standing in shock.

"Did you have to do that in front of the boy!!?" The older lady said.

"Would you rather that he be eaten? I'm afraid this is the new reality Mrs. McBub"

The old plump lady hugged Cub while the man looked on... she whispered ... "It's OK love... it's OK." She made sure to face the boy away from the dead body…

After a couple of minutes of hugging… patting and consoling the grandmother said… “Let’s go inside…”

The man with the shotgun spoke up. “Mrs. McBub, I’m Blaine Hennessey. I live just up the street. Some of the neighbours are setting up defences...”

“I have to take care of this boy right now.” She got up… and holding Cub by the shoulders so that he wouldn’t turn to see the body on the ground… started directing Cub towards the door…

Cub craned his neck back to look at the man… who held his shotgun over his shoulder and smiled at the boy… Cub asked... “Mister, was he a bad-guy? Are we at war?”

“Yes son… on both counts?” the man replied.

“Hush! Stop speaking to him!” Cub’s grandmother chastised the man… then… “Come along Charlie…”

The man spoke anyway… “Mrs. McBub… some of those… things… are getting here… not many… but a few. We think that we can defend the neighbourhood ourselves until the army finishes this mess. We’ll have patrols… set up a parimeter…but… ah… you may want to go to the school. That’s were we’re setting up a safe area for people to stay… until this is over.”

The grandmother looked back at the man… her face red now with anger… “WE’LL BE STAYING HERE!!”

Blaine held his hands up in defence… “OK…ok… but…um… if you change your mind… or need anything… go to the school or my house… its number 42.”

He then looked at the body… “I’ll… um… clean up this mess…”

Day Two: Part Four

Cub went inside the house and sat on the couch… looking down at the floor for a moment. His grandmother sat beside him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

Gradually, the boy’s body started to shake… then the tears came… and he lowered his head into his hands.

“It will be OK love… it will be OK…” Cub’s grandmother tried to comfort him… Cub wanted that comfort… and leaned into the plump older lady.

It took several minutes for the crying to slow… the shaking to stop… then he looked up at his Father’s mother.

“It won’t be…OK!!! Are Mom and Dad even alive!!?” the seven year broke down again... and broke away from his grandmother’s grasp this time… rejecting her comfort...

His grandmother wasn’t sure what to do… but continued to pat and rub the boy’s back…

When Cub had control of his sobbing and shaking again his grandmother spoke up…

“Charlie… Cub… look at me…” Cub turned his head to this lady past her 65th year… his head turned… sight blurred with tears… he looked to her…

“Cub… there is a war…” her head bowed for a moment… trying to find the words to convey this horror to a seven year old… “the enemy are… monsters… creatures that have lost all reason… and attack others… like that man did.”

Cub was taking all this in…

“I am sure your parents and sister are safe… I am sure this will be resolved… soon… maybe not as soon as I first thought… but we have a strong army… I am certain they will take care of us. Until your parents come home… I will take care of you! We will stay here… in this house… and I will take care of you.”

Cub smiled… and believed… as only a seven year old can…

The First Six Months

Cub’s eyes shot open… he lay there… not blinking… staring at the ceiling… even in looking at the ceiling there was no escape from the reality of the horror. The 10 year old boy could see dried blood stains… remains of previous battles in this building. Like almost all buildings in the enclosed city of Malton this building has seen its share of Zombie horde breaches… where vast numbers of Zeds group together… and like the army ants that Cub read about in a book they march a path of destruction… devouring any living flesh not lucky or fast enough to get out of their way…

It wasn’t like this at first… three years ago…


For a while the promise Cub’s grandmother made held true. After a week or so… when it became obvious that his parents or sister weren’t coming home… though his grandmother kept insisting that some day they would... the old lady got in contact with the neighbourhood guard… which seemed to be lead by Mr. Hennessey.

The guard seemed to have a good handle on things. The school was set up for anyone that wanted to stay there. It was used as a one stop shop for the neighbourhood’s needs. The guard would go un runs to get supplies of food… fuel… weapons and ammo… stock it at the school where area residents that decided not to leave their homes… like Cub and his grandmother… could get escorted there to pick up rationed supplies.

This was set up pretty much within a week of the outbreak. One week turned to two. Zombies would show up… but only a couple a day. So the guard was able to handle these low numbers…

Two weeks stretch into a month…

The first month goes by with relative peace in this neighbourhood… people get their supplies… are fed… the children are even allowed to play at the park… with armed supervision.

During this month there seems to be a pitched battle in the centre of the city… ground zero for the outbreak… seems the government sent in thousands for troops. Near the end of the first month the sounds of gunfire and rockets from the city centre lessen… the battle over… but nothing changes for Cub and the residents of this neighbourhood… the hope of ever being rescued becoming faint.

Then the rumours start… rumours that groups of Zeds are forming… groups of 20, 50, 100 or more… working as a single unit… marching … destroying … and eating together… wiping out whole suburbs in their path.

To coincide with these rumours… Zombie activity on the perimeter of the neighbourhood seems to increase… greater numbers… and in larger groups… nothing like that rumoured in other parts of the city… but the guard does see groups of 8 to 10… resulting in quite fierce battles…

A month stretches to six months…

For the next five months… nothing much changes in the neighbourhood… the rumours continue, but no Zed group greater than 10 is seen by the guard. Occasional air drops occur of generators… ammo... and food, but mostly in other parts of the city.

As for Cub and his grandmother... life goes on. The boy helps his Grandmother get supplies from the school. In the fall there are even lessons organized so that the children can continue to get education… much to Cub’s chagrin. The seasons turn…

Then… just before Christmas 2005… THEY COME…

An Outbreak Christmas

Cub sat at the kitchen table... cutting out paper snowflakes. He was getting ready for Christmas… only another week away…

His Grandmother was there as well… stringing cranberries and popcorn. They worked by the light of a lantern... having no electricity…

Cub stopped for a moment… thoughts of his family came to him. He missed them so much. “Someday…” he thought… “maybe I’ll go out and find them! Be a hero!”

Then a thought came to him… and this thought almost made him panic… he looked to his grandmother …

“Grandma? Will Santa come here?”

The old lady raised an eyebrow … then smiled and patted the boy on the hand… “Of course Saint Nicolas will come!”

Cub wasn't convinced... “Are you sure? Things seem to be getting worse… and what if the zombies get Santa!”

“Son… son… Santa is magic. He will come and he will be safe.” His grandmother replied.

Cub scrunched his face… he wanted to just believe… six months ago he would have… but six months ago he was told it would be all over by now… that is mother, father and sister would be home… so some of his innocence was gone now…

“But… this is Santa…” he thought to himself and an image popped into his head…

Santa… landing on the roof with his reindeer of your average sub-urban two-story home. The Zombies on the street below attracted to the fresh meat… they start to groan and move in the direction of the home… arms outstretched…

Santa stands in his sleigh… shaking his head as if all those zombies are naughty children… “You are on my BAD list…. Ho Ho Ho…” Then Santa pulls out a huge handgun out from under his bright red coat…

BLAM…BLAM…BLAM…

The zombies instantly drop as each bullet from Santa’s gun hits it’s target square on the head.

“HeeHeeHee” Cub chuckles to himself…

“What is so funny Charlie?” his grandmother asks…

“Oh… nothing…” Cub replies… thinking now that Santa will come after all…

An Outbreak Christmas: Part 2

Cub was right about one thing… the situation was getting worse. Zeds were showing up at the neighbourhood’s defensive perimeter more frequently… and in larger groups…

The neighbourhood watch was holding them off … but with greater difficulty… even suffering a couple of casualties… the bodies cremated when recovered… seemingly the only way to be sure.

Even after a headshot... sometimes... they rose again...

If the guard didn’t recover the body… which occasionally happened if they were dragged off by the zombies… those bodies often returned the following day… torn… bitten… and walking… as the living dead...

In this instance these survivors were forced to fire upon their own friends and relatives… to witness their death… again…

Cub was not a witness to any of this of course… but he was a smart boy… an observant boy… he heard the moans of the zombies… he heard the increased gunfire… and that there where deaths…

But it was also Christmas time… so children can be easily distracted from thoughts of fear and doubt…

An Outbreak Christmas: Part 3

On the morning of Christmas Eve 2005 Cub was excited…

The boy had just finishing wrapping the present for his grandmother… a necklace he made from craft beads… and he placed it under the small Christmas tree they had. It was decorated… but without lights… as there had been no electricity since the early days of the outbreak…

Cub looked at the other wrapped gifts under the tree… there were three there from his grandmother… but there were three others… three he had placed there yesterday… one for his Father… one for his Mother… and one for his Sister…

I pang of sadness… enough to hurt… struck him as he looked to those presents… he so wanted his family to be here to open them… that’s what he really wanted Santa to bring… a tear ran down the young boy’s cheek…

GROOOAAAANNNN!!!!!

Cub shot up straight… he had never heard the call of the Zombies so loud before… they sounded so close…

Then… within a few seconds of that loud groan… gunfire… constant gunfire…

“The perimeter!” Cub thought to himself… “They’re attacking the perimeter! And a lot of them!!” the boy paused… shaking his head… the tears continuing to stream down… “Today!! Why Today!! Can’t we…” he buried his head in his arms … “just have Christmas…”

Cub’s grandmother came rushing in from the kitchen at that moment…

“Come Charlie… let us go to the basement.” As he looked up she stood over him… bending the old lady grabbed Cub’s wrist firmly… and with a strength he had never felt before. She pulled on the arm… lifting the child for a moment… but he flopped back down… having no strength in his legs…

“Come now Charlie…” his grandmother pleaded…

“The basement?” Cub asked. The basement had been designated as the final safe area of the house… but they had never had to resort to going there before…

“Yes Charlie… it’ll be fun… like camping…”

Cub let himself be pulled to his feet this time… and dragged to the basement door…

Rat-tat-tat-tat………GROOOAAAANNNN!!!!!

“Ah…” the old lady yelped as she shoved Cub through the door… he had never seen his grandmother so frightened… “You go on down the stairs love…”

Seeing the fear in his grandmother’s face snapped Cub out of his self-pity. The boy started down the stairs… looking back occasionally to see his grandmother busily snapping the three padlocks that were attached by latches to the basement door…

Ratt-tat-tat-tat… Ratt-tat-tat-tat…

GROOOAAAANNNN!!!!!

Ratt-tat-tat-tat… Ratt-tat-tat-tat…

“That’s so close!!! GRANDMA!! Cub screamed…

Cub’s First Horde: Part 1

Cub’s grandmother trotted down the basement steps… running towards Cub and wrapping the boy in her arms… trying to bury him with comfort...

GRRROOOOAAAANNNNN!!!!

Even closer… in fact, it sounded like they were just outside…

The boy started to shake… his grandmother covering his ear in an attempt to try to shield him from the terrifying noise…

Some gunfire followed the Zombie call… but not much… obviously to both Cub and his grandmother the Zeds had breached the perimeter… and any survivors that lived through that attack were in full retreat…

THUD! THUD!

Cub jumped out of his skin at the sound of something… some creature… knocking against the side of his home… his grandmother gasped…

Pushing his guardian’s arm away from his head he looked up to his grandmother…

“Are we gonna die?”

She looked down at the boy… eyes watering with fear… then sucked a deep breath in…

“No love… we just have to stay quiet…” she whispered

Cub’s tears had stopped… and at his grandmother’s words his chin set… he nodded…

“I’ll stay quiet… I will!!” he thought to himself…

thump… thump… thump… thump… thump… thump…

“They’re coming up the front steps!!” Cub thought… the panic returning full force… looking at his grandmother… his eyes wide and fearful…

She smiled… raised a finger to her lips… and patted him on the head. This reassured the boy… “I will stay quiet!” Cub thought with determination…

Cub’s First Horde: Part 2

For what seemed like an eternity all Cub and his grandmother could hear was the constant groans… moans… and occasional growls… of Zombies shuffling through the street outside of their home…

Also heard was the thumping and shuffling of Zeds on the front porch of this home… how many there were hard to tell… but it was at least two…

CRACK!!!

Something was torn away on the porch… “GRRRAHH!!” One of THEM called… then THUD!!

One of them hit something… the wall or front door… followed by…

SMAAASSSH!!!

The picture window of the living room just got shattered!

What followed that was a high pitched but guttural squeal… it sent a chill through Cub's spine.

Then… there was no noise for several minutes on the porch… the groans from outside were getting fainter as well… THEY had moved on down the street… next…

CRASH! More glass broke… not as loud as before…

“Maybe it was a loose piece from the window that broke…please!” Cub thought… and prayed…

thump.thump…. thump.thump… thump.thump

Footsteps… just above them…

“Oh God… one of them is inside!”