http://soundcloud.com/thesurvivorjournals/episode-1-the-survivor-journals
An awesome #zombie themed audio drama with some voice work done by yours truly.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Feast or Famine: A Zombie Anthology
A few choice morsels for the discerning reader by me!
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "A Helping Hand"
Please check them out!
Jamal
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Meet The Lucketts
The emergency
broadcast tone blared out from the television. The Lucketts stand haphazardly around
the large black box. They had been enjoying a time-honored tradition of watching
midday cartoons with the baby before the interruption. The youngest member of
the clan leaps into the safety of her mother’s embrace. The seven of them were now
transfixed as the blond haired local newscaster from “Channel 13” interrupted
their daily routine. He cleared his throat softly his gaze never leaving the
camera. The man’s sickly blue eyes bored
a hole into his viewing audience. “It has been confirmed through multiple
sources that by some as yet unknown means. The dead are reanimating, returning
to life, and attacking the living.” The man on the television let his words
hang there in the air. “This is it!” Daddy Luckett shouted gathering his family
near. “Kyle and Jaden food stuffs go.” He ordered his two middle daughters. “Sarah
upstairs medicine bag go.” He barked to his eldest. “Lorraine you …” He called
stopping to see where his wife had gone. “Over here J” She called from the tiny
front hall closet of their townhouse. She busied herself donning a harness to
carry the baby. “Ok Jorge you’re with me on weapons detail son. “Rally at the
front door in five everybody knows the drill.”
With that, they
scatter about the two-story prefab home leaving the commentator on the television
at least in this house without an audience. The anchor on the television droned
on about the reported zombie sightings across the city and country as well.
Four minutes pass before the Lucketts meet back up at their designated rally
point. “Alright” J calls out to his family. “Honey” He begins handing his wife
two black pistols. “Spare clips are in the diaper bag.” He points to the pink
flower covered bag hanging from her shoulder. “Daddy” the baby strapped to her
chest coos. “Sarah here you go,” He says giving his oldest daughter her
shotgun. “And Kyle this is for you.” J continues placing a small black machine
gun into Kyle’s hands. “Jorge” He calls to his only son a solidly built preteen
who is bigger than some men are. “I’m here dad” The boy holds up his
camouflaged compound bow. He has a matching quiver of arrows fit snugly across
his right shoulder. The best graduation gift any kid ever received. “Annnd
Jaden” He says looking around to find his eleven-year-old daughter. “Here dad
here over here” The wiry tween bounces her hand raised high. “This is yours” He
give her a polished black wooden baseball bat. “You remember how were practiced
right?” He quizzes the girl. “Yep … yep” is her typical response. He pulls a
large black backpack over his shoulders. “Just like we practiced team Luckett.”
He draws the slide back on the assault rifle in his hands. “We get to the
compound the rest of the team will meet us there.” J looks around at his
family. He thinks of all the times that he drilled them in preparation for the zombie
apocalypse. Even when their neighbors had laughed at them, they did not stop. Like
a modern day “Noah,” he prepared his family for a day most scoffed “would never
come.” None of that mattered now it was game time. “J we need to assess the
situation before we just charge outside.” Lorraine reminded him as he searched
his pockets for the keys to their minivan.
The family moved
as a unit to the glass patio doors. “Sarah turn the TV off please” J said
seconds later the noisy broadcast was no more.
J takes the barrel of his rifle and gently parts the blinds slightly.
The scene outside their door was pure chaos. Homes in the next apartment
complex over the battered wooden fence burned engulfed by roiling flames. Smoke
filled the air as a lone bloodied figure shuffled between them and their van
parked up a slight hill. “Ok we got one zombie in the lot that I can see.” He
cranes his neck attempting to peer as far out into the blind spot on his left
as he could. “Okay Lucketts we have ourselves a classic ten twenty eight.” He
announces. “No way are dad you kidding me.” Sarah calls from behind him. “Ummm
we clearly have a nine fourteen are you blind?” J looks back to his oldest. “Sarah
no way you’re nuts!” Kyle interjects. “It can’t be a nine fourteen it’s not
night.” She moves up to peer through the blinds. “One zombie contact, no other
victims we can see, and its late afternoon.” Kyle smirks “I say this is a clear
ten twenty one.” Lorraine squeezes past her kids leaning over her husband’s
shoulder. From the slit in the blind, she observes the lone zombie. The dead
man with his wild red hair is simply standing swaying in place. Lorraine
wonders why the walking corpse has not wandered away by itself. “You’re wrong
here daughter.” She tells Kyle turning back over her shoulder. “The zombies
have no idea we are here. Which means we still have the element of surprise. We
have found ourselves in a seven nine sixty five.” Jorge peeks out the blinds
for himself. He watches the fires rage unchecked over the fence. “I’m sorry mom
and dad” Jorge speaks up. “It’s a five eleven guys there’s no police or
emergency personnel present.” Lorraine sighs “J honey why the hell do we have
some many damn codes?” She says clearly frustrated “Well honey …”J has his
words cut off mid sentence as the front door bangs open.
He watches Jaden
as she bolts down the narrow concrete walk way. “It’s a one fourteen.” The girl
utters like a battle cry. She runs forward bat held high over her head. Jaden
updates her family on the run. “There’s a zombie on the ground too guys.” The
zombie lurches towards the girl with an angry moan. She unleashes a wicked blow
to the corpse’s knees. It goes down leaving its head exposed for the finishing
blow. Jaden caves the zombie’s head in dropping it to the ground. “Jaden”
Lorraine yells in panic. J pulverizes the glass in the patio leaping out. The
rest of his family pours out behind him. Form their blind spot on the left side
of the house there was movement. A half dozen zombies move in on the Lucketts.
Out of nowhere a battered, gore, covered white car bounces over the curb. It
skids sideways in the soft grass. A short husky man exits the driver’s side
door guns blazing. Firing a pistol from each hand with a barrage of bullets, he
cuts down the zombies. The gunshots stop and the man faces the family. “Uncle
Ben!” Jaden screams running leaping into her uncle’s arms. “Where’s this
compound you’re always telling me about?” J begins to relax coming over to his
brother. “Everybody in we need to head out.” J looks out over their subdivision
and sees the undead beginning to filter from open doors, backyards, and
garages. The zombie apocalypse has sown its seeds across the globe. The
Lucketts have made plans to beat back the undead harvest.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Chapter Seventeen: Tending to the Sheep
Chapter
Seventeen: Tending to the Sheep
Val scanned the crowd in particular the
brutish female deputy with the pretty face screaming at Robert. Everyone was
stunned to silence save Deputy Autumn Wilson "fuck did you come from?"
Val was clearly taken aback but she found her backbone responding "up
there and must you yell. Why are you so damn angry we haven't done anything to
you?" The caramel skinned woman scoffed hands on her hips just above her
pistols "no Miss Maryfuckingpoppins you haven't, but your boyfriend here has.
He threw my partner’s mother to a pack of those puss-encrusted bastards! Under
the incorrect assumption she'd been bitten by one of those zombie things!"
She motioned in Joshua Lanes general vicinity. Val gasped turning bright red to
face Robert who could not hold her gaze glancing at the floor instead.
"Robert you didn't...." Valerie breathed deeply. "It was a
mistake..."Robert trailed off whispering "a fucking mistake made in
the heat of the moment." Above silhouetted in the night Trevor smiled
"oh Robert that will never do." He mouthed to himself keeping Robert along
for the ride would ensure his popularity. Not to be deterred Deputy Wilson
interjected moving to peer up the hatch "and how did you get past all
those undead flesh hungry fuckers outside, and who in the hell is ‘we’ you’re
alone Ms. Lady!" On cue, Trevor dropped silently down the hatch landing
behind Autumn with a faint rippling of air. "Her name is ..." was all
Trevor managed having misjudged Autumn’s disposition, training, and speed. She
drew with her left hand tightly gripping a Glock. The "pop" signaled
a hallow point slug being deposited into Trevor Clevantes flawless forehead.
Everyone scattered filling the cramped space with whimpers and shrieks of "holy
shit!" Autumn hit the floor scampering back to Josh who had his weapon
unsteadily aimed at the motionless entity standing before them with its eyes
shut. Cleo's cigarette hung limply off his bottom lip. His shotgun too dangled
weakly from one hand pointed at the floor. Both fell in unison to the filthy
concrete tiled floor. Josh pulled Autumn to his side as they waited for the strange
young man with the big leathery black bat wings fall to the floor dead.
"Trevor!" screamed Val.
For Trevor every moment drug painfully on stretching
out for an eternity. He swayed unsteadily in the middle of the room. A lone
black jagged hole appeared over his right eyebrow. A black goblet of thick
syrup like liquid quivered on the wounds edge. It hung there like frozen sap on
a maple tree. The droplet obviously is what passed for blood in a vampire. It
quivered and seemed to be alive. He took a step back his teeth clichéd like a
vise thick jaw muscles clearly rippling beneath his skin. Val moved in flanked
by Robert but before they could catch him, Trevor held up his left hand
freezing them where they stood. Steeling himself as the hole begins to seal
itself the black blood bubbled like water left to boil. It vanished leaving a
vapor trail with a slight hint of sulfur as it retreated into Trevor. The wound
finally healed itself leaving no visible scar. The hyperventilating panting of half
a dozen human beings along with the moans of the legion zombies were the only
audible sounds. "Madame" Trevor called through his locked jaw! He
pauses clearing his throat as he attempts to compose himself. “While I assure
you that a bullet is not sufficient enough to kill me!" A quick deep-throated
heave as if he was dislodging popcorn stuck in his throat. Trevor spat which he
despised doing propelling the head of the flattened bullet onto a mustard
yellow table with a clatter then off on to the floor. Returning to his
unflappable demeanor clam and well spoken, he was no longer the only pale a
colorless entity in the room. "That it is quite painful which I find
unpleasant, so please make sure that you do not do such a thing again.” Trevor
holds his thin index finger aloft. He locks eyes with Autumn. “Unless you Miss
are prepared to be on the receiving end of some unpleasantness ... yourself?"
Straightening his rumpled clothes Trevor placed a hand on Robert’s back and
unleashed a full faced corrupt smile revealing his perfect white fangs.
"See that everybody I told you do you jackasses believe me now?"
chanted Robert Berry. The world worst straight man played right into the overly
dramatic Broadway worthy spectacle. What followed next is something witnessed
mostly at funeral appropriately enough. The dammed up emotions barley in place
until one lone soul releases it with a wail, scream, or muttered tear-choked
phrase. Elegant yet fragile in nature Mosa Doubi the patriarch of the Doubi
Clan burst into a loud prayer. Her words are unintelligible to everyone except
her husband. Ali understood his native east African dialect. Pouncing on her
children covering them kneeling as she wept openly cuddling her the kids to her
bosom. Ali himself broke where he stood as rushed to his family behind the
counter. The twin boys Stan and Dan whose deceased and reanimated father owned
the farm where Cleo Miller worked sat welded to their chairs. Cleo took
tentative steps back tripping over his own boot covered feet. Cleo’s own shotgun
smacked him squarely in the face causing his nose to bleed. He scurries on weak
limp legs across the cold floor. Cleo pushes into Autumn and Josh both deputies
weapons aimed at Trevor. The latter clutched his pistol so fiercely his
knuckles were cracking aloud. Moving with a purpose from behind the twins is a
fortyish slim trim divorcee. Ellen prided herself on a well-manicured
appearance threw herself at Trevor's feet clutching his legs. "Dear Sweet
Jesus ...please save me" she implored glancing up to meet Trevor's
seemingly angelic face while her Grey eyes spilling tears down her cheeks. With
no parents to disobey and mock Stacy had any guidance or moral compass.
"Me too please." The cheerleader looking girl waving her hands as she
came to kneel with Ellen. Sherry Somerset did not know much about this new
world, her beloved husband gone her, rock, provider and protector. She knew two
things she would make Tim proud no matter how she met her end, and nothing was
more important that the child she cradled. Ignoring the dark fairy tale unfolding
around her she soothed her child. Fear be damned she would meet her God or die
defending her baby. Both events would occur in time but she would be on her
feet not her knees when the time of judgment came. Josh's feelings betrayed him
his mouth uttered words without getting clearance to do so. "The...The
hells going on dude..." muttered the young Deputy losing his family, his,
boss, his town crashed down mercilessly on the young man. “Zombies...dead
rising ... vampires it is all bullshit ... the government put some shit in...
in our water or somethin'. It’s not real I tell ya not at all!" dropping
his gun to the floor beginning to hyperventilate himself shuffling in circles
Autumn Wilson recognized her partner coming unhinged. She knew the rookie
needed time to digest the shitty new world and yes, Autumn knew this plague had
encompassed the globe. She needed Josh if either of them was survive springing
to action bringing the butt of her Glock down on the back of his head rendering
him unconscious instantly. Wrestling him to the floor squeezing him tight to
feel his heartbeat and pulse satisfied she had not killed Josh. Autumn
refocused her attention and Glock on Trevor. "While I don't deny my
partners feeling, I don't share his outlook on life." She met Trevor's
gaze and held it earning some respect from the Vampire who had just thrown
these refuges world into a spiraling black hole of utter chaos. From the floor
holding Josh "I will not bow to you far as I am concerned you are one of
those fucking things outside on steroids look at me or my partner the wrong way
and we will have a problem understand!" Trevor nodded to the police
officer. His attention focused on the back of the room past the catatonic Li
Lee and Jim her guardian. "Useless fools the lot of you" Trevor
thinks to himself nodding silently. He sees a girl dressed black the way the
teens of this generation was prone to. Trevor’s mind wanders back in time. He had
known “Goths.” These sheep would run screaming into the night if they had ever
come face to face with one. Trevor’s devious smile widened.