Story Archive: Choose Your Own Adventure - Zombie-style

Mahatma coat

C, You know whats behind you at this stage, you dont know whats on the other side of the roller door, could be a room full of the B@strds :eek:


Nah Screw it, I'm writing next,
B

Head for certain death, Jump wildly at the sheet of plastic, that'll end well :D

SUNGOD

great stuff dakota, love the video feels like im there
tough choice im torn between A and C
tearing the plastic down is too risky so its either go back or forward

so i have to go for A run through and pull down the fire door

wavehopper1

Outstanding :eek:

C for me. Who knows what's over on the far side, at least I know something about the way I came.

Micky Dolenz

Good job Mate, starting to rise the bar.

The nutter in me whats to start cracking zed heads. the new world will be be mine. But sadly not with a frying pan as a weapon.

Option c for me, I agree with Mahatma coat that you know where you came from Going past the zeds into the unknown could put you between a rock and a hard place.

I know my back is clear, thats where I am going.

And by the way, can a writer let me smoke a fag for fecks sake, I'm hanging here

Sticky_Fingers

I'm going to go with option C as well, excellent use of video by the way, it really adds to the story.

SmileyPaul

option C for me

go back out and grab a plank thats beside the door and shove it between the handles, that'll hold them for at least a while while you get you're head together

Seriously good job man

Mahatma coat

You SWING* the doors closed, Oh Shoite theres a few of them in there, you grab the handles and hold them tight, to your left you see a piece of timber, its 2.8 X180 X 45 4PR F27 Kwila, Nice you think, that'll hold em, the doorway is 2.6M wide, you link your left arm through the door handles and with your right hand you reach for the Kwila.

the door pulls forward enough that you can slide the plank through the handles and spread it evenly across the doorway.

Safe, you think to yourself, But from what?

You walk towards the center of the room, you scan the area, theres a mezanine level towards the Street side of the building with some wwindows.

you climb the stairs, its a reasonably large Mez, so you cant see the back corner from the ground, You have your frying pan in your hand.

You reach the top of the stair, its clear, you see a packing crate, you sit down.


.
..
.
.
.

Oh Fvck, What is happening to the world, WTF was, no IS all this, Last night I was out with my friends at a bar everything was Fine, I drove to work,Probably shgouldnt have:o, the WTF WTF WTF

you reach into your bag, why couldnt this have happened at the Weekend Id have some Vodka and a Bag of hooch:(

you open a can of fanta, you pause, you relax your shoulders and bring your legs in to a comfortable position, you sigh lowly.

you reach into the bag for your Marlboro and Zippo, you light one, you allow your body to ease itself from tension, if only briefly, you arch your spine and take one long Soulful Drag on that little white coffin nail and you breathe out.




you finish your cigarette and Fanta.

You push the crate to the window, you stand on the crate and look out, in the street below you can see over the Barricades, You are on the edge of a Greenbelt, there is a Park 50M beyond the Barricade, its relativley open and clear.

the Zombie from the Deli seems to have followed you down the alley, he's directly in your path, but you can see the way through the barricades from here, its simple enough but it should keep him at bay.

You look again along the Wall side of the Street, you see that the building you are in extends t back onto the Park, you can see a set of stairs that lead down its 4 Tilt Panels from the end, you look a the room you are in its 4 Panels, the building is 12, the one with the Z's is 4, that means that the Fire escape is on the other side of the Fire door, pas the room with, how many Feck I was too busy in reversin the Feck outather to be doin such things as a Census, but at a guess 3 maybe more, maybe theres more on the other side of the Firedoor.

you look around you, the Mez is a Dexian type, its all interlockable by thumb, the stair is of the same material, the treads can be removed and carried up one by one, y'd only really need to take out the first 8, the Area is well lit and warm, there has been someone sleeping here recently, probably not a wino, the place is too well kept for that and its got a small Gas stove, the type you could buy in a hardware store for $20 and there are two cans of Gas left in a 4Pack, with one in the stove, there are also some tins, they have no labels but are marked with some form of code.

Inventory wrote:

Inventory:

Edibles:
1 bottle Water 1.5L
dairy milk bars and cans of fanta
Random Tins (contents Unknown)

Weapons:
1 frying pan
1 Swiss army knife

Defence:
1 Dustbin lid

Medicine and self welfare:
1 first aid kit ( basic)
3 pairs Socks
2 Packets Condoms
1 Beanie Hat
1 spare shirt
1 Gas stove
2 Spare Canisters Gas

Miscellaneous:
1 Packet Cigarettes (16 left)
1 Zippo Lighter
1 can Lighter fluid
1 vice grip

A) Stay put take away the stairs have dinner

Head out into the street and make a run for the barricade

C) Head back through the building to the Fire escape

SUNGOD

great stuff Mahatma coat
tough one, im deffinitely ruling out option C as they are probabily gathered behind the door waiting to eat me
so its either A or B for me
i would love to have a bit of R&R and dinner but if any Z's come in downstairs then im trapped .

so i vote for option B make a run for the barricade

ChaseThisLight

Option B. Get out while you can. Sure, it might be dangerous heading out there, but it's better to chance it than to be stuck for who knows how long.

DakotaYoda

Tough call on this one for sure as I know I'm heading into at least 1 zombie... I don't think staying put is an option, even with the stairs up and I really don't know about the fire escape.

I will vote B - hoping to make it to the barricade and maybe find who ever built it. Survivors with enough sense to barricade alleys are ok in my book. At least they aren't huddling in a room waiting for someone to save them. They took the initiative to start to build defenses.

Here's to hopin'!!

SmileyPaul

Lets roll with B
same reasons as Dak

Micky Dolenz

Yeah, all options here could lead to a painful end.

Now that I have smoked (thanks bro :P) I'll make a run for the cades.

Opt B

wavehopper1

Once I start moving, I may have to keep moving - who knows when I'll next have a chance to take sustenance and build energy.

So for now, I want to have lunch. Option A for me.

anomalous

i just dont feel safe in a building that i know has Z's in it and only a plank of wood between them and me :eek: id definitely make a run for it and i want to find a safe place to crash before it gets dark - i dont know how long it will take to find a safe defensible place

- B for me

ShadowGal

Awesome stuff guys !!! B for me, get to some form of safety before night fall, maybe meet some interesting characters with the know how or directions to another safer place :-)

SUNGOD

As hard as it is to leave the relative safety of the building I know that I could be trapping myself if I stay put.
I run down the stairs and out the door towards the barricades . The zombie from the deli is directly in my path with his back to me I stop suddenly and wait thinking to myself “if he hasn’t seen me I might go another way” I’m transfixed by his slow shambling movement and start to think that he looks so slow that I could just walk around him without a hope of him catching me.
Suddenly like he has heard my thoughts he straightens up and turns towards me.
Has he heard me? Sensed me? Or even smelled me? I don’t know but what I do know is he his looking me dead in the eye and I can just make out a line of spit starting to fall from his hungry lips.
f*ck it its now or never, I decide to run directly at him with the dustbin lid as protection and chop down hard on the outside of his right knee with the frying pan, as much as I would like to smash his brains in I just want to stop him from following me.
As I start to run a strange thing happens, maybe its because he senses a possible fresh meal but he starts to run towards me, now its not a full sprint but his shambling has become quicker and with each step he is definitely getting faster.
Before I can give this too much thought he is only yards from me. His increased speed actually helps me, I take a deep breath and side step him as he runs past I swing the frying pan in a low arc catching him directly on the knee and driving the entire knee joint back wards. He manages two more steps before crumbling to the ground his shattered knee unable to support him.
He tries to get up but crumples to the ground again I walk over and am about to batter his brains in when I realise the handle has completely broke off from the frying pan , in pure frustration I aim a hard kick at his temple something I immediately regret as my work shoes offer little protection and I nearly break my toes
cursing my luck I hobble toward the barricades.
What I couldn’t see from my window was the barricades actually didn’t cover all of the alley
There is a gap just big enough to squeeze through at one end.
Was it breached or was that done on purpose so any zombie coming through could me dispatched quickly as they squeezed through.
Either way its irrelevant to me now, I immerge on the other side of the barricade to find no one , not one single person or sign of life.
I walk to the end of the alley and turn the corner ,just as I decide to head to the park I spot a small hardware store across the street. Now seeing as my frying pan is gone I realise its worth the risk scouting out the shop if I could scavenge a hammer or better.
Making sure the coast is clear I sprint across the road and peer in the window, it seems clear so without giving myself a chance to chicken out I open the door and step in.
I quickly look up and down the isles and behind the counter, nothing, no survivors or zombies.
Ok lets do this quick and get out, a lot of the shelves have been emptied and pushed over.
I step over paint and sandpaper and various other useless stuff before spotting the tool section .
A lot of stuff has already been taken but I pick up a wood axe about 20 inches long that comes in a leather holster that clips on to your belt .
I clip it on and throw a claw hammer and crow bar into my bag.
Feeling a bit better about my own safety I explore more and come to a snickers work wear stand.
Looking down at my office clothes I realise a change is needed, I quickly change to workpants tee-shirt and jacket finishing with a pair of steel toe capped boots.

Just as I reattach my axe I hear the store door burst open .I instinctively duck and grab the dust bin lid and axe. before I get a chance to do anything she’s in front of me.
It’s the woman from the car outside my office, “ you bastard “ she shouts and comes towards me swinging her metal pipe. I take the impact on the dust bin lid and feel it reverberate all the way up my arm.
“Stop” I shout but she is crazed shouting about how I abandoned her and nearly got her killed.
I cant keep on taking hits on the lid so taking a chance I drop the dustbin lid and lunge at her gripping her arms against her body in a bear hug.
She eventually calms down and tells me that the other man at the car made it too his van but couldn’t start it fortunately for her the zombies were drawn to his attempts at starting the van giving her a chance to escape .
After some more abuse about me leaving her she explains that she was hiding in the building opposite to me and watched me as I kneecapped the Zombie and watched me go into the hardware store.
“Ok” I say “so it looks like we are stuck together can we call a truce?” ok she says and we shake on it.
I get her to throw away her pipe and get a workbag with a hammer, nail bar and axe.
I give her some of my supplies and we head out the door. Her name is Fiona and she was working about a half mile from me when all this sh*t started. We don’t talk much as we walk towards the park.
Fiona knows a cycle store on the other side of the park which she reckons would be our best mode of transport through streets strewn with car wrecks and carnage, I have to agree with her.
We talk even less as we head across the park, we pass body parts and bloody clothes an upturned pram and shopping trolley all mangled and with blood and gore smeared across them .I try not to imagine what happened here.
At the far edge of the park is a small sweet/souvenir kiosk , I drop my bag and ask Fiona to keep watch while I scout ahead to the kiosk to see if there is anything of use in it.
I take out my axe and grab my trusty dustbin lid and run quickly to the kiosk.
It appears empty so I head inside, its pentagon shaped and has three entrances in total ,two at the front for customers and one at the rear that says “staff only” .all doors are unlocked but have bolts on them so could be easily secured from inside.
The shop itself has a front section with shelves of sweets , snacks , chocolate etc a fridge for drinks and a chilled cabinet for rolls and sandwiches.
In the back is a toilet and small kitchen, I check the power and its still on. I bolt the front doors and head out the staff entrance putting a calor gas cylinder in front of the door so I will know if anyone goes in .
I run back to tell Fiona the news but her and my bag are gone.
Before I get to panic I see her looking in the cycle store window across the street from the park .
I run over just in time to see her recoil from the window as she sees two large zombies inside, they see us and head for the door thankfully its locked .
They are getting angrier as they cant get at us so one of them starts to bang his head on the glass.
I quickly tell Fiona about the kiosk but before she can respond we hear a loud bang like a car crash followed by a gunshot and a high pitched scream then another gunshot, it doesn’t’t sound too close maybe two or three streets away but in the silence of the city all sounds travel loud and clear.
Fiona looks at me and says “ come on they have guns they must be able to help us”.
“What about the bikes” I say and as if on cue the big zombie head butts the glass and it cracks all the way to the floor another couple of those and the door will shatter.

So what do you do

(A) take on the two zombies , ye both have weapons and the bikes would be handy
(B) head back to the kiosk and hole up for a while
(C) take off in the direction of the gunfire hoping to find other better armed survivors

Inventory
ME
Hammer
Axe
Crowbar
Dustbin lid
i.5 litre water
Swiss army knife
Socks, condoms, beanie hat, spare shirt
Cigarettes, lighter, lighter fluid

fiona
hammer
axe
crowbar
fanta and chocolate
stove and spare cannisters
vice grip
random tins

ChaseThisLight

I don't trust Fiona enough to guarantee she'd actually back me up with the zeds. I can just picture her shoving me into them in an attempt to get away - she was really angry about my abandoning her before. A is out.

Running off towards gunfire might not be the safest bet at the moment either. Definitely not C.

So it's B. Fiona has all my chocolate and seems like the type that wouldn't share fairly. Now that we have decent weapons - and there's two of us - restocking the food supply is a must. Plus, those sandwiches sound good. As far as the bikes go, you could always go back for them a little later.

wavehopper1

The kiosk is so small - I don't like the idea of being surrounded, the two zeds could each (by chance, not design) block a door and then if more arrive...So B is out for me.

Running towards a fight - who knows whats coming in the opposite direction, C is out for me.

I choose A. What I'd do is let the zombie keep head-butting and get up close - the moment his head comes through the glass, swing the axe hard down on his neck (side on). If we can eliminate one quickly then the odds are two-to-one - I like those better . Of course, if the blow misses and they both shamble through the glass...:eek:

Micky Dolenz

I'm getting better at killing now, starting to figure out my enemy. Small numbers should be no bother for me now.

Opt A

I'm going take this city back, one zed at a time, Hoorah.

SmileyPaul

I'm with Micky
my head is screwed on now and Im ready for the **** storm

I'd taker control and tell Fiona to back off for this one and have your back

if you can show her you can be in control when it comes to Z's you'll wind her respect

also.... I say drop the hammer you're ****s gonna start gettin heavyif you horde, and you're not a superhuman..... yet :P


Option A

lol I meant a XD

Mahatma coat

A) A Bicycle could be useful, Especially one with storage capacity

Avoid the people with Guns at this stage, if you are keen to acquire their weapons wait til they are overrun and then sneak in and take whats left. But remember it didnt do its original owner much good.

Sticky_Fingers

hmm, I'd like the idea of getting a bike but how much can you really count on Fiona? She seems a bit of a flake to me and can't seem to follow basic instructions. You asked her to keep watch and she decided to wander off and have a gawk at the bike shop.

If you go and hide in the shop thingy then there is a good chance that if the shooting continues the Z's will go and investigate that instead. I don't really like the idea of going to investigate the shooting, don't know what you will run into.

I vote for B, two zombies, shop has three exits so if the gunfire doesn't draw them off then you can always go out and finish them yourself.

DakotaYoda

I'd encourage her to go check out the gunshots if she is that interested... She's already proven to be unreliable.

Take down the 2 zeds and grab a bike. It may be the most reliable transportation you can find. The real question is - where do you go?

I vote A.

alexa5x5

A
Fiona has proved she’s unreliable by leaving you in the kiosk alone when she should have been watching your back.

Id get as far away from the gun shots as possible, this is Ireland, who has a gun on hand? Gun nut jobs that will probably shoot you on sight! Also the person with the gun will hold all the power, you don’t want to be in that situation.

Get the bikes and cycle out of the city.

ps, love this thread

DirtyBollox

A

bury the axe in the zombies head the next time he head butts the window. grab yer bikes and hopefully a few panniers for the back for more storage. get the feck out of dodge asap but keep a wary eye on Fiona. if possible raid the kiosk as well, once you have the bikes and extra storage.

ASOT

Id have to go with B, Im not quite sure what id do if it was me with a bike atm, I also couldnt trust her to back me up. Atleast with B theirs 3 ways out and it seems relatively save for the night.

SmileyPaul

Realising that using a bicycle would mean you could navigate through the streets both quitely and quickly you decide that action seriously needs to be taken against these things on the inside of the shop. In the short time you have been in what seems to be a dopleganger of your real world you have realised that you ARE smarter than these creatures, which is obvious as you watch one of the monsters smear splatter his own blood against the window of the shop as he continues to break through.... incredibly slowly... and as well as that, you're faster.
you decide that action is going to have to be taken soon. you turn to fiona (who has started to sob quitely) "back up and don't worry, I'll look after you" you feel that telling this bold face lie will get you in her good books. she backs up quitely hugging her axe close to her chest. CRACK. the window is going to give soon. CRACK. splits in the glass are getting longer and thicker. CRACK. you take your hammer and stand ready, weapon held high above your head. and smash the persons head has broken through leaving the window around his head sharp. you bring your hammer down hard and fast onto the top of the Zombies skull. the zombies head bobs but not much else happens, you hit harder, this time with all your might letting out a yell. while you do not crush his skull something different happens. the head of the Z is impaled onto a piece of window still intact, black liquid oozes from his mouth and he ceases to be.... again. you take a breath but the second person bursts through the window on top of what you could technically call his ally. falling over. he grasps at your leg and you cannot pull free. you fall over backwards trying to make it release it's grip but to no avail. you kick at it's head but it wont let go. you hear another scream, from behind you and Fiona swings the axe, and in one fell swoop slices through the zombies neck.
the wind blows slowly through the streets, nothing is moving, nothing happening. a can of empty coke rolls past breaking the silence... and you inhale. you are alive, and it was fiona who saved you.

you stand up "thanks... you say quitely"
"it's grand, I thought you said you were gonna take care of it?" she replies sarcastically. obviously you haven't won her over, but she helped, thats all that matters, right? "come on **** the bikes. we're heading to where we heard the guns coming from" she thinks she's taken over as leader, she thinks you owe her that much... ****.

Option A: walk into the shop and grab a bike and head off by yourself, you don't need her. she's a liability.
Option B: listen to her and find the owners of the now silent guns.
Option C: tell her to grab a bike with you and scout out to see whats happened to the gun weilders.

Inventory
ME
Hammer
Axe
Crowbar
Dustbin lid
i.5 litre water
Swiss army knife
Socks, condoms, beanie hat, spare shirt
Cigarettes, lighter, lighter fluid

fiona
hammer
axe
crowbar
fanta and chocolate
stove and spare cannisters
vice grip
random tins


sorry it's short and ****, got other stuff thats more important at the moment and just banged this out

Mahatma coat

Option C, I suppose, She still has half my Stuff, I wiould be trying to find some kind of Pannier bags for the bicycle, and a Way of gettin rid of her

the lack of Gunfire would seem to indicate that there should be some Free guns lyin about over there.

SUNGOD

good stuff smileypaul
option C for me as i get a bike and also keep fiona* close by , she has half my supplies and her axe did come in handy








* ok i have a soft spot for fiona, anyone who decapitates a Zombie thats trying to climb up my leg is ok in my book.......well for now anyway

alexa5x5

A
I still think going anywhere near someone with a gun is a bad idea. The outbreak only just happened so survivors are still hyped up and scared $hitless, throw a gun into the mix and it could end badly.

Also, Fiona has come through for you this one time, who knows if she will the next time. I think getting out of the city is the best idea, at the time of outbreak it was probably the most populated place and there are just too many nooks and crannies for them to be lurking in.

wavehopper1

I'm torn between A and C. I think having a second pair of eyes is particularly helpful in the city, unlike the countryside where you can scan around for a larger distance - so I don't want to ditch Fiona yet.

I'm not wild about going towards where the gunfire was, but the key word for me is "scout" - which suggests taking a more cautious approach rather than rushing up with open arms to the first person we see.

option C for me.

DakotaYoda

A

Keep movin' solo. You'll find worthwhile people at some point.

ChaseThisLight

Option A. Yeah, Fiona helped me out, and it'd be nice to have an extra set of eyes - but she's got an attitude problem and now she thinks she's the boss of me. Things can only go downhill from here if I stay with her.

Sticky_Fingers

Option A, ditch her, she's got a bad attitude problem, it wasn't so long ago that she was going into hysterics when she followed you into the hardware store and lest we forget it was her bloody fault the zombies attacked through the window in the first place.

I'm going to get my ass gnawed off I at least want it to be my own fault.

Micky Dolenz

Option A.

To be fair, I think Fiona is a thundering bitch who will end up getting me killed. Only because she saved my life, I will spare her life, for now. But if she hangs around, I'm giving her one.

anomalous

we all have people we would like to have by our sides during the apocalypse to be our wing man and watch our backs but she is clearly not it

ditch her grab a bike and some more food from the shop and leave her to it

Fallschirmjager

is she hot?

kidding. i go for A but i just know she is going to follow...well know is a little strong...suspect she will follow...

guns and adrenaline and a hyped up manager....jeasus dont want to be near that when it kicks off. grab food from the kiosk, eat something, drink something, seem to recall that was a military tactic, eat when you can.

one question however, what time is it. dont want to be cycling me bike when its getting dark in the city..

ChaseThisLight

The gratefulness I was feeling towards Fiona for saving me just now melts away with her insistent we're-doing-things-my-way-now attitude, and I'm reminded that had she not wandered over to the bike shop to begin with, my life would never have been at risk. And now she expects me to go traipsing off into what is very likely another **** situation?

I let her get a good handful of steps away before I shake my head and say, "I don't think so."

As expected, she whirls back around, fire in her eyes, taking a step back towards me. I eye the axe still gripped firmly in her small hands, and take half a step back. "You're a coward," she hisses, and though there is venom in her voice, I can also hear fear in it. I don't say a word as she turns and stalks off. Maybe she's right, maybe I am a coward…but then maybe my precaution will get me through the rest of this monumentally screwed up day alive.

I watch her go for another moment before letting my eyes roam the area and finally turning towards the shattered window of the bike shop. As far as I can tell, I'm alone. Well and truly, alone. Before the idea of it can set in, and with it the panic - what if Fiona and I are it? What if there is no one else left? What if everyone I know is dead and I just let the only other person alive walk away? - I take a deep breath, unclipping my axe from the holster on my belt, and carefully clamber through the already broken window.

Not wasting time, I hurry forward, my eyes scanning the rows of bikes…I want something sturdy, something that will get me far…my eyes land on a pricey touring bicycle with a rack over the rear tire, and attached to the rack, a pannier. Perfect. I step into the aisle. The smell hits me first, my eyes only searching for the source second - one of those things, elbow deep in what's left of someone's stomach. I don't know if it heard the audible gasp I made, or if it smelled me, but it looks up, still chewing on something dark - liver, maybe, my mind suggests. It's got bloody ragged stumps where it's legs should have been, but the possibility of fresh meat must be tantalizing to it, because it moves, dragging itself forward with greater speed than I expect. Thinking about how the last one had held onto my leg so strongly, I decide I'm not letting this one close enough to get a grip, and I swing my axe as it nears, the blade entering it's head just above the ear. I pull the axe free, prepared to swing again, but it's stopped moving. I look at it for a brief second before drawing back and bashing at it's head once more for good measure, and then I don't dawdle, getting the bike and walking it out the door and into the street.

It's only as I swing a leg over the bike that I'm hit with the realization that my food was in Fiona's back pack. Okay, so a couple chocolate bars and some fanta isn't exactly a meal, but it was all I'd had. To drive the point further home, my stomach rumbles despite what I'd just done. A quick stop in the kiosk, and the pannier is filled; the sandwiches and rolls won't last long, but the rest will hold me over once those are gone. Popping the last bit of a sandwich into my mouth, I get on the bike and start peddling.


A) Ride until I get out of the city.

Ride until it starts to get dark, then find a place to hide out until morning and then continue on my way out of the city.

C) Let the seeds of guilt get to me and turn around and go back for Fiona.




Inventory

Hammer
Axe
Crowbar
Dustbin lid
i.5 litre water
Swiss army knife
Socks, condoms, beanie hat, spare shirt
Cigarettes, lighter, lighter fluid
assorted chocolates, snacks, sandwiches, drinks

SmileyPaul

option B for me
nice and simple. hopefully you know the city well enough to pick out somewhere where you can settle down. most likey on the outskirts of the city since you still have about 6-7 hours of sunlighht

I put it at around 12 or 1 PM

Good job, nicely descriptive

Sticky_Fingers

Option B for me too. I would ride for a few hours and then start looking for a place to hole up about 2 hours before sunset. You'll give you time to properly sweep a building and devise an escape plan should the need arise.
.

wavehopper1

Amazing how important light is in the zombie apocalypse - I'm now wondering what time of year it is, summer or winter - so do we have early or late evenings!

Option B for me. Might have gone after Fiona but then there'll be two people and one bike - and I don't fancy giving her a backer!

DakotaYoda

I'm recognizing the expanse of this disaster and quickly determine the whole city is most likely in the same shape of disrepair and terror.

I have a bike. I want OUT of this city as quickly as possible.

I vote A and head outta town for the quiet countryside as fast as possible.

Mahatma coat

B for Me

Leggit to the Country, butdont travel after dark

SUNGOD

great stuff chasethislight
im voting for B get as far you can untill the light fades and hole up somewhere safe till morning, dont fancy been outside in the dark

alexa5x5

B
Cycle till it gets dark then get some sleep. You got enough calories this morning to see you through till tomorrow.

wavehopper1

I get on the bike and start peddling. I've decided to head for the western outskirts of the city, find somewhere safe to bunk down for the night, and then move on. I move at a slow steady speed down the streets of the city's office district, only deviating from the centre of the road to veer around crashed cars. I'm constantly scanning left and right.

There! On the left, something that was hunched and shambling, suddenly straightens up and takes a few steps towards me but I'm gone past before it's anywhere close. On the right! Two shapes lurch off the pavement in my direction, I glide on. The ones in front are often faced the other way, I hold my breath as I pass. If they're faced my way and see my approach, my weaving seems to confuse them - they start moving to where I was but I'm already on another trajectory, by the time they change direction again I'm gone.

Onwards I travel, slowing at each intersection to scan my surroundings but constantly moving west. I realise that I've left the office district and have hit an area of town hit hard by the bad times. Buildings are empty, ground floor windows are boarded with metal grilles, and the few shops are shut down. I don't know the area but even so I relax a little - I try to make myself think of the nightmare as a video game. And in truth, I'm getting confident in my skill.

"Yeah! 5 points getting past that one. Jeez, that's an ugly creep, 10 points for him. Two of them hunkered over something, don't look too close, that's double points. What's that now, must be 60 points now, or maybe..."

"Sh*t, what?"

"Aarrggh!!"

A blur streaks from behind a parked car to my left, reaches me in four strides, and shoves me off the bicycle. I clatter to the ground, bounce onto my side, rolling painfully over and over. Dazed, I look over, expecting teeth to sink into my flesh. A tall athletic young man glances at me grim faced, but won't meet my eyes. He picks up the bike and swings his leg over the saddle. My arm aches, my right hand is grazed and bleeding, but I have survived two days of hell-spawned creatures to be mugged? I roll over, get into a crouch and launch myself 100 metre sprint style towards the thief. As he starts to pick up speed on the bike I know I have one chance to nail him - he's trying to pump his legs but I hit my top running speed before he can get any pace - I return the shove and he sprawls off the precious bike.

The fellow hits the road hard, shoulder first, head next. Unlike my rolling, the point of his shoulder takes the full brunt of impact and his body stops dead. I take a few steps and pull my leg back to kick him hard, knowing I have to stop him from following me. Looking at his face I realise that I won't have to strike - he's clutching his shoulder and his mouth is open wide, no sound is coming out, but his entire face is contorted in pain. Something is broken. My fury at his actions dissipates. I turn to get the bike, and quickly check the frame and wheels, thankfully nothing has buckled. Suddenly the air is pierced by an ear-splitting howl that drags on and on. The thief has found his voice and his agony is splitting the skies. I'm literally frozen as his wail drags on. His pause to draw breath lets through another sound coming in all directions - a dragging, scraping, shuffling sound.

I look up the road. Fom the crossroads ahead zombies are converging into my street from both sides. I look behind from where I came, the zombies I passed had already started following slowly and now they are picking up the pace, joined by many others attacted by the human screams. Two walls of creatures closing in. I look frantically forwards and back for a break, any break in the two approaching lines. But the things are shambling shoulder to shoulder right across the road.

Trapped! I look left and right for any ground floor building window that I could possibly get into. None! Every building has barred windows on the ground floor. A few shops are fronted with narrow fenced areas for rubbish disposal, but tall 6 foot railings with pointed spikes act as a deterrent to climbers.

Feverish thoughts race through my mind.

A. Get on the bike and cycle towards the right hand side of the line, not flinching from the rush coming to meet you. At the last moment, turn the wheel and double back on my tracks. Double back again and cycle hard for any gap in the line your movements will have created.

B. Pushing the bike, run towards the nearest railed fenced enclosure. Prop the bike against the fence, stand on the saddle, and vault over the spikes. You'll figure out what to do next once you're shielded.

C. Take the axe from the pannier bike. Jump on the bike, peddle hard towards the line. Some of the zombies are two and three deep, but at some points the line is single depth. Pick one of the solo creatures, brandish the axe, and aim directly for him. You know you're going to come off the bike when you hit straight into him, you're going to knock him down with the impact, roll forward keeping the axe in hand, get to your feet and run onwards through the breach as fast as you can.

Mahatma coat

A) do the 'crazy Ivan' But first give your Mugger a few swift Steelies to the stones, that should focus the majority of the Z's on him. Like I say, Bait is someone elses Job

ETA

B is by far the most suicidal course of action, you are ditchin yer gear and lockin yerself in a cage that you dont know how to get out of, Z's dont sleep, Z's dont suddenely just give up on live prey, You buy yourself 3 - 5 minutes before the horde Swells to 10 bodies deep around the railing, they'll probably buckle the wheels of your bike, and then climb over each other til they eat you. :eek:

Sticky_Fingers

Oh dear, this is a bad bad situation. I honestly don't really know what to do, Option C is suicidal, Option A is very risky and Option B may leave you trapped with your back against a wall if those shops have any other entrances.

I'm going to have to go with Option B, hopefully once the Z chow down on that thieving prick they may disperse enough to let you double back and retrieve your bike. I'm so glad you are leaving that guy to his fate, the asshole deserves it.

anomalous

nice work - this is a tough one but im going to go for A because the bike is too valuable to abandon without a fight because its probably the only reason you got this far

hopefully the guy on the ground will be making so much noise that they will be more attracted by him than you

SUNGOD

brillant wavehopper. im torn between A and B
but i will have to say B vault the fence maybe slip away when the Z's are eating the mugger