Once the first zombie attacked, the rest followed. It was an inexorable tide, a domino effect. Jess took deep breaths and reminded herself it wasn’t real, all a simulation. She touched the bridge of her goggles, and waited for the zombies to get in range. The team rushed past her, and the zombies were right behind. She reached down and pulled the line at her feet taut. The tripwire was lined with improvised weaponry that bit into the zombie’s flesh and ripped through them at the ankles. The trap bought them five minutes before the undead found its way around.
The City: 127: Jess
March 24, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Jess, The City, The Daytrippers, Zombies Leave a comment
The City: 125: Adonica
March 20, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Adonica, Dorothy, Drabble, The City, The Daytrippers Leave a comment
It took surprisingly little time for the group to launch into action once the plan was formed. The strike team would be fifteen people, small enough to sneak past stray zombies, but large enough to hold off an attack and give Ingmar time to escape.
Dorothy guided the rest of them to choke points and traps she had set up along the way. It was their job to clear a path. Adonica was positioned by a hidden lever and given instructions. She watched and waited for a signal that she prayed would not come. She hated the thought of violence.
The City: 124: Aiguo
March 19, 2015
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“Where the hell did you get a boot gun?” Dawn asked. Ingmar blushed and couldn’t meet her stare. Aiguo came to his rescue.
“It doesn’t matter how he got it. If he can fire it, we have a chance of stopping this guy. We just need to find him and shoot first.”
“With the tower destroyed, Underwood will likely retreat to the beach house until things are settled.”
“But there is a city full of zombies between here and the bay.”
“I can get you there,” Dorothy said. “I specialize in unlikely accidents, and I’ve been clearing routes all day.”
The City: 123: Neva
March 18, 2015
Free Fiction, The City 140 Characters, Drabble, Ingmar, Neva, The Cat Lady, The City, The Daytrippers, The Robbery Leave a comment
“His motive is to take down Midas and let the world go with it,” Neva said. “The question remains, how do we stop him?”
“Underwood is only in control of the situation as long as he remains logged in. If we can disconnect him from the system and shut the City down, the backups will restore most of the damage he’s caused.”
“If he’s in control, isn’t he invincible, though?”
“Not from a boot gun.” Ingmar slid down the embankment and into the hidden section of the park. Renee and Dorothy followed. “Get me a shot, and I’ll boot him.”
The City: 122: Idris
March 17, 2015
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“Wait,” Idris said. “are you saying that this guy will have that much control over the economy of the entire world?”
“For a start,” The Cat Lady said. “The City intersects with every major computer system on the planet in some way. Given enough time, he’ll be able to hold every man, woman, and child on Earth hostage.”
“But this will destroy Midas. Why’s he doing it?” Dawn asked.
“To show the world he’s done it. Or perhaps revenge. Babbage’s real name is Simon Underwood He was a security consultant about the time I quit. Midas fired him shortly afterwards.”
The City: 121: Jemma
March 16, 2015
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The Daytrippers were talking in circles. Even if they did have a good idea of what Babbage was doing to The City, thanks to The Cat Lady, they didn’t know how to stop it. If the virus even could be stopped. It had already spread so far throughout the system.
“Do we even need to stop him? Let’s just find a way to escape!” Jemma said. The Cat Lady scowled at her.
“In addition to the massive amounts of fraud and data mining he’s already committed, Babbage is making himself the sole proprietor of a fifth of the world’s economy.”
The City: 120: Savio
March 13, 2015
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Savio watched from a rooftop. When the zombies first started shambling, he had gone for higher ground and pulled the fire escape ladders up after him. He was trapped, but unreachable, unless the viral avatars took up skydiving. He used his vantage point to document what he saw in open messenger. He didn’t know if he was getting through, but he wrote anyway. He watched the young woman get overrun, and the boy reluctantly sprint to catch up to the other fleeing woman. Then he saw a flash in the night and a water tank fell, crushing the zombies below.
The City: 118: Bo
March 11, 2015
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Bo smirked at the middle manager. “You’ve got a real cynical attitude, you know that, man?” Silas glared at him, then went back to staring out the window. “They don’t look like cops. I wonder how they got guns.”
“Hacked ’em, probably,” Reyna said.
“I hope they work on zombies. Look!” Bo pointed to the other end of the street. The zombies were coming, and the three of them couldn’t see it from their vantage point. They were going to walk right into a horde of them. He slid the window open. “Hey! left! Go left!” He shouted and waved.
The City: 117: Reyna
March 10, 2015
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Silas nudged Reyna and pointed. Both watched but neither said a word, not wanting to draw attention to themselves or the people running. The zombies were everywhere, and it seemed like they were getting faster, more graceful, and more cunning with each passing hour. The two women and the boy didn’t stand much of a chance. There were just too many of them.
“I think they have boot guns,” she said, and the two others looked up and came over to the windows too.
“You’re right,” said Bo
“Then they should shoot themselves and be done with it,” Silas said.
The City: 116: Silas
March 9, 2015
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It was nearly dark when the three figures crept out of the back entrance to the bank and into the alley. Silas watched them with interest. He was holed up in the building across the street. He barricaded himself and a few coworkers in an empty office when the virus started spreading through the building. It wasn’t as nice as some of the others, but there was no outward facing glass and the door was solid oak. It had held for five hours. They spent that time in silence, just listening to the zombies beat ceaselessly against the door, waiting.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 