Generation Zombie

Chapter 8: Zombie Baby.

Their eventful morning had begun like this;

The automated video game sun rose high up in the sky, and glared down at the world angrily like any other sun would have, on an average May morning. Ajax Cassini woke up screaming because a bug was attempting the great adventure of venturing into his tiny nostril. His scream had in turn awoken Ruby Bancroft, who began her own unique squirrel shrieks because she could remember falling asleep on the bed with a towel wrapped around her, but was now stark n***d and on the floor. And then Arthur Halifax had completed the trilogy of human surprise or fear transformed into vocal sounds, by adding his very boyish cartoon-character scream.

A twelve month old zombie was nibbling on his right toe, trying to gnaw off the flesh with his baby gums, but failing.

Arthur not-so-gently detached the baby from his foot and scampered to a corner where it would take a while for the zombie baby to crawl to. With a racing heart, he assessed the damage done to his toe, and was relieved to find only drool and saliva, with no traces of blood or a bite mark. He had fallen asleep in the attic, sorting through the storage boxes and looking for valuable things to add to their inventory. How he missed the baby during his zombie-check? He had no idea.

Ruby barreled into the attic throwing open the tiny door. Where Arthur had to stoop, she passed through it easily.

“Pastel cows of heaven, bless me, what the actual fudge?!” She stared wide-eyed at the zombie baby, clad only a napkin, the ferocious desire to eat juicy brains fueling his determination, and driving him to continue crawling towards Arthur. “Where did it come from? Are you hurt?” She glanced at Arthur, and then kept a wary gaze on the baby’s movements.

Arthur got to his feet. “No, I’m fine. It must’ve been asleep in a box somewhere, I think...”

“What heartless zombie parent would leave a frigging zombie baby alone in a house, in the middle of nowhere to fend for itself?!” This was horrible parenting, even for a zombie.

Arthur shook his head. “Trying to understand video game logic will only give you a brain concussion.” It must’ve been an addition by the developers, meant to be humorous.

“Right, this isn’t in-real-life.” She said with a sigh, uncrossing her arms and shifting from one leg to the other. “Anyways, what do we do with it?” She summed up the greening skin and unnaturally bloodshot eyes of the baby.

“Leave it here?” Arthur suggested with a careless shrug.

Ruby’s eyes glared unbelievable daggers into his skull. “Leave it here? Are you heartless? No! It’s gonna starve without any human to gnaw on.” She pointed out, gesturing to it’s already slightly starved appearance.

“What? What do you suggest we do then? We’re literally the only humans in this game, as far as I know. And we can’t feed it... us.” It was a zombie for crying out loud. And it wasn’t real. At least not as real as them. Arthur mirrored her glare. Why does she have to be so weird and difficult all the time?

Ruby’s eyebrows deepened in thought as she pursed her lips. “We need to take it somewhere with more opportunities. Somewhere it’s prospects aren’t so... constricted.” Her gaze flickered around the cramped attic. “No pun intended.” She added, pulling her gaze back to Arthur.

He stared at her like she was completely bonkers. Maybe she was —slightly. After all, Aristotle had theorized that there is no genius without a touch of madness.

“It’s the least we can do.” She said with a pout, trying to give him the puppy eyes even though her eyes were sharp almonds of criticism and never really had the ability to look sadly cute on demand.

Arthur directed his glare to the zombie baby. The poorly executed puppy eyes had worked to some extent. “You’re carrying it then.” He said and moved further away from the baby, because it had crawled closer to him than he was comfortable with.

Ruby sighed. She shook her head in disappointment. “Chivalry is indeed very dead.”

“You don’t need chivalry when you have girl power.” He replied sarcastically without missing a beat; a huge, smug grin appearing on his face.

Ruby rolled her eyes, and ignored his comment. Arguing in the morning was bad for a person’s intellect. She had studies and research papers backed up by science to prove it. Her eyes landed on an old rucksack stuffed beyond its limits and kept in a corner. “What’s that?” She asked, pointing to it.

Arthur followed her tiny finger with his eyes. “Things that might be useful. I found them in the storage boxes.”

“Ah.” He was better at this survival mode thinking than she was; she begrudgingly admitted to herself. But it had to be because he played more video games than she did. She was sure; if she played as much video games as Arthur Halifax did, they’d be out of the game already.

Arthur sidestepped the crawling baby zombie who seemed dead set on getting to him, despite another non-moving, less-challenging human target standing a few feet away. “We need to find more supplies though. Proper food, survival essentials, weapons...” He trailed off, grabbing the rucksack and putting it on his back.

“Where are we gonna find them? The weapons in particular?” She was an advocate against violence. But since the situation requires them to protect themselves... well, let’s just say she didn’t want to kill a zombie while armed with a helmet, ever again.

Arthur glanced heavenward, at the slanted, termite-infested wood that made up the bare roofing of the attic. “The game will lead us.” He said in a whisper that was supposed to sound mysterious, but didn’t.

An awkward silence passed over them, with Ruby staring at him like his stupidity was seeping out and flooding the room. He sheepishly avoided her eyes. “Sorry, that sounded more wisdomy in my head.”

“Wiser. It sounded wiser in your head. Wisdomy is not a word.” She corrected, crossing her arms.

Arthur shrugged. “Yeah, I know. I made it up.”

Ruby groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead, sighing dramatically and exasperatedly. “God, I’m losing brain cells before even having breakfast.” Her stomach growled just in time. “Let’s go to this mystery place the game is supposed to lead us to. I’m hungry.”

She turned on her heels and swung the door open.

“And the zombie baby?” Arthur called after her, moving away from it again. It gurgled, attempting a growl and changed directions towards him again.

“Carry it or I’ll hate you forever.” She yelled over her shoulder and slammed the door shut.

Arthur listened to her footsteps recede down the stairs, then he eyed the zombie baby and sighed. He had his work cut out for him.