Zombified, Episode 1: Wooneyville

By Matt Di Spirito

Classic zombie horror comes to Wooneyville!

Joey isn't about to let his girlfriend become zombie chow, but she is on the other side of a town and flesh-eating monsters are quickly outnumbering the living.

Without a vehicle, Joey shoots and slices his way through the streets, carving a path to the medical center where his girl, Dana, works the graveyard shift.

Chaos reigns on the streets of Wooneyville. The police are overwhelmed and the people are scared witless, but something else is going on. Joey witnesses long-dead corpses--some of them no more than skeleton--rising from their graves.

Is it a virus? He hopes someone at the hospital has an answer. When he arrives, those hopes hang by a thread, the medical center is a zombie hotspot. All the sick and dying that sought attention now prowl the parking lots, lobbies, and hallways... Joey is desperate and blasts his way inside, searching for Dana.

She isn't the only one on his mind as the carnage escalates. His childhood friend, Matty, is also missing; the two of them always planned for a zombie apocalypse. Joey's parents, and their house in the rural areas outside of town, weigh on his mind.

The plan is simple: find Dana and meet Matty at Joey's parents' house. A couple thousand zombies stand in the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matt Di Spirito
• Release date: Mar 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458183637

Matt Di Spirito

Well, I'm just an average joe. I don't have a great career or do anything that contributes to society in a meaningful way. I go to work, pay my bills, and raise my family.Life is an interesting journey. I've spent time in the military; it wasn't my cup of tea, but it was a worthwhile experience. I went to college for a few years, acquiring the credits for an Associates' degree in General Studies. There weren't too many subjects I didn't take. That's my life story: experience. I'm interested in so many things, it can be hard to focus on one thing for too long.My myriad hobbies include writing stories, reading books and e-books, surfing the web, watching blu-ray movies, drawing, discussing philosophy or religion or politics, playing xbox games, dungeons and dragons, and probably a few more. If only I could figure out how to make money off of hobbies!Writing is a hobby I've enjoyed since I became literate. Notebooks went hand-in-hand with computers. I used to write down little stories about my action figures, scenarios about school mates, and anything else to cross my mind. I used to make up games for my friends to play, and roll dice to find out who would win. Creativity, imagination, and technology are intertwined--at least to me.Smashwords, Amazon's createspace, and kindle publishing opened the door for self-publishing, especially for authors--like myself--with little or no start-up capital. For all the woes of technology, there are some wonders to be had.

Book preview

ZOMBIFIED

Episode 1: Wooneyville

By Matt Di Spirito

© 2011 Matt Di Spirito

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the consent of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, places, or events is coincidental.

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedicated to Rob, the King of Ten Layers!

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Appendix A: Dana at the Medical Center

Appendix B: Bullseye Survivors

Appendix C: The Supermarket Aftermath

Appendix D: Hank at the cabin

Author's Note

CHAPTER 1

Joey shouldered the door open, leaving the keys dangling from the lock. He staggered into the hallway, arms full of groceries. The kitchen table was twenty feet away.

The hell with that, Joey said. He dumped the bags on the hallway floor, turning to remove the keys from the door. Huffing and puffing, Joey fished out his pack of smokes and lit one up. Nothing like a smoke while you choke! He chuckled, which turned into a coughing fit.

Cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, Joey ferried the grocery bags to the kitchen and put them away. He snubbed out the butt in a glass ashtray, snagged a beer from the counter, and headed to the living room.

The widescreen came to life, bathing the parlor in vivid colors. Joey plopped on the loveseat, sipped his beer, and flicked through the channels. The pro-football draft was on; Joey stopped clicking and dropped the remote on the cushion.

He leaned forward, unclipped the holster, and set his gun on an endtable. He settled in, taking a long pull from the beer.

Come on, Pats, don't blow this one! We need some pass rushers. Joey watched intently as the seconds ticked by; finally, the draft board skipped to the next team--the Pats had traded down. You gotta be kiddin' me!

Chirp-cheep. Chirp-cheep.

Joey yanked the phone from his pocket and tapped the screen.

Hey sexy, what's up?

My blood pressure. It's gonna be a long night: we've already had three people brought in by ambulance. I need to get off the graveyard shift. Dana's voice was strained, maybe a little anxious.

Joey muted the TV. You all right, baby? You sound stressed. He walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Maybe you should take some time off.

I will--eventually. It's the usual bull over here, ya know? Two nurses, one doctor, a handful of aids, and no time to catch your breath.

Joey cracked another beer and returned to the parlor. It's that busy on a Tuesday night? Damn. Maybe it's a full moon or something.

It must be, Dana replied. She sighed, dramatically, and lowered her voice: When I get home, there's going to be some serious stress release--don't wear any clothes to bed, got it?

You're a bad girl. Joey grinned. You know what happens to bad girls?

No, why don't you tell me? She giggled.

Well, first--

Shit! I gotta go! There's another ambulance coming in. I love you!

Love ya, too. Joey clicked the phone off, depositing it on the stand next to his pistol. He picked up the remote and turned the volume on. The draft proceeded and the beers disappeared; before the Pats' sixth pick, Joey was snoring.

… … …

Chirp-cheep. Chirp-cheep.

A foul-smelling belch erupted from his mouth as Joey sat up, rubbing both eyes. Faint azure light filtered through the curtains and a small square of brilliant white flashed from the endtable: his phone was ringing.

Joey glanced at the time and caller ID: it was three in the morning and Dana was calling from the medical center. He clicked the answer icon.

Hey sexy, what's up?

Joey, can you come down here? Me and Kelly are totally freaked out, and I can't think of anyone else right now.

That got Joey's attention; he stood up and walked to the window, brushing the curtains aside. What the hell is going on? All the streetlights are out.

The town's power is out, Joey. We're on emergency power here. There's a couple of cops outside, but I don't feel safe. Some freaky shit happened earlier.

What freaky shit? Tell me what happened, babe.

Okay. Dana breathed deeply and exhaled. Joey heard her sifting through papers or charts. We had a dozen people come in since I called you, all of them with similar symptoms. They started dying--just stopped breathing. It was like the S.A.R.S. outbreak they were worried about, remember that?

Yeah. So what happened that spooked you so much?

The power went out, for one, and then the cops showed up and said there were some disturbances around Kay's Pub--people fighting and just being drunk idiots. I figured we'd get some of them in here needing stitches and whatever. When they got here, Joey, it wasn't like anything I've seen before.

What the hell are you talking about? You've seen people mangled in car crashes, Dana. Joey moved from the window and paced the hallway.

Joey, Dana made a gagging sound before continuing, they were… bitten. Their bodies were covered in bites and scratches from other people. It was repulsive, gory, and just… disturbing.

Joey stopped in mid-step. His mind raced: people attacking each other, biting, clawing… Dana, do you think this is some kind of rabies infection? These people are acting like zombies, straight out of a horror flick. Maybe there's some animal disease that crossed over.

I don't know, Joey. It's something to check out. Some of these people didn't die from the wounds, though. She paused, shuffling around papers. You remember Mr. Peterson, the tax guy?

Sure. His office is two buildings down.

He came in an hour ago. He didn't have any marks, bites, or scratches--nothing. He died within twenty minutes. His body just stopped working: respiration, cardiovascular and nervous systems turned off. I don't know how to explain it. It's not something I've dealt with before--even Kelly is at a loss.

She's a smart girl, too. Joey ran a hand through his hair. All right, baby, I'll be there as soon as possible. My truck is still in the shop, so I'll have to hoof it.

Okay… just hurry up, please. I'd feel a lot better with you around.

I'll feel better when I have you in arm's reach. Who's there with you now?

Dr. Hobbes, Rich, Kelly, and--

BANG!

What the hell was that? Dana?

Oh my God!

Joey heard the phone hit the floor.

Dana! Talk to me! I'm on the way, baby! Joey grabbed his gun and headed to the kitchen to find his mag-lite. Dana! Talk to me!

Mr. Peterson? What the hell is wrong with you!

A guttural animal

Reviews for Zombified, Episode 1

[elwood_mom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh, how to say this without sounding really, really weird.....One reason I loved the book was the over the top characters - they totally reminded me of my own family. Not in a bad way, but in that way only those who are rednecks and have fully embraced their redneckness can be. Girlfriend is described as "triple-D's", the boyfriend is gasping for breath after a run and still reaching for another cigarette. Dude even has a tricked out pickup named "Bad Betty". Kind of what non-rednecks think rednecks are like.The short length is ok. I've noticed that a lot more zombie titles are being published in "episode" mode (kind of the modern "serial" tale of old). It works. The appendix chapter works here rather than being inserted in the first part of the book - if it had been, there would have been no tension about whether or not Dana survived.I've got two more of the episodes to read and I'm looking forward to seeing what my redneck buddies get up to :-)