By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriros and Zombie Blues
Being a dog lover is totally twisted when you become a zombie. Buy Zombie Blues on Amazon to read the whole story. Dog Lover Zombie is part of Zombie Blues book one.
Cover by Conaire McMullan
Dog Lover Zombie
On the morning after the zombie outbreak, I had been watching the news about the uprising. I could scarcely believe it. It was like watching a horror movie but the fact was, this was real. The dead were rising up and attacking us. How widespread it was remained a mystery for sure. Of course as you all know by now only a select few billion or so of us know the real reason for the outbreak.
Social media was in meltdown. Everything was clogged with conflicting reports and rumours. I worried about my sister’s whereabouts and their families. If nothing else, they were resourceful but against this….I wasn’t so sure.
Then I heard the dogs going mad in the compound, a defensive noise that I knew so well from my years with them. Every bark signifies a different mood or emotion. The trick is just listening to identify which one. This was trouble.
I ran outside and across the yard of the clinic and skidded to a halt. There were about seven zombies pulling at the wire fences trying to get at the dogs who were in a complete frenzy, snarling and barking at them. I could see they were from the town. They were people I knew, some of which had their animals treated by me. There was Jason Burr, the butcher, Sally Evans, the estate agent, Old Granny Wick, the town gossip and a couple of others whose names I couldn’t remember due to passing acquaintance. Damn, it’s on our doorstep, I realised.
Picking up a shovel, I leapt into the fray, swinging, knocking heads as I went. I had to let the dogs out so they could run or attack. I managed to get the gates open and there was a flurry of four legged tornados as some ran in fear while others attacked the zombies. It gave me a chance to reach the other compounds and free the dogs there. When I saw packs of them attack the undead, I grew complacent. I never saw the other one come up behind me until I felt it grip me in a steel like vice. I briefly thought how strong zombies were before I roared in pain as it sank its teeth into my shoulder. I turned for a moment and saw it was young Dave Turner, the son of the local grocery store owner. He came in for another bite when a collie, Lucy, smashed him aside. I fell, uselessly trying to stop the blood pouring from the wound before passing out.
Well by now you know the score. Woke up, Mother Nature, chicken, yadda, yadda. But this was different.
One of the dogs had stayed by my side, a Labrador named Sally. She had come from an abused background and I had a real hard time making her comfortable round humans again. She sat whining, paws out front as I came to, blood burning as the zombie curse flooded through me.
Suddenly this was not Sally in front of me. It was a giant chicken. I reached out to her and she thought she was going to get a cuddle. I couldn’t help it. I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and took a bite from her neck.
Inwardly I screamed in horror. This was one of my babies, truly my best friend and here I was chewing down on her like a lunch time special. I felt sick as Sally screamed, our pain matching each other. I loved these animals, they were part of my psyche and here I was a victim of Mother Nature’s cruelty. I don’t know what is worse for me: the fact I now can’t control myself and just want to devour every dog left or seeing the horror in Sally’s eyes as I betrayed her trust before taking her life.
Somehow this kick started something in me. I know I’m programmed to eat humans and all other life-forms but for some reason, Mother Nature has made me crave dog flesh more. I’m like an undead torpedo seeking out dog life-forms more than humans. I can’t help myself and I curse the big MN for making me like this.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 