Epic Zombie Mayhem of Doom and Stuff (also known as Z-Day)

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chainmailbikini

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Original poster
Ferris lowered his binoculars and squinted thoughtfully. The girl was tiny, couldn't be older than nineteen, and dwarfed by her companion - a young grizzly bear. She was well equipped however, a hunting bow in one hand, a quiver strapped across her back, throwing knives strung through a sash across her chest, and a couple of trench spikes attached to her belt. A bear? Perhaps the dehydration was getting to him. Ferris needed to find water soon. What on earth was she doing out in the forest alone? Well, Ferris thought She's not really alone, is she? Ferris raised his binoculars again, but the girl had vanished. She was the first survivor he'd run into since the last of his squad had succumbed to the infection, a year ago. He scanned the area and prepared to track her down, determined not to let this one get away. Slowly creeping from his hide, a hollow between a boulder and a rotting tree trunk, he crept across the forest floor, releasing the woodsy, loamy scent of dead leaves into the air. He tread lightly, attempting to avoid hidden twigs that could give away his position. A branch creaked from above him and he turned, squinting again as he tried to detect movement in the trees. He barely heard the whistle of an arrow speeding through the air toward him, but the thunk of it meeting its mark -- his thigh -- was clearly audible. He collapsed with a grunt of pain, and gripped around the base of the shaft, where it met his skin, and stared up at the source to see the girl dropping from the tree.

"Damn," he muttered, his voice cracking from its long hiatus. The fall had jarred his mind, and he found his vision blurring, the forest floor and canopy swirling into a vague green mass just before darkness crept in to take him over.
 
Himiko landed softly and cautiously walked over to the body on the ground. She cursed herself when she realized that it wasn't one of the living dead.
"Basco," Himiko scolded the bear next to her, "why didn't you tell me he was normal?" She ran over and checked his vitals, he wasn't dead, but he was pretty close to it. She bound his leg, it was much to risky to pull the arrow out here, she would have to wait until she got back to the camp. Himiko opened his pack and was disappointed to find nothing more then some beef jerky, an energy bar and an empty canteen.
No wonder you are almost dead, Himiko thought. She searched the rest of his body and found plenty of fire power, and dog tags naming him Ferris Baumann, U.S. Marine. She tried to lift him off the ground to carry him back to camp but he weighed a ton, and his unconsciousness wasn't helping. Basco grunted as he laid down and Himiko had an idea. She fetched the sling from the pack Basco was wearing and laid it on the ground next to Ferris. She rolled him onto the sling and connected it to the harness that Basco wore and the three of them headed back to camp.
 
Someone grunted, and Ferris's muscles tensed. He moved his aching arm slowly to his right thigh, attempting to avoid detection. His hunting knife was not there. He paused, listening closely, but heard nothing more to indicate the presence of anyone, dead or alive, in the room. He cracked one eye open, and slammed it shut immediately. The light in the room sent searing pain straight through his head, and he groaned. He knew then that the grunt must have come from him. He cleared his head, taking a brief assessment of his body. His left leg throbbed lightly, his knees were stiff, and his right arm ached. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes again. Just what I feared, he thought. An IV protruded from his right forearm, and beneath a thin blanket his left leg must be bandaged over the arrow wound. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and sighed, but jumped when someone cleared their throat on the other side of the room.

"Good, you're awake," muttered a very pregnant red-headed woman.

"Where am I?" Ferris asked.

"Somewhere safe. I'm Dr. Matthews."
 
Himiko peeked her head into the open window, "So he's not dead?" She lifted herself into the room and sat on the window sill.
"I think you owe this man an apology," the Dr. Matthews said.
"Yeah... I'm sorry I shot you in the leg," Himiko said, smiling shyly.
 
Ferris grunted again, and pushed himself up into a sitting position. "You're forgiven, I suppose. As you pointed out, I'm not dead. So I guess I won't have to haunt you as a vengeful ghost." He winked. "I'm Ferris Baumann, former U.S. Marine."
Dr. Matthews smiled, a look of stark relief creeping into her eyes. "Well, I suppose you can call me Molly, then."
Ferris smiled and nodded. "And you?" he asked, turning toward the window, "I'd like to know the name of the cause of the hospitality I'm enjoying." He smiled warmly.
 
Himiko glared at Ferris, "My name is Himiko," she said stiffly, "here are your dog tags, I forgot they were in my pocket." She tossed them over at him. "That's all I came for so I bid you farewell." She said doing a back flip off the window sill.
 
Ferris caught the tags out of the air, his smile fading to a thin line. "Is she okay?" He asked.
Molly chuckled, "She's fine, I'm sure. Himiko can be unpredictable at best, but she's one of our best assets."
"Well she's got great aim, I can say that much for her." Ferris shook his head, "When can I be up and about?"
"Well..." Molly sighed, "I can't really keep you here. I would suggest staying down for a couple of days, and then you should avoid strenuous activity. Which means you'll spend a lot of time helping out around the house."
"Wait... You're letting me stay?"
"I don't think you'll be much of a threat to us. I'm a great judge of character." She smiled.
 
Himiko reappeared in the window, "I forgot to give you these." she said, climbing inside the room. She opened her deer skin pack and put different herbs and flowers on the desk. "Oh and some berries for the kids." She lifted a bag stained with the juices of various fruits.
"Thank you, Himiko. These will do nicely," Molly said.
"Alright then I'm going away for real this time," Himiko said, turning away, "Unless you need anything else."
 
"Yes, actually," Molly began, holding her protruding belly, "I'm feeling rather tired suddenly, and my feet are killing me. Could you stay here with Ferris, give him a rundown on how the farm works?" Molly nodded encouragingly, and, not waiting for a response, slipped out the door calling over her shoulder, "Thank you, Himiko!"
Ferris scrambled for something to say, his mouth repeatedly opening and closing. "Wait-" he began, but Molly was already gone. He turned slowly toward Himiko at the window. "Um... hi." He waved and offered a weak smile.
 
"She did this the last time I shot someone," Himiko said,throwing her arms up in the air. She pulled a chair up to Ferris's bed and thought about what to tell him when there was a scratching at the door. "Well I guess I should intoduce you to Basco first." She got up and opened the door and in walked a grizzly with a spiked collar around his neck. He walked over to Ferris and set his head next to Ferris's head and snorted.
"This is Basco," Himiko said, "Basco this is Ferris." Basco stared at Ferris for what seemed like an eternity before giving licking Ferris's face. "It looks like he likes you," Himiko said cheerfully, a smile spreading across her face.
 
Ferris squinted and wiped at his cheek. "I can't say that was entirely pleasant, but it was certainly a new experience. It's nice to meet you, Basco." Ferris turned to Himiko. "How many are in your group?"
 
"There are eleven people, two are children and, as you saw, Molly is pregnant," Himiko said, "So soon to be twelve, not counting you." Basco grunted and nudged Himiko in the leg. "Yes you too, Basco," She said smiling and hugging Basco. "Where are you from? Where were you when the infection hit? Do you take steroids?" Himiko poked at Ferris's pectoral muscle, "Do you hunt terrorists? Where is your family? How long have you been alone? How old are you?"
 
Ferris's head spun at Himiko's barrage of questions, flinching when Himiko's thin finger jabbed at his unsuspecting chest, and instantly regretting it when the ache in his punctured arm intensified for a moment. "Hang on... let me think." He took a deep breath and answered all at once, "Mesa, Arizona; Afghanistan; No; no; I don't know; and.... um... 25 as of a week from Saturday. Your turn. Minus the terrorists and the steroids. Replace those with... Where the hell did the bear come from and how did you learn how to use all those weapons?"
 
"I don't know for sure; Some where in the Rocky Mountains; He came from the circus I worked at; I have had a long time to practice; Basco and Molly are my family; I was alone a year before the out-break and it took me another year before I found Molly; I think I'm 18," Himiko said, "And Basco is about three years old now."
 
"I've been alone for a year, too. The last of my squad reanimated then, and I had to put him down." Ferris frowned at the memory. "So how do you guys protect yourself? I mean... eleven people living together on a farm isn't exactly inconspicuous. Especially if you guys have electricity." Ferris tried to stretch, and the IV line pulled uncomfortably in his arm. "Ugh."
 
Himiko thought for a moment, "There is a wall surrounding the farm, and a cliff face to our back." She got up, "Hold still please," She said, pulling the IV from his arm. "You want a tour?"
 
Ferris watched Himiko with mild alarm, "What-- oh." he inhaled sharply through his teeth at the unexpected sharp pain. "Thank you," he smiled weakly and bent his arm to staunch the small trickle of blood. "Sure. I'd love to have a look around, but uh... can I have some pants first, maybe?" Ferris looked down at the blanket which had dropped to his waist, revealing a bare chest and the band of his boxers. He swung his legs around the side of the bed and collected his balance.
 
"Be careful don't hurt yourself, more," Himiko said trying not to look to intently at Ferris's muscular form, "Here are your pants." She said tossing some at him along with a shirt. "You might need this too," Himiko said producing a crutch.
 
Ferris smiled. "Thanks," he said, slipping them on over his boxers quickly, barely glancing in Himiko's direction to make sure she wasn't looking. He glanced at the crutch, frowning, "Do I have to?" But one step on his wounded leg, and he knew he wouldn't be able to walk more than a few paces. Grudgingly, he took the crutch and eased it under his arm. "Where to first?"
 
"Ah... the kitchen. You should probably eat," Himiko said, "How long has it been sense you had a good meal?"
 
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