Chapter 1- Closing Time

It was a silent autumn evening and Ceri was wiping down the tables after a busy day of service in the local restaurant Callerro's. She gazed up at the service hatch and smiled at the trainee commis chef Josh and asked him politely, "where's the head chef gone." He looked to her with a smile, "he's popped outside for a cigarette, he'll be back soon."

"Okay, thanks." Ceri continued to wipe down the tables. In her own little world she knocks a plate on the floor by accident.

"Shit" she shouted, bending down to retrieve the broken crockery. Josh watched from the kitchen and said smartly, "Chef is not going to be happy".

"Fuck. off".

After the accident was cleared up, and the small restaurant was almost completely ready for tomorrow, a police car sped past the front of the restaurant, swerving in all directions. Ceri and josh watched in amazement. Josh said with a smirk, "he's not going to sell any ice cream driving like that".

Ceri told Josh to shut up, again.

Just after Ceri rushed out the restaurant to see what was happening. She looked off into the distance to see that the police car had crashed at the end of the road. She shouted from the entrance of the restaurant "are you ok". Unknown to herself the head lights by the side of her beaming her shadow on the wall. She turned around quickly to see an eighteen wheeler speeding towards her, crashing into cars as it approached. It was going to run her over. Ceri screamed just before it could hit her Josh pulled her in to the restaurant out of harm's way.

Kneeling down to her level, and taking in her white features, he spoke softly. "Are you okay?" he asked over and over again, as she merely stared straight ahead.

She could hardly speak, yet alone look up, being so shocked.

Just seconds after there was a massive explosion which blew out the windows of the restaurant. Ceri blacked out. Conscienceless came back quickly, and with her ears ringing and vision blurred, she shouted for josh, whilst on the floor, terrified.

She looked to the kitchen to see Josh fighting the chef off with a long handled broom. The commis chef turned to see her shocked face, and shouted with a mix of anger and fear, "Help! He's going to kill me!" Dazed and confused Ceri gained her strength and darted towards the preparation counters. She picked up a large chef's knife yet to be washed from the chopping board in the kitchen. In a desperate plea to avoid any accidents, she raised her voice, "Chef leave him alone."

This however, wasn't chef, not anymore… His face was torn at one side, with large gouge marks embedded deep. Blood had congealed and darkened around the wounds, further startling the poor waitress.

Ceri proceeded to shout "Chef! Chef! Callero."

Josh was shouting at Ceri, aggravated at her attempts to turn the obvious failing situation around. Too trusting, that was her problem.

"Kill him Ceri Kill Him!" he roared, as the broom handle snapped in two under the chefs force. Ceri stood paralysed, staring at the mangled chef who proceeded to walk towards her, limping to one side. His leg dragged unusually across the tiled floor. As Josh watched on, weaponless, something in his mind clicked about Callero's unusual behaviour, but banished it to the back of his mind. Zombie? Impossible. Callero lunged at Ceri dragging the startled waitress to the newly mopped floor. Callero fell upon the waitress, crushing her body to the ground with painful force. Lunging at her throat with bloody teeth, Ceri knew that to live, she must kill him.

"Die motherfucker!" she yelled, anger from the pain of the fall and the chefs dodgy actionshad made her final deision. Thrusting the knife blindly upwards, she managed to pierce deep into the bottom of Callerro's jaw. The blade sliced upwards easily, crunching through bone up into his skull. Callero shuddered, as blood pored over the screaming waitress but it was soon over. The lifeless corpse fell down and with a disgusted heave, Ceri pushed Callero's lifeless body off herself and laid next to him breathless and covered in Chefs blood.

"You okay?" Josh whispered, clinging to the remaining broom in shock.

"Yeah…" she muttered, standing up shakily, "Fucking excellent."

A bang at the door made the two of them jump, then turning around a shadow could be seen. They exchanged glances, each face as terrified as the next…

Reviews please, I'm new on here.

Josh