Disclaimer: Zombies Ate My Neighbors was not created by me, it is the property of Lucasarts and Konami. This is just a story adaptation of it that I decided to write. There are a few original characters created by me, for the purpose of making the story more interesting, but other than that I own absolutely nothing. Also, I apologize for the X's, but I have to separate the scenes somehow. And for some reason, this website won't let me use asterisks or dashes. So... yeah.
Copyright note: the song, Runnin' Free (c) Iron Maiden
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
by Jack Stryker
Chapter 1
X X X
Josh and Amy proceeded to make out in Josh's car, as they waited for Amy's sister, Sarah, to return. They'd made a bet with Sarah, that if she spent an hour sitting at the grave of a serial killer; who was put to death years ago, Josh would pay her a hundred dollars.
"You sure she'll be alright out there?" Amy asked.
"Aw, don't worry about her." Josh replied, "She'll come running back soon."
Little did either of them know... how right he was. Because it wasn't even five minutes later, when Sarah came running back and holding her nose.
"Guys... I can't do it!" she cried.
"Whoa now..." Josh responded, feigning surprise, "what's the matter? Arnie's ghost scare you away?"
Amy slapped Josh's shoulder as the two of them chuckled.
"You don't understand, guys." Sarah replied, waving her hand in front of her nose as she pulled out her phone, "This has nothing to do with him. Or any of the dead people buried there."
As Sarah opened the photo section of her phone, Amy looked at her in surprise and asked, "So what's the problem then? And... what is that revolting smell?"
Sarah selected the photo she'd just taken at the cemetery and handed the phone to Amy.
"This!" she said.
Josh and Amy looked at the picture on the phone. What they saw startled them.
"Oh my God!" Amy cried, "Toxic waste? In the cemetery? How could anyone do this?"
Josh stared at the picture for a moment, then motioned for Sarah to get in and said, "Let's get outta here!"
With that, Sarah got back in the car and Josh sped away from the cemetery as fast as he could. And it was a good thing they left when they did, because little did any of them hear the distinct rumbling and moaning sounds beneath the graves. Or see the hands that gradually began to rise out of them.
Meanwhile... a dark figure approached a pay phone across the street. He wore a black trenchcoat, a fedora on his head, sunglasses, and a black scarf covering his lower face. After taking a quick look around, he picked up the reciever and inserted two quarters into the slot. Then he lowered his scarf, took a card out of his pocket, and dialed the phone number on it.
"Hello." a voice answered.
"Hello, Father Vittorio?"
"Michael? Is that you, my son?"
"Yes. Listen, there isn't much time to explain. But I'm going to need holy water soon. And lots of it."
X X X
The next day...
Zeke pushed the mop back and forth along the kitchen floor, as some heavy metal music played on the stereo. With his parents out of town for the weekend, Zeke was given the task of keeping the house clean until they returned. Now, he was finishing up on his final chore: mopping the kitchen floor.
"I'm runnin' free, yeah!" he sang along with the stereo, "I'm runnin' free!"
As the song came to an end, Zeke knelt down and started imitating the final guitar riffs of the song, holding the mop as if it were a guitar. After the fantasy subsided, he got up and surveyed his handywork.
"Whew! Finished!"
After putting the mop away, Zeke glanced at the clock on the stereo.
"Hmm... looks like about time for lunch." he muttered to himself, "Think I'll go see how Trevor's doing, then maybe grab a burger on the way home."
With that, he turned off the stereo and went outside. He headed down the street to the toy store, where his friend Trevor worked. But as he passed by a certain house in the neighborhood, a water balloon suddenly hit him in the leg.
"AAAH!" he cried, "Hey, what-...?"
Then three more water balloons struck Zeke, leaving him soaked. Zeke looked up in frustration at the kids on the front lawn; who were pointing at him and laughing.
"You little punks!" he shouted, "I'm gonna make you pay for this! You hear me?"
The kids ignored him and started to get some more water balloons to throw. But Zeke didn't stick around to give them the chance.
'Lousy punks!' he thought, running on his way, 'Why'd they have to choose *this* town to move to? And why aren't their parents ever around?'
Finally, Zeke made it to the toy store and went inside, ignoring the people outside staring at his wet clothes. Trevor; who was sitting at the clerk's table and reading a book, glanced up at him.
"Hey, wassup Zeke!" he said.
"Hey, Trevor!"
"Been sweating in the sun too long, or you been showering with your clothes on again?" Trevor joked.
"Har de har har. This place got a bathroom, where I can dry off?"
"Yeah, it's over in the back. Just remember, no unpaid merch in there."
"Right." Zeke replied, making his way to the men's room and sighing with relief that it was unoccupied.
Trevor continued reading, as he waited for Zeke to emerge from the restroom. When he finally did come out, slightly drier than before, Trevor put his bookmark back in the book and put it away.
"I take it those punk kids in the neighborhood givin' ya trouble again?"
"Third time this week." Zeke replied with a sigh, "Actually... that's part of why I came here. You got anything here I can use to get some payback? Like a water gun or something?"
"As a matter of fact... we just got some pretty good ones right over there."
Zeke glanced over at the water guns on the shelf that Trevor pointed out. He walked over and picked up a red one.
"Hmm... nice model." he said, looking it over, "Kinda looks like an uzi."
"Shoots like one too." Trevor replied, "And we're selling 'em two for five dollars."
"Five bucks for two of 'em, eh? Sounds good to me." Zeke said, grabbing a blue one off the shelf, "Ring 'em up, bro."
He put the two water guns on the counter, took the money out of his wallet, and handed it to Trevor. As Trevor processed the transaction, he asked Zeke, "So, how's Julie?"
"Oh, umm... she's good." Zeke replied, "Err... actually, I uh... don't know. I kinda haven't seen her in a while."
"Yeah... well, uh..."
Trevor looked around, making sure no other store patrons were within earshot.
"Listen man, you didn't hear this from me," he said, "but Julie's friends have been telling her that she should dump you. Saying you never call, never write, and aren't giving her the attention she deserves. And... I hope I'm mistaken, but I heard she's actually planning to do it."
Julie was a girl in Zeke's neighborhood; whom he had gone to school with since kindergarten. The two of them shared many interests and became fast friends. Upon reaching their senior year in high school, they started dating. Recently, however, the two of them appeared to be growing apart as Zeke wasn't spending as much time with her as Julie would've liked.
"Oh... well, crap!" Zeke muttered, "I knew I should've taken her out the other night, instead of staying home watching that stupid zombie movie on TV; which I didn't even like."
He sighed and looked down at the floor.
"Probably the biggest mistake of my life."
"Hey, chin up, bro." Trevor replied, handing Zeke a shopping bag with his water guns and receipt inside, "It's probably not too late to make amends. Julie's a little more forgiving than most girls I know. Why don't you give her a call, maybe invite her to lunch or something? I'm sure she'll give you another chance."
Zeke smiled and nodded.
"Yeah." he said, taking the bag, "Yeah, I'll do that. Maybe there is still time. Thanks, man. I should visit you more often too. You sure know how to lift a guy's spirits."
Trevor chuckled and said, "Take care, bro. And good luck."
Zeke saluted and started towards the door, when the two of them suddenly heard sirens outside. Through the door, Zeke observed four Police cars zooming by.
"Huh... wonder what that's all about?" he muttered.
"Got me, man."
"Oh well. I'll see ya later, Trevor."
X X X
"And... that's ten." Julie said to herself, after applying the last bit of red polish onto her last fingernail.
After setting the brush back into the nail polish bottle on her desk, Julie carefully removed the cotton balls from between her toes and dropped them into the trash. She then propped her feet up on the desk and wiggled her toes a bit, taking a quick moment to admire her newly red-painted nails; which were now dry.
"Now, we play the waiting game."
Julie didn't have to wait long, however, before her nearby cellphone started to ring. Glancing at the caller I.D., she learned that Zeke was calling her.
'Great.' she thought, 'NOW he calls me! I knew I should've done the fingers first.'
She looked at her still-wet fingernails and sighed.
"Sorry, Zeke, but I'll have to let you go to voicemail."
X X X
"Hi, this is Julie."
"Hey Jul-..."
"Sorry I can't answer right now. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you, 'kay?"
Zeke sighed as he waited for the tone.
"Hey Julie, it's Zeke. I was thinking I'd head to Burgerland for lunch. You want to meet me there so I can buy you a burger? I should be there in about half an hour, after I... take care of something else real quick. Okay, bye."
As Zeke hung up, he took a breath and let out another sigh.
'Man, she must really be mad at me right now.' he thought, 'I wonder if-...'
Zeke didn't have time to finish that thought, as he felt a hand tap his shoulder. He turned to look and saw a man in a trenchcoat standing next to him, with his hands in his pockets.
"Begging your pardon, young man," he said, "but I couldn't help overhearing you wish to punish some certain... public nuisances plagueing this city."
"Err... well, I..."
The man pulled two vials of water out of his pockets and handed them to him.
"Here, take these." he said, "Use the water inside them to load your water guns. Only then will you be able to deal with those troublesome whelps, and face the horrors that will come later."
"Okaaaaaay..." Zeke replied, taking the two vials, "Wait... what do you mean by-..."
"I... must go now. Good luck."
With that, the figure bolted away and disappeared into the shadows.
"...Who was that strange, suspicious-looking man?" Zeke asked himself.
Shrugging, he put his shopping bag down and took out the water guns.
X X X
To be Continued.