A Zombie shuffled through the streets. A yellow moon hung overhead. Trick or treaters were going house to house, with bags and pails in hand, spouting their mantra.

“Trick or treat.” His stiff gait was a result of rigor mortis. He came up to Mrs. Murphy’s house. She came to the door dressed as a cat. He lunged at her. She cried out and beat at his chest, but it was all in vain. She let out a groan and fell to the ground. He tore at the soft flesh of her neck with his teeth. Rancid rotting flesh and her own perfume mixed, creating a sickly smell. Dead eyes never flitted or blinked. The doorbell rang; the thing looked up and stared at the door. It grabbed a handful of candy and staggered toward the door. He opened it up just enough to drop some candy in a kid’s trick-or-treat bag. A small voice called out from the other side of the door.

“Thank you.”

The Zombie wandered out the back door. It snuck through various backyards. It stayed close to the back of the house, clinging to it like Ivy. No one suspected a thing. The people remained oblivious to the fact that a deceased corpse was creeping through their yards. It was waiting till hunger compelled it to feed once again. Mr. Murphy came home and found the bloodied corpse of his wife; it was mangled and lifeless. He pulled out his cell phone, called the police and the hospital. Officer Wright, a smug-looking blonde-haired man, and Officer Judy Fair, a naive-looking rookie cop, arrived quickly.

“Do you know who could have done this?” Officer Wright asked.

“N,o sir,” Mr. Murphy said. “I just found her like this when I came home from work.”

“The bite marks are human,” Officer Wright said.

“What kind of maniac rips a woman’s throat out with their teeth?” Mr. Murphy asked while sobbing and shaking.

“We’ve seen awful things,” Officer Wright said. “You’d be surprised what people are capable of, especially on Halloween.”

“They should ban Halloween!” Mr. Murphy. “Halloween brings out the weirdos.”

“You’re right about that,” Officer Wright said. “Also, a full moon is bringing out the kooks as well. We can’t ban full moons, can we?”

“I guess not,” Mr. Murphy said.

“We’ll keep you posted, ed Mr. Murphy,” Officer Wright said. The Officers left. They drove through the streets, their heads on a swivel, looking for any sign of danger. All seemed routine; kids walked along sidewalks in costumes. Little doctors, construction workers, clowns, cops, vampires, and witches lined the streets. Officer Fair smiled as he observed the kids’ costumes.

“I remember going as a princess one year,” Officer Fair said.

“I went as a cowboy,” Officer Wright said.

The Zombie broke into another house. Bob Sanders screamed as the Zombie ripped the bat out of his hands and started beating him with it until layaid on the ground. His foot twitched, and the Zombie grabbed a knife and severed Bob’s middle finger and roasted it over an open fire. He poured salt over the finger. He licked his lips; he was salivating like a dog with a bone. It made a satisfying crunch as he bit into it. The salt and the char gave it a robust flavor, as Mrs. Murphy had offered. He admitted to himself that he had rushed the feeding process with Mrs. Murphy. He cut out a hunk of flesh from Bob’s stomach, which had been tenderized by the bat. He roasted that flesh and salted it. He let out a satisfied hum as he ate. The tender meat melted in his mouth. He knew bludgeoning victims was the way to go. It tenderized the meat,t and he liked roasting and salting it as well. Cannibalism was a learning process. He had only been a zombie for about an hour, ur but was already enjoying it. The salted and roasted meat reminded him of bacon. He thought that with his next victim, he would tryadding barbecuee sauce to the human rib meat.

The Zombie continued feeding on the corpse. Officer Wright and Officer Fair were parked outside. They had received complaints from neighbors about someone screaming. Officer Fair knocked on the door. The Zombie opened the door and grabbed Officer Fair by the shoulders. She screamed while writhing in its grip. She tried to break the Zombie’s iron grasp in vain. Ne Officer Wright fired his gun. Blood, brains, and bits of skull went flying everywhere. The Zombie fell over dead. Officer Fair panted…

“T-thanks!” she stuttered.

The Zombie

The Zombie

Passages

whole story