STAY DEAD:

  A Day with the Dead

  By Steve Wands

  * * * * *

  SMASHWORDS EDITION

  * * * * *

  Published by:

  Steve Wands on Smashwords

  Stay Dead: A Day with the Dead

  Copyright © 2010 by Steve Wands

  Cover Design and Layout by Apparatus Revolution

  http://www.staydeadrev.com

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Smashwords Edition License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  * * * * *

  Dedications

  Dedicated to those no longer walking among the living.

  Thanks

  To those living who are now reading these words.

  Special Thanks

  To my wife, Carmela, for proofreading and for modeling for the cover. To Corey Graham of the Midnight Podcast, Bryan Wolford of the Drunken Zombie Podcast, Mike Benedict of The Cadaver Lab Podcast, Desmond Reddick of Dread Media, and Darryl Pierce of A Little Dead Podcast for taking the time to read, review, and discuss Stay Dead on their podcasts' and websites.

  Nice words from nice people

  "...focuses on atmosphere and desperation...gruesome and really intereseting, both stories oozing hopelessness...a really strong debut."

  Corey Graham formerly of the Midnight Podcast

  http://www.midnightpodcast.com

  "One of the most humanizing zombie stories since Romero's Night Of The Living Dead."

  Bryan Wolford of the Drunken Zombie Podcast

  http://www.drunkenzombie.com

  "This collection of short stories is brutal and heart breaking. Steve Wands describes the state of the world in the midst of a zombie outbreak as if he were there. These tales will make you feel like you know the characters and are sharing in their plight."

  Mike Benedict of The Cadaver Lab Podcast

  http://www.cadaverlab.com

  "...one of the more intense and downbeat endings you will ever read... endlessly fun...nothing wasted...no pulling of punches."

  Desmond Reddick of Dread Media

  http://www.dread-media.com

  "...very well done...makes you want more...a great read... I couldn't put this down."

  Darryl Pierce of A Little Dead Podcast

  http://www.alittledead.com

  Stay Dead: The Stranger & Tunnel Rats was also nominated for a 2009 Mail Order Zombie Dead Letter Award for Best Zombie Book/Fiction. http://www.mailorderzombie.com

  * * * * *

  STAY DEAD:

  A Day with the Dead

  * * * * *

  They had the sickness. At least that's what some people were calling it, as if a bottle of cough syrup would set you right again. Jennifer---unsure of how she had the strength to do it---managed to restrain her family. Her father was heavily duct-taped to his favorite chair. He was neatly wrapped in a reclined position. On the love seat were her mother and younger brother, both of whom were strapped down with tape and bungee cords. Jennifer sat cuddled up with a blanket on the larger couch, her eyes rimmed with tears. They sat in front of the television, which remained off due to the power being out. Otherwise, it was an ordinary movie night at the Benz household, well, that and the fact that (with the exception of Jennifer) they had all been dead days ago. Yet, they continued to move, squirming in their seats and moaning for flesh, her flesh.

  Jennifer spoke to her family, sharing fond memories of times gone by. She told her father that he was right about her boyfriend. He only wanted one thing, and she let him have it. She apologized to her little brother for always being mean to him. It's how she thought big sisters were supposed to be. She peppered her talks with bouts of sobbing, sloppy, uncontrollable sobbing. Her mother gazed at her with yellowed eyes and bloodied lips. Jennifer whispered, "sorry." They had a fight before her mother got the sickness, but she didn't get it, she was bitten, repeatedly. Her shoulder and back were torn and marked by teeth. Her father was able to get her back inside the house but the damage was done, and he too, was bitten on his hands.

  They both grew sick and quickly became bedridden. Jennifer took care of them as best she could. She apologized for fighting with her, and her mother accepted it. She made her mother and father a promise, one she couldn't keep. She promised to keep her brother safe. Underestimating how quickly her parents would turn into those things, and not fully understanding how dangerous her situation really was would lead to the death of her little brother. Joseph was in the bedroom with his parents. He was curled up along his mother's side with his action figures lost in the folds of the blankets, sleeping. He woke up screaming as his mother tore the flesh from his neck. By the time Jennifer ran into the room, her father was eating his son's eyeballs and his screams turned into a death gurgle. Jennifer became a hysterical, screaming, and crying mess. She closed the door and fell to her knees. Tears and snot ran rivers down her face and spit hung from her lower lip. She broke her promise to her mother, and now her brother paid the ultimate price for it. Jennifer was alone now. She was the last girl on earth as far as she knew.

  Now, she told her family everything she never could when they were alive. How much they meant to her and how much she loved them. How she would do anything for them, even if it meant letting them eat her. She cut them loose and opened her arms, waiting for a family hug. She would always be daddy's little girl, and her mother's pride and joy. She would never be mean to her brother again, and most importantly they'd always be a family.

  * * * * *

  About the author

  Steve Wands lives in New Jersey with his wife and son. He's a comic book letterer for DC Comics by day, and an artist and writer by night. He drinks massive amounts of coffee, and sleeps very little. He is the author of Stay Dead: The Stranger and Tunnel Rats, Modern Nightmares, Damaged, and plenty of short stories.

  http://www.stevewands.blogspot.com

  Discover other titles by Steve Wands at Smashwords.com: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stevewands

  Check out the Stay Dead blog:

  http://www.pleasestaydead.blogspot.com

  Table of Contents

  Stay Dead: A Day With The Dead

  Midpoint

  About the author

 

 

  Steve Wands, Stay Dead: A Day With The Dead

  Thanks for reading the books on GrayCity.Net