Zombie Drabble #39 “At The Peapod Fulfillment Center”

Nearly a hundred people living in a warehouse doesn’t seem like many, until you consider there’s no electricity and one bathroom with no water pressure. There is a small enclosed area outside that used to have the dumpsters in it. Early on we knocked through an exterior wall to get access, but the kids aren’t allowed out there: the noise might draw zombies. Some of the parents are keeping them quiet by telling stories. I don’t know how long that’ll work. People are getting restless and irritable.

Anyway, there’s plenty of food. It’s the close quarters that’s gonna kill us.

SF Drabble #3 “What Every Asteroid Belt Miner Wants For Xmas”

Buy the new Sum Of Human Knowledge iPod(tm). Contains every book ever written*, every song ever recorded**, and every movie ever made***, plus plenty of space for your own personal media! Available in eight colors. Integrated phone and PDA with lifetime free netcon****. Only 4,299 IC at your neighborhood Apple Store!

*in audio book format

**songs which appear on more than one album by the same artist will not be duplicated.

***not including ratings X or XXX.

****other charges may apply. Netcon may not be continuously available offworld. Apple not responsible for outages due to terrorist netcon interruption.

SF Drabble #2

The curtains are drawn, always. That doesn’t affect the infrared cameras, but if you block those the Proctors come knocking to see why. Once you’re outside you are weighed and measured, sniffed, and biometrically interpreted at unknown but frequent intervals. The ident chip in your iComp bracelet records your movements for possible later reconstruction. Your eating habits, net footprint, health profile, sexual proclivities, political views if any, antisocial tendencies if any, cultural deviancy if any, are all available for official review on demand. You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide. You are as safe as houses.

SF drabble #1

The ship dropped into normal space with the mildest of shudders, and when the straps released and the light blinked, Jon made his way  to the control cabin.

“My Lord.”

The Yndagi pilot waved at the viewscreen, a solid wall of red giant star. In the center, nearly, was a small barren orb.

“Earth.”

“My Lord?”

“Your home planet.”

Jon hesitated. “I was born on Canhah, My Lord.”

“No, your race. Your race’s home planet: where your kind evolved. It’s about to be swallowed up by its primary. We were close by, I thought it might be amusing to watch.”

Zombie Drabble #38 “Bobby”

My name is Bobby and I am seven. I am from Bloomville Vermont, but I guess I live in Canada now with my Mom. My Dad got bitten and we had to run away because he turned into a zombie. We couldn’t take our clothes or toys or anything not even Fozzy our dog.

I wish Dad hadn’t gotten bitten and turned into a zombie. I miss him a lot. He used to read to me every night. I guess he doesn’t read anymore. I hope it doesn’t hurt to be a zombie. Also I hope he didn’t eat Fozzy.

Zombie Drabble #37

I mean, it’s nobody’s fault, really. We rested whenever it was safe, though that wasn’t very often. Most of those first few days were spent running, creeping, hiding. But even sitting motionless and silent under those circumstances is stressful.

Chuck was just too out of shape. When he was in the army, he was fit, but when he got out I guess he was sick of all the exercise, wanted to take it easy. Working from home, he got fat. To his credit, he didn’t say anything about chest pains or anything. Just kept running, shooting, until he fell over.