Celebrate with Excerebration

Sarah was getting ready for a party; she had the radio on and was trying to decide which shoes to wear with her floor length gold sequin dress. She lived in student halls in oxford where she was studying philosophy. Her parents were so proud, “who would have thought it our little girl from Leicestershire going to oxford university.”

The news interrupted the music on the radio; Hello this is the BBC news, reports just in have seen several cases of unusual behaviour in homeless people. More than one hundred cases have been reported so far. These people are displaying symptoms including loss of movement and motor function, aggressive behaviour, Loss of speech and in some cases insatiable hunger. Experts have said it could be a rare neurological disease, but investigations are underway. The police urged anyone who is approached by someone acting strangely, to keep your distance and report it immediately.

Sarah switched the channel over to find some more music. She continued getting ready dancing about the flat and singing as loudly as she could. She felt apprehensive because her boyfriend Colin was taking her round one of his rich friend’s house party. Colin wasn’t her usual type, he was from money and Sarah sometimes felt Colin looked down his nose at her, but he was fit, and she enjoyed the extravagant gifts and nights out.

There was a knock on the door.

“Hang on a second Colin I will be right there.”

Sarah slipped her feet into the black heels, swung her bag over her shoulder, and headed towards the door. She opened the door and Colin confidently stomped into the room remarking on how beautiful Sarah looked. Colin was a 3rd year politics student, he was intelligent and cock sure of himself, he attended Eaton as a teenager, and it showed.

“Sarah, I have got you a gift.”

“Another one, you didn’t have t.”

“Shhhh just take it, here.”

Colin handed over a small box, which Sarah proceeded to open. In the box there was a heart shaped locket, it looked expensive.

“I commissioned our family goldsmith to make it for you, its 18ct Gold, Look inside.”

Sarah opened the locket to find a picture of the two of them.

“Ahhh, that’s so sweet, thank you.”

She flung her arms around Colin, and they had a moment to embrace each other. He placed the locket around her neck and the couple left the building and made their way to the party.

Colin drove his Jaguar F-Type he loved his electric car it made him feel more wholesome, but it also had power and prestige. He pulled up outside his friends’ huge stately home and parked next to a row of cars that were all brand new and shiny. They looked like they had been driven straight out of the show room. Sarah’s throat felt dry, and she started to a feel a slight anticipation about meeting Colin’s friends. She felt she would be the only person that was not from money.

The couple were welcomed and handed champagne it took Sarah about two glasses before she was chatting and dancing away with Colin's friends. There was a Lavish spread, service personal and so much champagne you could sink a ship. Someone was always doing a circuit offering out the bubbly, this made it easy for Sarah to drink away her social anxiety and mingle with the crowd. The evening turned late, and the staff started bringing round some shots and everyone seemed keen to take one.

“What’s that shot thing Colin, it looks like vodka jelly?”

“Urmmm yeah urr its not a shot, its this new erm drug thing that people are doing, I’m not really sure about it to be honest, It’s not vegetarian.”

“Oh, ok some jelly does have gelatine in it, have you tried it?”

“No and I think we should leave now I’m ready for home, do you want to stay at my place tonight?”

Sarah had thought the party had only just got started, but was feeling quite drunk and horny, so decided to go back to Colin’s place. As they left everyone had started to act a little strange and Sarah had assumed that must have been the weird looking shots. She felt they had left at just the right moment and commended Colin on his choice to go.

In the car on the way home Colin confided in Sarah about the new drug his friends were taking.

“Yeah, so about those shots that looked like vodka jelly.”

“Oh yes what an earth were those Colin? they made everyone act quite peculiar.”

“Well, I was hoping my friends weren’t into that stuff its errr. Its horrible. Ryan was telling me about it the other day. Errr I don’t know how to say this, but apparently its made from human brain.”

“What the hell that’s a …………….. that’s gross.”

“I know tell me about it and my friends are doing it now. What on earth is going on?”

“But how do they get it?”

“Ryan said he heard it came from organ donners their brains are donated and if you have enough money, you can buy them. I am pretty sure it is all very illegal. I suppose you can buy anything on the black market if you are rich enough. Not me though babe, it’s not ethical, I don’t care how high you get.”

“I can’t believe your friends are eating human brains to get high Colin. Its madness.”

“I know babe…. I know.”

Three weeks later Colin and Sarah are watching the news in absolute disbelief.

This is an emergency broadcast A full curfew has been ordered everyone must stay indoors for your own safety. The neurological infection Encep33 has become widespread across the nation. The Virus is being referred to as the zombie virus because of its effects on brain function. People infected appear in a zombie like state. Currently there is no known cure for the virus, and it is thought to pass through the nose and into the brain. If you must go outside wear a mask and avoid, contact with people. The hospitals are currently being overwhelmed with patients and makeshift centres are being set up all over the country to treat the infected.

“What the hell are we in a zombie apocalypse?”

“I don’t know Colin.”

Sarah started to cry, and Colin comforted her.

“It will be ok; don’t worry they will find a cure.”

“Don’t you think it’s strange though how people started eating brains and then this neurological virus appeared, do you think that it’s related, maybe they caused it.”

“Yes, Sarah I was thinking that too. Humans should not be eating human brains its sick and I am one hundred percent sure it’s all connected; it’s got to be. I would not be surprised if the government were involved in it all. I heard will’s dad was doing it with his friends too, in fact I have heard rumours a lot of politicians are partial to a shot or two. Its disgusting the world has gone mad.”

“Have you been on Facebook Colin there is a barrage of conspiracies being thrown around. This Pathologist Harriot Parker has come out and said she preformed an autopsy on a body that was found dead in the street. She states that part of the brain had been damaged, mostly the Limbic system, and it appeared as though an implement had been inserted into the nostril directly into the brain.”

“No way, do you actually think people would be harvesting people’s brains through their nostrils. I don’t believe it surely not.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure what to believe anymore Colin none it doesn’t make any sense. I’m scared.”

Colin and Sarah were staying at Colin's house as he had the place all to himself. Colin’s parents had bought him the three bedroomed residence when Colin started university. The couple shopped at their local convenience store once every four weeks stocking up and tins and frozen food to keep them going when the fresh had run out. Weeks turned into months and the days all blurred into one until the day there was a total media blackout. When Colin and Sarah went to their local shop the windows had been smashed and the place had been raided. Almost everything was gone. They scrambled around to find what little food there was left and headed home.

The pair spent another six months in isolation they started to venture further and further out for food as well as growing some vegetables in Colin’s Garden. If they ignored the Zombie apocalypse, which was easier now there was no TV, their life together was quite idyllic. Colin’s house was situated in the suburbs, there was a river to fish and plenty of rabbits to catch.

After a year they decided they would venture into the city to search for answers, surely somebody must know something. It was a 45-minute walk and the closer they got the more bodies in varying signs of decay scattered the highstreets. Some had dried blood on their faces from noes bleeds. A lot of the bodies had what appeared to be a straw like implement stuck up their nostrils. They were halfway to the city when a guy stumbled towards them trembling and shaking shouting “help me please, help me.”

“Come on Colin lets run, what if he wants to eat our brains?”

“He can barley walk lets ask him some questions.”

“What happened to you?”

“I’m sick” the man replied in a low quivering voice.

“After the harvest”

“The harvest?” Sarah asked in a surprised manor.

“Yes, things got out of hand you see. We never meant it. It itsss just that stuff.”

“You mean Brains” Colin exclaimed impatiently.

“Hmmm its insanely addictive and when we couldn’t get hold of it from our usual sources.”

“What usual sources?” Sarah quizzed angrily.

“Organ donners, well we ended up having to harvest the brains ourselves. Aaaand that’s why, ssso many people died or was left with brain damage, bbbut you see it it tttt….. karmas a bitch right.”

The guy fell to the ground and started fitting uncontrollably, his nose started to bleed and he burst out in fits of laughter. He then suddenly stopped and laid there his eyes blood shot and wide-open starring at the sky. He spluttered “Jjjjust ddon’t eeat bbbrains” and he died.

Six years later the event everyone called the great social and economic reset seemed like a distant memory. After the last deaths from Kuru a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that was transmitted by eating human brains, society had a chance to rebuild. The majority of the landowners had perished, most of the government, all of the top media bosses and some of the CEOs along with countless others. Everyone that had survived had seen horrors they could not unsee and the collective trauma brought with it a need to heal. The survivors wanted to replace their apocalyptic nightmare with a structure that did not award greed, corruption, and wealth. They wanted to work with nature forging an equal culture that did not exploit the world around them. Their new world went back to basics and brought peace and equality to humanity.

This short story was inspired by a dream I had several years ago that always stuck with me as the strangest take on a zombie apocalypse tale. I am a big fan of zombie movie’s but find not much new to explore within the genre. This is my attempt to create an alternative narrative of an old classic.

I am new to creative writing, and this is my second piece of fiction writing. Thank you for reading please like and share if you enjoyed this and please visit my profile for other work I have done.