Sounds of Silence

Preface: here it is, it's not a zombie story, it's a story set in a zombie scene. While not written for the scare factor if you are easily scared you might want to skip this post. Yes, I know it's rough, it was written at one sitting. I make no claims, and I make no apologies, like it or lump it.

“Let man never forget that he was born in darkness, raised blind and will die alone. This is the solemn truth, that prejudice, hatred, and bigotry are all born of fear. All created in our mind from ignorance, changing friends to foes, people to monsters, and peace into terror.”

The red light glowed from the exit sign above Dmitri’s head. His eyes were accustomed to it, and the shapes around him stood out starkly from the pale walls. Left, right, up and down his eyeballs flicked. Trying to see everything simultaneously. From the corners of his sight the palm tree decorations seemed to rustle and grow into something far more formidable, so he would turn quickly to look at them, but again they were mere plastic and wicker.
He heard a groan and clenched his fists in preparation to fight before he realized it was his own voice. Just how long he had been sitting there he no longer remembered. His back itched so he scratched absentmindedly as he tried to recall when he had first sat against the wall. What had once been a sharp young mind darted back and forth, calling up images and noises that followed no order. He saw clearly a young man somewhat like himself walking into this old hotel with several others. They walked among the halls, jesting at the state of dilapidation. Gradually the images changed tone, one of the group screamed at another for no apparent reason. The mood continued to cloud as eyes changed from bright to brooding, a deep anger brewing in each mind. A room, suddenly all he could see was a room. On the wall there was red streaking. As the image rotated it became a series of words that trailed off in an arc to the floor. Dmitri sensed that the words of the image held some significance, but as hard as he tried he could not control his own memories to show them again. A door slammed somewhere, Dmitri could no longer tell if it was in his mind or outside his hallway. The images in his head swept left to show another member of the group panting and coughing up blood. The other man slowly looked up and the horror filled Dmitri all over again. The man’s eyes were no longer white with blue in the middle, instead they were bright green with a red center. The other man’s face contorted with fear as he looked around the rest of the group. He involuntarily licked his lips and Dmitri recoiled from the sight. Suddenly the man lunged at Dmitri screaming and trying to choke him.
Dmitri’s memories were so vivid that his body turned and tried to climb up the wall behind him to escape from the man. He could feel the man’s hands tearing at his throat, the man’s teeth lashing at Dmitri’s arms. Suddenly the sensation left and Dmitri lay back and watched as his mind showed the other men of the group seizing the afflicted one and crushing him with whatever objects lay at hand. As he lay there panting both in his mind and in the hall Dmitri could only see the dead man’s tongue, it was spotted with mold.
The next eternity was spent watching short bits of events that had culminated in the hall. The images were jerky and jumped from scene to scene wildly. Through it all Dmitri’s eyes darted back and forth seeing his past as a third party and frantically scanning the hallway for any signs of disturbance. Suddenly it all cleared, the images became coherent and for a brief span of time Dmitri was himself again. He saw it all, the realization that the mold was infecting them, then the terrifying moment when they learned that they were not alone in the hotel.
Dmitri pawed through his pockets till he found his wallet. He pulled a picture out of the sleeve and gazed at her. He was himself again, he was Dmitri. He didn’t know how long it would be till it got to him too, but for this moment he was aware, and all he thought about was her. “Diana…” the words trailed off. Even his own voice sounded foreign. He wished she were here, he would hold her and forget all that was happening outside. His finger slid slowly down the glossy image, caressing her cheek, “Diana, I’m sorry.”
He heard a sound outside, something in the ballroom beyond the wall had knocked over a chair. Dmitri knew what it was, it was someone driven mad by the mold. All reason gone they were skulking along the walls hiding from all others, savagely attacking those that they encountered out of fear. He knew that he should crawl to the window and look out, but Dmitri was shrinking back. He wanted to go out, to see, to stop hiding in the dark hallway, but Dmitri was too afraid. He pulled at Dmitri, trying to force him to look. Dmitri slowly moved towards the door, fear welling up inside of himself. Dmitri knew what this was, this was the transformation, the welling up of fear that would dominate his every action. Dmitri tried to resist, he clung frantically to the carpet and his clarity. The thoughts that had raced through his mind returned more vivid than before. He was standing up, peering out the side of the window. He could see shapes moving around outside, anger began to build inside. He was tired of being afraid, tired of hiding from those things. His arm muscles flexed and his lips pulled back as he snarled at the ones outside. He knew he was stronger than them, he would show them, they would see that they couldn’t scare him, no one could. He wasn’t afraid of her, he wasn’t afraid to show her what he was, they would all see.
Dmitri fought with him, screaming inside his mind against the change. Dmitri saw his intentions. Dmitri knew that he was strong, nothing would stop him. Dmitri shrugged and was surprised to see his shoulders move. In his mind Dmitri smiled slightly, I won’t let you go dammit, I’ll never let you touch her.
He laughed, he felt Dmitri struggling against him, but he knew it was only a matter of time before Dmitri submitted. He tilted back his head roared against the terror. The ones outside shrank away from the door. He smiled, soon they would find out what he was.
Dmitri seized his hand and forced it into his pocket. The hand retrieved a paper clip that was already bent out of shape. Too late he realized what Dmitri was doing. With one final effort, one last great exertion, Dmitri plunged the paperclip into the nearby white plastic socket. Dmitri wasn’t afraid anymore, Dmitri was calm. He screamed in anger and fear as he waited an eternity for the spark he knew was coming.
For one second Dmitri and he were again the same, one split second united them for all eternity. I’ve got you, you bastard. Di…

“Hello darkness my old friend…”