Regina the Zombie Slayer, Episode Three: Be Aggressive

Regina scraped away the jagged edges of glass that remained stuck to the window pane. She was going to jump.

It was a bit high, but Regina was used to heights. She had been a cheerleader in high school. Standing atop pyramids and being basket-tossed had totally prepared her for this moment.

Regina stepped back and mentally prepared herself for the jump. Behind her, the front door buckled and crashed to the floor. Four zombies shambled into the room, their every jerk and shudder fueled by wild hunger.

You have to go now!

"Be aggressive! B-E aggressive!"

Regina leapt over the lip of the window and into the empty air. Her insides fluttered. It was a familiar feeling.

Regina pretended she was falling toward the arms of her trusted teammates. They would catch her at the bottom. She would be okay.

In reality, Regina was caressed by concrete at the end of her fall. She let gravity pull her upper body toward the ground. She folded herself inward and rolled.

Cement pebbles imbedded in her arms and legs. Her elbows and knees were scraped and bloodied in an instant. But, Regina somehow rolled to her feet, holding her skillet out in front of her.

Regina had survived her fall. And, she had done it with style.

If only her stupid boyfriend could see her now. Regina hoped that zombies were feeding on his intestines at that very moment.

"No more time for resentment." Regina backed toward the apartment building as ten zombies converged on her position. She had two choices.

She could fight: use her skillet to bash each and every one of those zombies heads in.

Or, she could run: let the zombies chase her around the apartment building until she found an escape route. The ghouls were slow - surely she could outrun them. But, what if some of them could secretly run? That wouldn't be good.

Yet, fighting wasn't the best option either. Ten zombies against a human with a skillet was definitely an unfair match up.

The zombies had Regina almost completely cornered now. She had to act now or be eaten.

What should Regina do?

Run from the zombies

OR

Fight them?

Vote in the comments section to help Regina make her decision. Check back this Friday to see what happens next!

Regina the Zombie Slayer, Episode Two: A Skillet on the Skullet

Regina grabbed the skillet in a frenzy. She raised it above her head with both hands and swung as hard as she could.

She forced herself to keep her eyes open. If this didn't hit, she was dead.

The heavy skillet arced down and clipped the zombie on the jaw, knocking it onto the floor. It's jaw hung open, held up only by sallow skin. With a groan, it slithered toward Regina, unfeeling of pain.

Regina swung again, pummeling it on the head. Her hands rang from the impact, but she could not stop now. She hit it again and again, the dull thud of metal and splattering of blood meeting her ears.

At last, a disturbing snap of bone signified the skull had cracked. Blood and brains oozed from the crevice and onto the once pristine linoleum. The zombie's groans ceased as it moved its arms feebly.

Regina continued clobbering it. She panted from exertion as blood sprinkled her T-shirt and jeans.

Finally, the zombie ceased its twitching and grew still. A rotten smell that made her want to heave permeated the air.

The blood now on her face was a sobering reminder not to go too crazy. If that so much as entered her eye...

She dropped the skillet with a clang and ran to the sink. She turned on the faucet and washed her face. She then went to her bedroom and changed into a clean shirt and jeans before returning to the living room.

The zombie was still inert on the floor. Blood continued to pool under its misshapen head. Regina was afraid it would spring back to life. But how could it? Its skull was flattened as if an eighteen wheeler had run it over.

"I...actually did that...."

Regina wanted to fall down and cry, but she did not have that luxury. The zombies outside continued to beat against her door, desperate to make their entrance. The top hinge appeared to be loosening.

It could fall any second.

Regina had to think of something. But nothing came to mind. She was stuck here. There was nothing she could do.

She ran to the window and looked outside. Well, jumping was something. But a dozen zombies now wandered the parking lot, searching for their next meal.

But what else could she do? Wait in here until they broke in? Even if she were to die out there, she was as good as dead in here.

Regina walked to the kitchen and picked up the skillet, her arm shaking from its earlier effort. Unfortunately, the skillet was the best weapon she had. There was nothing else in the apartment with its skull-crushing capabilities.

Regina once more walked to the window. If she could just jump and run very fast, she might be able to break free of the zombies outside. But if she landed wrong, or got surrounded, or was just plain unlucky, she would be dead for sure.

Behind her, she heard the top hinge fall and clink to the floor.

She closed her eyes, trying to gain her focus.

It was time to make a decision.

What should Regina do:

Jump out the window,

OR

Try to think of a better option?

Cast your vote and return next Tuesday to see if you made the right call.

Regina the Zombie Slayer

You know her as the perpetual whiner and annoying girlfriend in Night of the Necromancer - but what if things had been different?

What if Regina was never rescued by her boyfriend, who thought she would only hurt his chances of escape?

So much chivaly. And now, with zombies pressing in on every side, Regina is alone, afraid, and abandoned. The ghoulish monsters outside her apartment are just waiting to tear her apart.

And you, readers, will decide her fate.

How it will work:

Regina the Zombie Slayer will feature 250-500 word posts written from Regina's point of view, released at a rate of about three times per week.

At the end of each post, one of two decisions will need to be made. Readers will vote on each decision in the comments section, and whichever gets the most votes is the course the story will take - for better or for worse.

This is not a sequel, so no prior knowledge is needed. Just read and have fun!

When will it start?

Tomorrow, the first part of Regina the Zombie Slayer will be posted. Readers will immediately have the chance to read and vote on her next choice.

Will Regina survive? Will she become the greatest zombie slayer of all time? Will she have the chance to confront her cruel boyfriend, for either vengeance or mercy's sake?

Her fate awaits you in Regina the Zombie Slayer.

Night of the Necromancer now available on paperback!

I'm pleased to announce that Night of the Necromancer is now available on paperback!

The cover looks pretty sweet, done by Jelani's uncle, Gary Phillips. The book looks very professional (in my opinion).

Get yourself a copy today, and continue to support your favorite indie zombie authors!