Regina the Zombie Slayer, Episode Thirteen: Potential Supplies

Regina drew a deep breath of cold morning air and headed east down the road. The pine woods flanked her either side, and her feet echoed off the asphalt and into silence. There was no sound here, not even of birds. It was like everything had died overnight and she was the only one left. She clung tightly to her skillet and suppressed an urge to cry. Her damp clothes chilled her in the cool breeze had made her start to shiver, but the sun was warm - she hoped that as the day drew on, it would warm up. The sky for now was a clear, pure blue, promising a beautiful day that conflicted madly with the fact that a real, live zombie apocalypse was unfolding.

She rounded a bend, scanning the tree line for any threat. For now, the woods were clear. She walked on for thirty minutes. She finally came upon a gas station at an intersection. Suppressing a shiver, she ran ahead to a small truck still sitting at the pump. It was empty, its driver having abandoned it for some reason. As she finally reached the gas station, she noticed the smell of death and three bodies lying prone on the pavement. She walked quietly, hoping that they were not close to reanimating into the walking dead.

She softly opened the door of the vehicle. She got inside, thankful to be out of the cold wind. The key was still in the ignition. She pulled out the keys, about to turn them in the ignition.

But before she did, she looked inside the store. Inside, there would surely be food. lighter fluid, better weapons, warmer clothes - not to mention anything else she might need. It might be a good idea to stock up.

But Regina looked at the three bodies lying on the ground riddled with bite marks. Maybe it just wasn't worth the risk. But if she was going toward the highway, she would surely run into more of the ghouls - and now might be the only time she had to get supplies. She could sneak up on each of the bodies and bash their heads in before they even had a chance to reanimate. The prospect of doing this terrified her - yet her stomach growled in hunger and her body shivered with cold.

Was it worth the risk?

What should Regina do?

Go inside and get supplies,

OR

Just drive away?

Return this Monday for the next episode of Regina the Zombie Slayer.

Regina the Zombie Slayer, Episode Eleven: The Jaws of Death

She looked left. Right. Bubbles rose to the surface in front of her, and then dissipated. She felt a current against her thigh. She shrieked as something scaly and slimy and cold brushed her ankle.

Then, there was a calm. Regina listened to her heavy breaths, felt her heart pounding against her chest. He arms and legs continued treading.

Then, a great beast rocketed from the deeps of Deadwater lake. It was at least forty feet long, a ghostlike swimming lizard with rows of sharp teeth glistening in the moonlight. Its reptilian, pale eyes gleamed in the dark. The creatuure dived back into the lake, and Regina felt its current sweep past her feet.

She turned and swam as fast as she could to the shoreline. She heard the creature screech from behind her.

But she couldn't look. That thing had to be much faster than her.

It dove and swam right beneath her. Regina came to a stop, and could see the lizard, like a pale shadow, pass under her body.

She couldn't turn again. That would just lead her back to the center of the lake. She veered right toward the shoreline, nearly out of breath.

Then, the fearsome reptile surfaced just in front of her. Its wide jaws opened, and Regina felt herself being pulled into the great maw of jagged fangs.

"No!"

The jaws snapped close around her, the sharp teeth sinking into her frail form with unbelevable force, piercing past her skin into bone and organs. She felt herself be pulled under, down and down into the dark depths of the lake. She breathed the water in, and it felt cold and slimy going into her lungs.

As the beast thrashed her about at the bottom of the lake. Regina's last thought before she lost consciousness was that it wasn't a zombie human that had finally gotten her.

It was a zombie crocodile.

Come back next Thursday to continue with option two of Episode Two: A Watery Grave. A decision will have to be made - and don't make this one her last.

The readers' score: 1 death.

Regina the Zombie Slayer, Episode Ten: A Watery Grave?

Regina looked back . The zombies were closer than she had realized. She wasn't going to be able to beat them on foot for much longer.

She had to swim.

Regina turned and bolted down the path toward Deadwater Lake, praying it wasn't too far.

The path sloped down and to the left, surrounded on both sides by towering pine trees. The route seemed endless.

Tears of desperation streaked down Regina's cheeks. She loved life more now than she ever had before.

Where is that lake?

Ahead, the path straightened out and the trees opened up. Regina could see moonlight glistening of off a calm, murky body of water.

"Yes!" Regina made her feet go faster. The path ended in an old, wooden dock. For a moment, Regina imagined kids playing on it, jumping into the water, launching canoes.

Those happy moments were long gone from the place. Now, Deadwater Lake was privy to a scene of horror: hundreds of zombies chasing after a girl armed with nothing but a frying pan.

Regina felt like she was flying as she ran from the dirt path to the dock. She readied herself to dive into the lake, attempted to quickly recall the swimming lessons she had taken as a child.

Crack.

Regina fell through the docks and slabs of jagged, rotten wood flew up around her face. She shielded her eyes as the splinters cut into her cheeks.

"No!" The perfect facial complexion she had always taken pride in was now ruined.

To make matters worse, she was now flailing in dark, stagnant water that tasted like mud and metal. She swung her arms and legs around in the awful water, trying to calm down. She surfaced and gulped in precious air.

Regina looked up at the gaping hole in the dock through which she had fallen. Regina felt stupid for trusting the old platform. She should have found a different place to jump in.

Before Regina could have another thought, shadowy hands were reaching into the hole, grabbing violently for her.

"No!" Regina screamed as a zombie got a hold of her shirt with hands covered in gangrene. The ghoul was surprisingly strong, and started pulling her out of the water. Other zombie hands grasped her as well, each one helping the other to pull their potential meal from the water.

Regina realized that she was still holding the frying pan. It seemed nearly attached to her arm now.

She swung it out of the water and bashed at the grasping hands and arms. Water cascaded off the pot and into Regina's mouth as she gave a primal scream.

The ghouls let go of her and she swam out from under the dock, coughing and choking on the terrible water. Regina kicked her way to the center of the small lake. Despite its size, it still took a few minutes to get there.

At the center, she began to tread, turning to look back Tthe shore line.

Zombies had lined up along the lakeside, clearly afraid to jump in.

"Take that!" Regina thrust her pan in the air triumphantly.

However, Regina realized how dire her situation was when she turned towards the other side of the lake to see a line of zombies there as well.

She was surrounded on both sides.

"No!" Regina shouted through gritted teeth. "Charlie! Will! Help!"

Regina knew it was pointless to call for her deserters, but she wouldn't be able to get out of this situation by herself again.

Something brushed against Regina's leg.

Once. Twice.

Oh no.

Regina was either going to have to take her chances and swim out, or stay in the water, hoping that it was just harmless fish swimming past her legs.

Another scrape against her thigh. That didn't feel like a fish at all...

What should Regina do?

Keep treading water

or

Swim out of the lake?

Regina's in more trouble than ever before. Only your decision will help her survive the next moments of her life. Come back next week for the next harrowing chapter.

Regina the Zombie Slayer, Episode Nine: Left Behind

Regina's feet were suddenly carrying her toward the window before she even realized what she was doing

"Wait!" Charlie shouted from behind her.

Too late.

Regina was already breaking the window, opaque and thick at the bottom with age, with her skillet. No turning back now.

Regina stepped aside. "Lead the way, Will!"

Will raced forward, climbing through the window.

"You've really done it now," Charlie growled, his accent growing thicker.

"We've gotta move."

Regina climbed through the window after Will, scraping her hands on remnants of glass on the sill. "Bickering will only get us killed by that horde."

By the time Regina dropped down from the window, Will was already several lengths ahead of her. Leaves crunched under Regina's feet as she ran through the camp grounds. The moans of the horde swelled in response to the noise of their escape, but there was nothing she could do to prevent it. She could only run faster.

Regina risked looking back at Charlie behind her. The beam of his flashlight shook violently as he ran to keep up.

Regina tripped as she turned around. She thrust out her arms to keep from falling flat on her face. She scrambled on all fours for several moments, trying to cover ground while she regained her balance.

Charlie came barreling in behind her, knocking her to the ground as he jumped over her.

"What the hell!"

Regina looked up as Charlie and Will disappeared into the darkness and trees.

Regina jumped up and turned around. A few zombies were right behind her now, zeroing in on her position. Regina high-tailed it into the trees, searching desperately for Will and Charlie. She could not even see their flashlight beams anymore.

Regina chastised herself as she ran. She had known not to trust those men. Now, they had left her behind with the horde.

Tree limbs and other sharp things she couldn't see put fresh cuts on her arms and legs.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Regina shouted. She clambered through the trees and underbrush. She finally broke through the tree line on the other side and found herself on a trail that sloped down to the left.

Regina followed the trail down, hoping Will and Charlie had gone the same direction. At the bottom of the hill was a rest stop with a parking lot, and what looked like a Ranger Station or information center. A wooden swing set, well into the process of rotting, sat lopsided in front of the building.

Regina ran straight through the rest stop, not knowing where she would go next. The roar of the horde was deafening now. If Regina fell or dared to stop for any moment, the zombies would be upon her. But, even adrenaline and fear couldn't drive her tired limbs forever.

At the end of the rest stop, there was a crossroads. There was a pole a little taller than her with arrows attached, each one pointing to a different destination.

Stoneman's Valley was to the right. Deadwater Lake was to the left.

Regina almost laughed at the name of the lake. It was terribly appropriate.

She had no time to appreciate the irony, however. She needed to make the right decision.

Heading for Stoneman's Valley meant a lot more running, but maybe Will and Charlie had gone that way. The valley, whatever it was, might also be the way out.

Then again, Deadwater Lake might be the right choice. Regina was sure zombies couldn't swim. She could jump in the lake, swim to the middle, and wait for the horde to pass. Or she could swim to the other side and have a huge head start on the zombies.

Regina looked behind her. A few running zombies had broken ahead of the horde's solid line and were headed right for her. She had to move now.

What should Regina do?

Head for Deadwater Lake

or

Head for Stoneman's Valley

Vote now and come back Thursday for the outcome. Hopefully, you will make the decision that saves Regina's endangered life once again.

The readers' score: 0 deaths

Regina the Zombie Slayer, Episode Eight: March of the Undead

Regina found the courage to stand up for herself. She was not going in there first.

"So you guys send in the girl with the skillet first? I don't think so."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Do the men always have to everything around here? Have it your way then. Will - check the cabin."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You're closest, so get on with it."

"That's not a good reason..."

Regina was almost tempted to go in just to stop them from yapping. But her life wasn't worth these two - not by a long shot.

"Fine," Will agreed. "I'll go in. But I get dibs on the beds."

"Suits us," Regina said.

Will slowly, tentatively stepped foward. He reached his pistol out and pushed the door open with it. As it opened, it let out a foreboding groan. Will stepped in. Regina could hear his boots creak on the planks inside.

"Looks clear," Will said. "Come on in."

Charlie and Regina stepped toward the door. At last, she could see the cabin's interior. Dust coated everything - and dead leaves from a decade's worth of autumns lay in the corner. There was a musty smell - as if nature were slowly taking this small piece of civilzation back. It was cold in here, too, but at least there was no wind. Several mattresses, yellowed with time and the elements, lay on the floor. Two were set on the top bunk, and were relatively clean.

Regina wasted no time in jumping on one. It had a sour, unclean smell - but at this point she didn't care. She was exhausted.

"Just as well there are only two beds," Charlie said. "One of us will have to keep watch."

Will had already settled on the other bunk, and was now breathing heavily.

"You worry about getting a good night's rest," Charlie said to Regina. "You've had the roughest night of all of us. I'll wake you up with the sun. We need to put some more distance between us and those monsters."

Regina wasn't even listening. Despite the cold, she was already nodding off.

* * *

Something was touching her leg.

Regina woke with a start, being jolted out of her nightmare. She saw Charlie's face, a mask of fear. He put a finger to his mouth .

Regina felt cold, and it had little do with the room.

Across the way, Will was already awake. His wide eyes glistened, and he held his pistol tightly.

"What is it?" Regina whispered.

Charlie didn't speak. He merely pointed out the window.

Regina looked out. A line of about a dozen zombies were limping down the forested hill they had descended earlier. Regina wanted to scream, but caught herself - such an action would surely get her killed - or worse. As she continued watching on horror, she noticed more zombies materializing in the fog from behind the first line. And more. It was an entire horde. They marched slowly, steadily, an undead parade.

They were about a football field away.

"I think we can outrun them," Will said.

"We're safe here," Charlie said. "As long as we don't panic and stay quiet."

"Those things can smell us. How do you think they followed us this far? It's only a matter of time before they break in."

Eighty yards away.

"They sure don't look like they see us. They're rather quiet, I would say."

"Now's our chance!" Will slipped down from the bed. "I'm running. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not going to wait out a siege."

"Wait!" Regina hissed.

Sixty yards.

"Whatever we do, we do together. If you run away, you'll just get us killed!"

"We don't have time for this," Charlie said. "They're too close now."

Will eyed the door. Regina felt like he was going to go - no matter what she said.

Then, she got an idea - an idea that seemed repulsive to her, so repulsive that she didn't want to believe she had thought it. She could just let Will go. While the ghouls were distracted eating him, she and Charlie could slip away.

Forty yards.

There was no time. Regina had to make her decision, now.

What should Regina do?

Let Will run away,

Convince Will to stay and wait it out,

OR

Convince everyone to go as a group.

The score: o deaths.

Choose wisely, and be here Monday for episode nine of Regina the Zombie Slayer.