Category Archives: HZV

Day 47 Teaser # 4

Fiction, HZV, Zombies, , , ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

[Author’s note: This is the sixth chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE <<]

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

The patrol was now due east of the main airport terminal on 83rd Street, where it intersects Terminal Drive in a wide triangular section of pavement. “Patrol One, this is Patrol Two, does anyone know where these fuel tanks are supposed to be? Over.”

“Patrol Two, I think I see them off to my left just north of the main terminal building. Can you see the two big above-ground tanks? Now the question is how to get to them.”

“Patrol One, Patrol Two, this is Base. You need to hang a hard left and turn south onto Terminal Drive, Then proceed south until you reach the terminal entrance, maybe a hundred feet or so from your current position. Turn right and continue to bear right heading west until you reach the gate. You will be immediately north of the terminal building facing west. What is your current threat assessment? Over.”

“This is Patrol One, we see no indication of hostiles. Proceeding with caution. Over.”

“Roger that, Patrol One.” Dave replied.

The two pickups headed south on Terminal Drive and almost immediately turned right into the terminal complex.

“This is Patrol One we have pulled into the terminal complex and are heading west toward the runway. Over.”

“Roger that, Patrol One.”

“Base, the gate appears to be closed. We are now pulling up alongside of the terminal building. No sign of hostiles. We will stop at the gate.”

“Roger that.”

“Zs on the left! Zs on the left!” someone screamed.

Fiction / Reality

Blogging, Fiction, HZV, Opinion, Zombies

Here’s a thought …

When writing a fictional piece in a real location, how much of it should be fiction how much it should be real. Up to now I’ve tried to keep everything pretty much frictional. Yet Galveston is a real place and now I am faced with dealing with the reality of it.

Thanks to my stupid valued technical advisor I’m having to put in more reality than I had originally considered. As such it is taking me longer to research and longer to work on the plot devices. So please bear with me.

Technical Advisors

Blogging, Edits and Updates, Essay, Fiction, HZV, Opinion, Zombies, ,

Stupid Technical Advisors

So instead of getting the completed Day 47 today, you are instead getting this incoherent rant about technical advisors.

The role of the technical advisor is to assure that the plot of a story, TV show, or movie stays believable within the level of “suspension of disbelief” required by the storyline. Apparently my “technical advisor” (a close friend of mine) thinks that one of my plot devices, key to Day 47, is unlikely and/or unrealistic and/or impossible within the current norms of personal behavior and/or the Laws of Physics.

Now I have to completely re-write that section, leaving you, my poor, desperate readers waiting yet another day to find out what Eddy saw.

Oh well, as long as these fixes keep you from going “Well that’s just stupid” and stop following this story altogether, the corrections are worthwhile.

Be patient.

Day 47 Teaser # 3

Fiction, HZV, Zombies, , ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

[Author’s note: This is the sixth chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE <<]

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

Jess returned to the break room at the appointed time. “Ready to go she asked?”

“Yep. Check the security cams. I’ll get the weapons.” Eddy returned in a few minutes and handed Jess a shotgun and a sidearm.

“Why the pistol?” Jess asked.

“Just in case.”

As they stood up and headed for the stairwell, Maxine ran up. “Can I come?”

“It’s not safe for you out there.”

“Why not? I’m as old as Medium Girl.”

“Can you handle a weapon?”

“Yes … well … no … but I can learn.”

“I’m sure you can, but not now. We’ll begin lessons when we get back ”

“Awwwww”

Eddy and Jess descended the stairwell. At the bottom Jess contacted Tom and Cindy to have them double check the security cams. Eddy looked out the small door window to confirm that the coast was truly clear, then opened the stairwell door and they entered the garage.

He opened the passenger door for Jess and went forward to unplug the car. As he got to the front of the car he froze in terror. “Back to the stairwell now, GO!” He said in a quiet, yet extremely urgent voice. As Jess ran quietly back to the stairwell, Eddy backed slowly way from the car, shotgun at the ready. Only when they were both safely in the stairwell with the door shut and locked did Eddy exhale and start breathing again.

“What was it?”Jess asked.

Day 47 Teaser #2

Fiction, HZV, Zombies, , ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

[Author’s note: This is the sixth chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE <<]

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

 

Jess awoke to the sound of a scream. “Not again,” she thought. She threw on a robe and ran down the hall toward Eddy’s room.

Tom and Cindy met her in the hallway. “Eddy again?”

They got to Eddy’s door just as he walked out. “Sorry,” he apologized. “4:55, right on time. At least this time she didn’t bite off my nose.”

“What did she …? Oh, never mind,” Jess replied.

“Now that we’re all up, why don’t I make some breakfast?” Tom offered.

“Maxine and I will help,” Cindy chimed in.

“What about Wolf?” Maxine interrupted. “He needs to go out first.”

“I’ll take him out,” Eddy replied. “I woke you all up.”

“Agreed.” They responded in unison.

Eddy grabbed a shotgun and went through the ritual of checking the security cameras before heading up the stairs to the roof. The rest converged on the kitchen and began making hot coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon, English muffins, and juice. By the time Eddy and Wolf got back down breakfast was ready.

“It’s a gorgeous day outside. A little colder than it was yesterday. The wind has swung around and is coming in from the north.”

“A perfect day for going to the mall,” Jess replied.

“If you say so,” Eddy answered. “Still keen to get the camera gear?”

“Yes, but we should makeup a shopping list first.”

“I thought we were going to finish watching yesterday’s videos?”

“Okay, okay, everyone meet back here in five minutes,” Jess replied. “Videos first, then the mall.”

Day 47 Teaser 1

Fiction, HZV, Zombies, , , ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

[Author’s note: This is the sixth chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE <<]

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

 
– Day 47 –

MAN felt something wet slurping across his face. “Good morning Maggie is it time to get up? Do you need to go out?” Maggie licked his face even more aggressively and barked.

“Okay, okay.” MAN sighed.

MAN got dressed and headed off toward the stairs as Maggie bounded past him. She was already at the bottom of the stairwell by the time he got there. He opened the door and walked out into a grassy, fully enclosed courtyard. Maggie took off like a ‘hairy bullet’, running round and round and round and round the perimeter of the courtyard until she finally collapsed exhausted on the ground. Only then did she attend to her morning duties.

MAN looked up to one of the spotters on the roof and asked, “Any activity today?”

“Been quiet both yesterday and today.”

“Good let’s hope it stays that way.”

Day 46

Day 42, Fiction, Horror, HZV, Zombies, , , , , , , ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

This was the original fifth chapter of the Nudist War. I am leaving it here for historical reference. The current version may be found at:

The Nudist War

[Author’s note: This is the fifth chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE << The first half of this has previously been posted. I am consolidating the entire day here.]

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

All people, places, and events are fictional … except when they aren’t.

 
– Day 46 –

Jess rolled over and looked at the clock. “[sigh] 2:00 AM. Maybe some fresh air will do me some good. Can’t be any worse than lying here staring at the ceiling,” she mused. “Maybe a walk on the roof?” She reached over and grabbed the notebook computer on the nearby table and brought it into bed with her. Deftly she opened the lid and scanned the stairwell security cameras from the garage level up to the roof. Seeing nothing amiss, she disarmed the motion sensors between the lab and the roof so as not to wake anyone. “I doubt that they will be coming down from the roof tonight. Zs are not known for their climbing ability,” she chuckled to herself.

Continue reading Day 46 →

WWZ vs. Day 42

Fiction, Film, HZV, Science Fiction, Zombies, , , ,

I just finished the Unrated Cut of World War Z purchased from iTunes. I enjoyed it. It was, in my opinion a cut above most Zombie films, with elements of the medical disaster genre (eg. Contagion) thrown in. Unlike many other Zombie movies the plot of this movie also included an attempt to locate patient zero and an attempt to discover a “cure”.

I have also read Max Brooks original book World War Z, and I must say that the only thing in common between book and movie is the name. Fans of the book who expected a movie that followed the book, even remotely, will be disappointed. That having been said I recommend World War Z to anyone who likes Zombie flicks in particular and thrillers in general. It is really more of an adventure/thriller movie than a horror movie.

I had been concerned that WWZ the movie had independently introduced the same concepts I am introducing in Day 42 (DayZ of DiZeaZe). With possible exception of Fast Zombies (as commented on by Jack Flacco), WWZ and Day 42 have nothing in common.

Comparisons

WWZ: the infected are call Zombies (or in two instances Zeeks)
Day 42: the infected are called Zs, pronounced Zees, (or Zeds)

WWZ: incubation and zombification takes place in seconds or minutes after being bitten with 100% transmission efficiency
Day 42: incubation period is a week or more after initial onset with 50% death and 50% zombification

WWZ: transmission mechanism is via being bitten by the infected
Day 42: transmission mechanism is unknown

WWZ: zombies are fast, but clumsy
Day 42: Zs are fast and graceful

WWZ: zombies are ugly and undead
Day 42: Zs can be beautiful, as beautiful or ugly as their former human selves

WWZ: zombies are semi-immortal, head shots and burning do the trick, but even burned bodies can still twitch
Day 42: Zs are very much alive and, although difficult to kill, once dead stay dead

WWZ: zombies appear to be mindless and uncooperative
Day 42: Zs have non-human animal intelligence and hunt in cooperative packs

WWZ: zombies are strong
Day 42: Zs are stronger

WWZ: zombies are clothed
Day 42: Zs are naked

WWZ: humans with a serious or terminal illness are “invisible” to zombies
Day 42: humans with Multiple Sclerosis appear to be immune to the HZV virus

Note: I am still wrestling with the name. Day 42 is both the name of the book and the name of the first chapter, so I subtitled it “Day 42 (DayZ of DiZeaZe)”. But I am second guessing the name. Which do think sounds better?
Day 42
Day 42 (DayZ of DiZeaZe)
Day 42 (DaZ of d’Zs)

 

To start at the beginning of Day 42 go >> HERE <<

 

Bloggers' Rights at EFF

Z Fans (You know who you are)

Fiction, Filler, HZV, Science Fiction, Zombies, , , , ,

First the good news:

I am making significant progress on Day 46. I think that you will like what I have written.

I finally watched the latest StarTrek movie on pay per view.

I just bought and downloaded the unrated cut of World War Z from iTunes. (Now I can find out how many of my ideas they stole 🙂 )

Hillary is sleeping happily across my chest as I write this.

Now the bad news:

So … Yesterday was my friend’s 42nd birthday and I bought him dinner, then we came back and watched StarTrek (see above). Anyway … we are happily sitting on the reclining sofa watching StarTrek not six feet from the 50 something inch TV that number one son gave the Mrs several years ago.

Hillary is happily sleeping across my chest. Patches is sleeping on my right thigh.

Pickles jumps up on my lap, then jumps up on to the back of the sofa and promptly falls off over the back. This scares him and he bolts out of the TV room. This scares Hillary who bolts off of lap. This scares Patches who bolts off my thigh by way of my right arm grooving two deep bloody trenches into my forearm and in the process clears the end table to my right of all it contents.

I pause the movie and get up to see if the cats are OK. As I leave the TV room, I go to step up onto the tiled entryway and my right leg goes “zip” forward (I am wearing socks on smooth tile) as my left leg remains firmly planted. What ensues is a less than perfect high school-cheerleader style spit. At 60 years old, overweight and out of shape, my body does not bend that way. I collapse to my right side, blood dripping off of my right arm. “Ow ow ow ow ow” and proceed to laugh hysterically, even though I hurt like hell. It is times like this that I think that I must be the star of some metabeing’s slapstick situation comedy. I get a wash cloth to wash the blood off of my arm and come back to finish the movie. An hour later after the movie is finished, I can barely walk. I limp to bed and the Mrs gives me some of her muscle relaxants, pain killers, and anti-inflammatories. By morning I can kinda sorta walk but slowly and in great pain so I send an email taking day off, repeat the meds and crawl back into bed. At 8:00 PM I still hurt, but not so bad.

 

[Author’s note: To start at the beginning of Day 42 go >> HERE << ]

 

Bloggers' Rights at EFF

Day 45

Day 42, Fiction, Horror, HZV, Zombies, , , , , ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

This was the original forth chapter of the Nudist War. I am leaving it here for historical reference. The current version may be found at:

The Nudist War

[Author’s note: This is the fourth chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE << ]

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

All people, places, and events are fictional … except when they aren’t.

 
– Day 45 –

Jess awoke to the sound of thunder. She opened her eyes and turned to look at the alarm clock. It’s luminous face showed 6:30 AM. She reached over to her laptop and brought up one of the outside security cameras. The video and audio indicated that it was raining heavily. “At least the weather is still normal,” she thought before turning off her alarm, rolling over, and going back to sleep.

Continue reading Day 45 →

The Naked Z

Day 42, Fiction, Horror, HZV, Zombies, ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

[Author’s note: This is an excerpt from a future chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE << ]

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

 

Unlike the Zombies of legend, Zs were living creatures with all of the bodily functions of their human counterparts. They were still physically human. They ate meat and drank water. They urinated and defecated. Their reproductive organs and hormones still functioned. Mentally however they were very much different. The HZV virus killed off all of the higher brain function that give us our humanity. Gone were all of the traditional human emotions: Anger, Disgust, Fear, Happiness, Sadness, and Surprise. What was left was an enhanced reptilian cortex and nervous system. Imagine a warm-blooded crocodile in human form with a voracious hunger, human speed, and near superhuman strength.

Do to its increased metabolism, a Z was always hungry. Eating was always first and foremost on its mind. A Z was a strict carnivore with a taste for living flesh. It would eat anything and everything as long as it was alive and kicking. Attempts to lure a Z with butchered meat usually failed unless the Z was extremely hungry with no other option. Even then the meat had to be fresh and warm. Without food for a long enough period of time, it was not uncommon for a pack of Zs to turn on the weakest member of the pack, usually a child, a woman, or a senior. As time went on a Z pack tended to thin down to only the strongest, healthiest males and females.

Only after the need to feed was fully satisfied did the last remaining animal urge express itself. Fully fed male and female Zs had been observed to copulate aggressively for hours, with the entire pack participating in the unholy orgy. This and the requirements of the daily bodily functions meant that most Zs had no clothing. In fact the presence of clothing on a Z was an indication that the Z had metamorphosed within the the last 48 hours. Of all the ways that Zs differed from the common Zombie mythology, the naked Z was the most surprising.

Day 44

Day 42, Fiction, Horror, HZV, Zombies, , , ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

This was the original third chapter of the Nudist War. I am leaving it here for historical reference. The current version may be found at:

The Nudist War

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

All people, places, and events are fictional … except when they aren’t.

 
– Day 44 –

“Urrrrargghh glurrrppp … urrrrargghh wrrraccch.” The sound of vomiting came from the behind the restroom door.

“You OK in there?” Eddy asked. It was 4:00 AM. Dr. Edmund Hillary had been up since midnight after getting a much needed six hour nap. He had just come out of the lab to get some coffee and empty his bladder (not necessarily in that order).

Continue reading Day 44 →

Day 43

Day 42, Fiction, Horror, HZV, Zombies, , , , , , , , ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

This was the original second chapter of the Nudist War. I am leaving it here for historical reference. The current version may be found at:

The Nudist War

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

All people, places, and events are fictional … except when they aren’t.

 
– Day 43 –

The room slowly came into focus. Jessica rolled over on the cot and hit the intercom button. “How long have I been asleep?” Silence. Once again, louder and with more authority. “Yo! … Edward! … How long have I been asleep?”

Continue reading Day 43 →

Day 42

Day 42, Fiction, Horror, HZV, Zombies, , , , , , , , ,

This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.

https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/

This was the original first chapter of the Nudist War. I am leaving it here for historical reference. The current version may be found at:

The Nudist War

Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.

All people, places, and events are fictional … except when they aren’t.

 
Day 42 (The Nudist War)

 
– Day 42 –

“They got it all wrong,” Jessica muttered to herself as she loaded the samples into the DNA sequencer. Safe within the Level 4 Biohazard lab on Galveston Island, Jessica Munroe pushed on for a third sleepless day. “They got it all wrong.” The they in this case was the media, the entertainment industry, the press, anyone and everyone writing about the Zombie Apocalypse. The facts about Zombies had been pretty well established by decades of books, movies, graphic novels, and TV shows. Everyone knew them:

  • They went by many names: zombies, the undead, walkers, biters, etc.
  • They could not be killed by normal means – only a direct hit to the head would work, either severing the head entirely or at least destroying it.
  • Without the de rigueur head shot, a zombie would live forever, regardless of the amount of otherwise traumatic injury it had sustained. A zombie with half its body gone was still a threat.
  • Zombies were immune to circumstances that would kill the living, such as drowning. Zombies could wander the bottoms of lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water indefinitely, posing an ongoing threat.
  • Zombies, although chronically hungry, did not eat each other (perhaps out of professional courtesy). Only the warm fresh flesh of the living would suffice.
  • Zombies were slow and mindless. They shuffle along stumbling after their victims.

Wrong, wrong WRONG!

Continue reading Day 42 →