My name is Regina Smellgood and this is my first day of school. I woke up at 6:23 and 47 seconds so i could put on my lace undies, eat my boobie-boosters, and do my makeup. My favourite color is soft pink and my favourite food is soft cookies because i am so quirky and not like other girls. I launch my scrawny little legs out of bed and dress in my fluffy pink hoodie, cute gray knee-high boots, and an afro wig. I tiptoe downstairs and run to the kitchen for breakfast, silently following behind my brother with my hands crossed and my chin resting on my chest. “Morning,” he says as I walk in and I open my mouth to respond, but he takes one look at my face and immediately shushes me. I roll my eyes and sit down at the table, eating my rice cake and watching cartoons. “What’s up, Rumi?” says my mother, setting a bowl of kimchi in front of me. “I’m nervous,” I say. My brother goes to his desk and begins to draw the outline of an anime character. He is so cute with his dark, curly hair and the cute little glasses he wears. “Don’t be silly, Rumi,” he says. “You’ve been going to school forever now and it’s just the same. It’s fine.” I roll my eyes at him and he smirks and then smirks some more. I think he’s totally in love with his big sister. “I want to be in the same class as you,” I say. “I want to be with you all day.” “What if you get lonely?” my mother asks. “You know you won’t have any friends.” “I’ll get over it,” I say. “No you won’t,” she says. “Why not?” “You’re my special girl and you always have been,” she says. “You should always think about what’s best for you.” “OK,” I say. “You’ll be fine, Rumi,” my brother says. “This is just another day. I’ll be your friend, no worries.” “He’s right,” says my father. “Come on, I’m hungry,” I say. I take my bowl of kimchi and get up to leave. “Rumi, don’t forget your lunch,” says my mother. I go up to my bedroom and pack my lunch. I think I will have a chocolate muffin and some salad. I take my digital camera and a banana. “Take a picture of your lunch,” my mother says. “Why?” I ask. “I can’t, it’s mine.” “Here,” she says. “Take a picture of your lunch and give it to me.” “Oh. OK,” I say. I take a picture of my lunch and put it in my digital camera case. “Why didn’t you just eat the muffin?” my mother asks. “Why does it matter?” “Do you eat that kind of crap every day?” “No,” I say. “It’s just today.” “Then don’t worry about it,” she says. “You have your lunch. We’ll make sure you have lunch today.” I put on my jacket and my backpack. “Bye,” I say. “I’ll see you guys later.” “Rumi, don’t forget your coat,” says my mother. I go downstairs and put on my coat. “Rumi,” my father says, “I don’t think that’s the best thing you should do.” “OK,” I say. “I’ll go to school without it.” “No,” he says, “you’ll freeze.” “OK,” I say. “I’ll just have to walk home.” I go outside. It’s dark and snowing. I have on my heavy coat and boots. I put on my hat and gloves. I start to walk to school. It’s really cold. The sun is up. I look up and see a red light shining on the snow. I look at my watch. It’s 7:30. The sun has already warmed the snow up and I can feel the warmth on my face. The trees are covered in snow. I start to feel really hot when my eyeballs face the direction of the sexy, pudgy man, Harold G. Gnome. I see Harold Gnome’s face. “Hey, Gnome,” I say. “Hey, little girl,” Harold Gnome says. I walk toward him. I notice he’s wearing a big furry winter hat and glasses. I don’t know what it is, but he looks like a gnome. “Gnomey,” I say. “We haven’t seen each other in so long.” “Do you like my new hat?” Harold Gnome asks. “I like it,” I say. “But do you have to look like a gnome?” “I don’t have to,” Harold Gnome says. “You have to,” I say. “I don’t have to,” he says. “Yes, you do,” I say. “I don’t have to,” he says. “Yes, you do,” I say. “I don’t have to," he says. "Yes, you do. I don't give a fuck what you think!" i have had enough. I pulled out my AK47 and started blasting it around the neighborhood. the van comes and takes my mom away to prison all the adults that have died is that really it now? the end of the world? i think not i came to this planet to make a difference and i have. with the help of the last few hundred people and then i am coming back to make sure it happens to the rest of them and maybe they will repent and i will help them and they will make the next exodus into the city and it will be glorious except a really mean guy. the mean guy with the sword. "I'm sowwy..." i say with a pout, touching my fingertips together. "Why do you have to be mean?" "I just am." "But I'm a good person!" "Not good enough." the mean guy with the sword just keeps coming and he swings the sword and i am dead but i get to see the future where i am dancing and there are other people too and they are dancing too and laughing and loving life and eating pizza and drinking beer and i feel happy and they don't seem to know what's happening and they look so happy but i am waiting for them to die and it hurts me that they will just die for no reason and i just died and i am back to stop them i run and I try to stop them and I can see their faces and i can see the moon and the sun and the smiling stars and it hurts me so bad to see them die and i cry and i have to leave them and i run back to the land of the dead and I am here which i am happy about the people in the future died, so we can live so I hope you like it PostScript: I wrote this piece many years ago, and this story is being published today for the first time in Feral House’s anthology Zombies Don’t Dream: 21 Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Stories That Pay Homage to the George A. Romero Film Diary. You can download a PDF of this and all other stories in Zombies Don’t Dream from the Feral House Web site for a mere No no no i am not gonna advertise something that maybe probably doesnt exist because i will need to get paid, even if my shitposts get not views! Anyways, Regina Smellgood, whos name is apparently Rumi now, and is a little girl. Who just shot up a neighborhood and started venting all of the pent up rage and hate of her whole life onto the folks that had done nothing to her. And before I could talk to her about it, I got swatted across the hood of my van and left for dead. My name is Joe, and I had an interview today to work at a field testing facility. They are looking for field testers, because they believe that they can get off on us. Because we live in a world where everyone has every possible emotion (except anger) and are all missing something. You know, I think everyone can understand the point. So they will pay us cash to get dirty, and force us to put our lives on the line for them, and in return they will give us cookies and go on about their sad lives, thinking their thoughts about how big government is evil, and how mr. wall street is the devil. The real bastards, eh? As a reward for coming out, I got a job. I would rather not say where, but believe me when I say that it’s a job that I will do anything for. The people at my new job know my past. They know me as the guy who got hit by a truck and woke up from the coma. They have seen all of the video games that I have played, and they know that I have never hurt anyone. So my whole life I’ve been a real easy target. They are the first to kill, the first to call me out for all of my new social indiscretions. But I have figured a way to make sure they don’t get me. There’s this group of dudebros at my new job. They call themselves the “Stand Against Freedom.” They will say anything about the people that they hate to get you riled up. At least they are good for the job. I won’t have any problems because if I don’t give them any work to do, they’ll just start cursing everyone out. Because we all know that cursing is good for you! Yeah that’s what I thought Man, sorry about that little rant. I just didn’t want anyone to get a free copy of the book I wrote called What it takes to be a man. Not my finest work. Anyway, on a positive note. I have actually seen my friends at work. We’re all all kind of holding down jobs. But you can’t really get ahead. I heard that the rent is set to double on most of the rentals around here. So everyone is scrambling to save up enough money to pay it. And if you get laid off, you are lucky to get a few thousand dollars for your troubles. Since the money is so tight, I think it is best that I leave for a while. If I try to stay in one place for too long, it will be too easy to get recognized. Then I would be accused of anything and they’ll throw me out of there and find someone who is willing to work for their own benefits. I think that if I get a big head about my new job, it will make it easier for them to deny me benefits. So I will be moving on, I guess. I am working as an Uber driver. I have seen a few of the places where my passengers want to go. And since I like to visit new places, I don’t mind it at all. Regina May 19, 2025 So, I have this new job. I hope it goes well. It is also the first new job that I have ever had. All I can say is that I hope I do well and don’t get too big for my britches. That is always a major problem for me. You know the old saying “Don’t be a big dumbass”? Well I try not to do that, but then I say some stupid shit that ends up costing my friends their lives. It’s a good thing I know that many people love me, because I don’t love myself. But I love those that I hold dear. I haven’t written in a long time. I think that I was just trying to work out how much I love them, but when you love someone, you don’t think about it. I write here for them, I write here for you. If you ever come across the bad guy that I have wronged, I can guarantee that you will understand how much I love you. Because that is the only thing that I love enough to devote my life to. It’s not even about the money, but the fact that I am so lucky to have you. I have to go now. They are getting really close to our house. Regina June 21, 2025 I’ve gotten some really bad news. Our friends have been killed. It’s a shame really. It’s one thing to have to fight for your life every day, but it’s another thing to have someone you loved meet their end because of you. Even if it wasn’t their fault. I felt terrible when I found out about it, but it just wasn’t enough to make me pull my car over and cry in front of my house. I just drove like I was in a hurry. They’re coming back. They’re going to kill me. Regina September 20, 2025 Sorry I haven’t written much lately. I have been really busy. I think that I have been on a high alert for the last few months, so I haven’t really been thinking about much else. My group is still living in one of the new neighborhoods around here. It’s just a little settlement of dirt and two-by-fours.