Friday, February 22, 2008

Entry #17

Tastes Like Brains
by Paul Liadis


“What do you think brains taste like?” said Matthew, glancing over his shoulder. “I’d imagine they’re a bit salty.”

“Ugh,” said Shannon, wondering as she stumbled who had replaced her feet with cinder blocks. “Don’t wanna know.”

“You’d get used to it, eventually,” continued Matthew. “Eat enough of them and they probably start to taste like chicken.”

Shannon sat with a thud beneath the leafless White Ash overlooking an abandoned farmhouse. “I need a rest,” she said, ignoring him.

“Get up,” said Matthew, immediately regretting his tone.

“Just a few moments,” said Shannon, resting her forehead on the knees of her dirt stained jeans. They had been on the run for days, with little sleep, food, or water, unable to elude their slow moving tormentors. It was maddening.

Matthew looked down the hill toward the farmhouse. If only he had picked a restaurant in the city, rather than that rustic diner in the middle of nowhere, and if only he hadn’t dropped his car keys when the whole mess started, they would be home by now, safe and warm.

Soon, Matthew saw their approach. Hundreds, maybe thousands, stumbling up the gray, decaying grass, their dead, mournful eyes fixed in his direction. “Promise me something,” he said, taking hold of Shannon’s petite, strong hand, lifting her to her feet.

“What?”

“Promise me if they get you first, you’ll be the one to eat my brain, not them.”

“Tastes like chicken, right?” said Shannon, forcing a smile as they ran once more.

33 comments:

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

Ha! Thought this was great!

Jaye Wells said...

Yay zombies! This was great. Love the morbid humor.

Vesper said...

Zombies! Excellent, Paul! I liked it very much!

Anonymous said...

Really nice - this is wonderfully written, and of course I was drawn right in with the tite and intro!

Beth said...

Ha! I loved this one. Terrific!

DBA Lehane said...

You can't beat a good Zombie romp...and the idea of chicken flavoured brains suddenly makes KFC unappealing! I just wonder if the second paragraph could be slightly reworded...it felt a little clumsy, but that's only a minor quibble.

paisley said...

no one was too interested in trying to fight theses guys off were they??? makes me wonder,, what we would really do.. when there is nothing you can really do?? joke?? probably....

24crayons said...

This was totally fun! I enjoyed this one. Love zombie stories.

Anonymous said...

thanks everyone for the kind comments. this one was a lot of fun to write.

paisley - as far as fighting these guys off, I tried to answer this a bit with the detail that there were hundreds or thousands of them, a tough task for only two people :)

Paul

Missy said...

With... "that rustic diner in the middle of nowhere," I was afraid you were going the way of Deliverence. Much more fun your way! With that sense of humor, they could of had a long and happy relationship. :(

Chris Eldin said...

YOu know, I have never read a bit of zombie writing before (despite the crowd I hang out with here!!).
This was fantastic!!!
Zombie humor, LOL!!!

pattinase (abbott) said...

This was so much fun without pushing it.

Sarah Hina said...

I loved how you were able to combine brain-sucking zombies and humor here. I thought this piece was thoroughly entertaining, and very deftly written.

Nice work! :)

Unknown said...

Ooh, this sent shivers down my spine! You blended a sense of "normal" with "very not normal" so brilliantly that I was both constantly tense and lulled reading this. Gripping story!

SzélsőFa said...

Unchangeable fate makes it quite creepy - and I love that touch with that little conversation at the end. Nice job, Paul.

BernardL said...

Good read. :)

Parabolist said...

Definitely a fun story. You can add my name to the camp of zombie-story fans.

PJD said...

Smiles all the way through. Amusing little vignette. I wonder if they make it? I love the bit about the car keys.

Anonymous said...

Loved the first line - I was thinking that perhaps monkey brains were on the menu; turns out, human brains ARE the main course. Morbid humor at its best!

Bernita said...

Neat tone of casual insouance!

Rob said...

I already mentioned on your weblog that I love this entry, just thought I'd reiterate it here.

Zombies, just love 'em.

Hoodie said...

EWw. Not a zombie fan. But I am a Paul Liadis fan and if I have to read zombie stories, this is a good one. A twist for you, but a good one.

Anonymous said...

Thank you all so much for the compliments. I am a fan of many of your stories as well, so compliments from you all are even sweeter!

Sorry I grossed you out hoodie :)

Paul

Anonymous said...

I don't know much about zombie stories-- but I know I liked this.
John McAuley

Victor Bravo Monchego, Jr said...

i love a zombie tale

Anonymous said...

Cool! I have always loved supernatural stories. I thought this was really great!

Linda Peters said...

Fun zombie take on the tree pic. I enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

Very entertaining, very fun, very memorable. Now I'm thinking of brains and zombies fitting in to every entry I read....

Dottie Camptown said...

One of the most original. I loved it.

wrath999 said...

Cool You had me when Matthew asked the first ?

Anonymous said...

That touch of humor at the end was great. The story felt very comfortable in the genre. High marks!

Aine said...

Ewww! Zombies! :)

This was fun to read-- I like how the dialogue between the two characters is comfortable.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Jason and Aine and everyone else who commented on my story. I'm glad you all enjoyed it.

As always, your comments and feedback are what make this solitary writing thing worthwhile.

Paul