Manuscripts Burn


MANUSCRIPTS BURN

"Manuscripts don't burn"
- Mikhail Bulgakov

Hi, I'm horror and science fiction author Steve Kozeniewski (pronounced: "causin' ooze key.") Welcome to my blog! You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon. You can e-mail me here, join my mailing list here, or request an e-autograph here. Free on this site you can listen to me recite one of my own short works, "The Thing Under the Bed."

Friday, October 1, 2010

A Fistful of Zombies 27 - THE GRAND FINALE

Zombies begin walking through the door of the saloon. Working together, they push the player piano into the doorway to plug the tide and give them room to fire without being overwhelmed. As they do so, the piano begins playing a jaunty tune. Denver and Miguel begin shooting as the zombies trickle in, reloading as much as possible. They kill six more, including the reincarnated Taylor and Bernardo before the Bokor pushes his way in.

BOKOR
Bonjour.

MIGUEL
That must be the magician.

BOKOR
Dat’s me. You men should honor your bargains. Now instead you die and join my army. I t’ink maybe you civil war become my doll factory.

DENVER
You saying he started all of this?

MIGUEL
Seems like.

DENVER
Kill the son of a bitch.

The Bokor growls and staggers forward, faster than the average zombie. In a flurry of shots, the Bokor falls to the ground dead. After a moment, the two old enemies exchange a glance and step outside. Zombie corpses litter the streets, but it seems as though the threat is over. Miguel falls to his knees and takes off his sombrero.

MIGUEL
It’s over. It’s finally over.

Suddenly there are loud explosions off in the distance. Miguel stands back up.

MIGUEL
What’s that?

DENVER
It sounds like artillery.

MIGUEL
You mean there’s a battle going on?

There is a pregnant pause.

DENVER
You know, Miguel, I’ve been thinking. When Taylor got up, and your man Bernardo…the magician wasn’t there. Maybe he doesn’t need to be there. Maybe now that his spell has started, anyone that dies…

MIGUEL
Don’t say that. Don’t say that. He’s dead, so the spell is broken. Just be happy it’s over.

Suddenly, a gang of zombies, all former Union soldiers, staggers into town from one direction. Miguel and Denver pull their guns out. Moans from behind them draw their attention. They turn, and a gang of Confederate soldier zombies staggers into town from the other direction, led by the zombified version of Denver’s wife, Grace.

DENVER
Grace? No…No!!!

Denver falls to his knees crying. Miguel tries to shoot at the literal army of zombies, but to no avail. They are overwhelmed. Denver looks up lovingly as his wife looms over him. He holds out his hands to stroke her face. Baring her teeth, she lunges forward and smash cut to black.

THE END

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