My #fridayflash this week is also part of Zombie-Mari's Zombie Luv Contest. Join in the fun! It runs until July 10th. Guidelines are below.
Palm fronds swayed in the fresh Caribbean breeze as Mari wiggled her toes in the sand. Her husband of two days stretched out beside her, his body golden in the dwindling sunlight.
"Steve, wake up." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and he stirred, a smile gracing his lips.
"Hmm? I was re-living last night. You woke me at a crucial point."
She batted him playfully. "I'll give you something else to dream about later but right now I'm hungry."
He yawned and sat up. "Why don't we walk into town and visit one of the pubs? We can get dinner there."
Mari tossed on her cover-up and they walked over to the cabana to return their towels. The attendant smiled as they handed them over, his wizened face studying them.
"Going back to the hotel?" He asked in the charming lilt of an islander.
"No, we thought we'd go into town for awhile," Steve said.
The old man's face sobered. "Be careful where you go. The sun's going down."
Mari shuddered as the man's eyes bore into hers.
"We will."
Steve replied with a nonchalance that Mari suddenly didn't feel. Don't be silly, she scolded herself. You've been listening to the zombie stories about the island and now you believe in them.
The zombie lore was everywhere here. In fact, it was part of the allure of this particular location. Rumor had it that this island held a large number of zombies—not that they'd seen any, of course—but still, the fantasy lent an air of adventure to the place.
They talked while strolling down the street, wandering with no particular destination in mind. Mari heard a scraping sound behind her and spun around, her heart beating fast.
Nothing was there but she noticed that the lights of town lay far behind them while the street in front seemed dark and strangely empty.
"Maybe we should turn around. I think we went the wrong way."
Steve gave her hand a little squeeze. "Why? I'd rather experience the nightlife with the locals rather than the tourists, wouldn't you? There's a pub on the next block."
Mari saw the red neon sign then, the garish welcome flashing in an otherwise deserted area. She took a deep breath and smiled, determined to relax and enjoy the evening.
"Hey, look," Steve said with a laugh as they reached the doorway. "It's called The Zombie Club."
"I hope they don't serve brains for dinner," Mari muttered under her breath as they entered.
The room was cool and dark, with calypso music playing and dancers over to one side. The host seated them by the bar and a waiter immediately brought them drinks.
"What are these?" Mari asked. Her hand trembled slightly as she pointed at her glass.
"Zombies, of course." The waiter laughed, a rich booming sound while Steve chuckled along with him.
Mari took a cautious sip. The cold drink slid down her throat, encouraging another taste. As she sat back to relax, she studied the dancers.
Their movements seemed odd and a bit jerky, but maybe it was only the strobe lights that played across the floor. She took another sip of her drink and looked over at Steve.
He smiled at her, pulling a bit of skin off his lip. He reached over and brushed a fleck of eyebrow away that had fallen onto her shoulder.
The waiter brought a steaming plate of brains over to the table and set it in front of them.
"Welcome to the club. Careful with the plate—it's very hot."
Mari scooped a handful of brains into her mouth, chewing with delight. She took Steve's hand in hers and brought it to her lips with a jerk.
"I guess the part about "till death do us part" wasn't quite accurate, was it?"
Steve shook his head in slow motion. "This is even better. You want to take a spin on the dance floor?"
©2010 Laura Eno
Guidelines:
•Word count: maximum 1.000
•The story must be a romance between two zombies. Make it as horrific as you like. ;)
•Stories containing animal cruelty, torture, graphic sex or violence, any form of exaltation of violence, racism or other forms of prejudice will be immediately disqualified.
•Post your entry on your own blog, with a title resembling this:
Zombie Luv Flash Fic Contest: Story Title
•Leave your story title and a link to the story entry post as a comment at mari's randomities:
•Copy and paste the contest logo and the guidelines at the end of your entry post.
