Zombie Ghost

Zombie Ghost

A Story by Persona
"

A story that begins harmlessly then unravels in a frightening way.

"

I was warming my back in the sun, lying on my front. The sun was beating down and I basked in its glowing warmth, feeling its rays as they slowly darkened my pale skin. My day began pleasantly and I expected it to stay that way as I blissfully walked along the desks. 


I leaned against the bars of the ship, my arms cooled by its metal railings as I watch the blue bodies of dolphins lunging in and out of the water, wriggling in the air and splashing back into the waves left by the ship. 


When I unzipped my luggage this morning, I thought my biggest plan was going to be reading the shocking tales of Claire Baldwin, a woman whose father had left her mother for another woman and the depressing story of a man who's too big to get out of bed. 'Take a Break' was going to be the biggest drama of the day, and then I'd relay these terrible true stories to my best friend Talia.

 

A faint, angelic voice mumbled beside me, but she continually spoke as she turned her lazy head to face me. All I could see was the darkness of my sun lounger, and the small holes between its material, where I saw the wooden floor boards we walked on. 

 

'I think there's something weird about this ship.' Talia said, with a hint of judgment. 


I hummed, my lazy way of encouraging her to explain.


'What I mean is, right, there's this odd thing and...yeah. Actually, just come with me.'


I moaned, 'but that means I have to get up!'


Talia's little fingers wrapped around my wrist as she hiked me up from my arm. I spun round quickly and stood up, disgruntled that I couldn't have one relaxation day. 


Talia dragged me to the other side of the ship. We went across the whole deck - with its silver shining railings around the edge, the clear blue pool with loud laughing children, and its ice cream vendor selling my favourite flavour - strawberry.


Once Talia was done being silly (as usual) I planned on having some.


Just like the old days, I'd let her take me to some spooky place and let her go on about some ghosts she saw in her closet, or bedroom, or at school, or behind a tree...she has a little obsession with ghosts, but I wouldn't take it too seriously.


I didn't today either. 


She took me all the way to the back of the ship and told me to look overboard. I leaned over, my mousy brown hair flopping down as I thrust my head to look, exaggerating my willingness to show Talia that I don't think this is a joke. As always, nothing there. Just the back of the white ship, and its pointy underneath splitting the ocean's water in half, turning waves upside down as they rippled to the left or right. 


I turned my head a little and faced Talia. 


'See?' Her arms were crossed and her eyes showed nothing but absolute certainty.


'I'm sorry but I really don't see it. Where exactly? On the ship?'


'There. That weird flicker of yellow, just above the water. If you look closely, it's in the shape of a ghost.'


I looked. That flicker was the sun's reflection on the boat.


I nodded anyway. 


'You do? I knew it! So what's the plan? We going to take the life boat-'


'No, no, Talia. Maybe we could finish the cruise. We definitely can't check it out from here.'


I'd never taken the pretend to see the ghost option before. I always thought it best t say no and discourage her, but sometimes she'd go on about it the whole day and tell me she saw something. I decided after my ice cream, I was going to bed.



In the blackness of my room, I snuggled under the blankets. I just had a warm, refreshing shower where I washed off all that excess sun tan lotion, and now I was looking forward to ridding myself of those nasty under eye circles! I pulled up the plain white sheets and rested my head on the hard pillow. I didn't mind too much. I could sleep because all I had to do was think about how much sexier I'd look once I'd get back home. I'd look awake, alive and have glowing skin. 


I lied there, hoping sleep would wash over me. The thin sheets couldn't stop a chill blowing like the temperatures of a frost bite. The freezing air forced my body to shiver, my teeth to chatter. I rolled over onto my side and pulled a sweater from my unzipped luggage, bedside the bed. The icy air swilled around, less like a draft and more like a presence. I shuddered clutching the covers closer to me for extra warmth, but finding they cooled with the air. I kicked my legs around, hoping to create energy, and hopefully more heat. Even though it as almost completely dark, I could see white breath coming from my mouth. The only possibility was that the ship's heating system was broken and that it was churning out cold air. I tossed and turned with frustration. 


If that didn't make me irritable, the annoying moans echoing through the walls did. Whoever was moaning was getting on my nerves. If they were ill because of that pecan ice cream (I knew it looked funny) then that's their fault. They shouldn't make me suffer for their inability to see its lumpiness.

 

I put on some more clothes, mostly light weight, and walked to the door. I shared this room with Talia, and I knew it was disgusting the price they charged for it. Our room was too compact, completely unsuitable for two people. The window in our room was rounded, only big enough to get two arms through. I wasn't happy with it when we arrived, but it was the best we could do - it was our first holiday together. 

 

The floorboards creaked underneath my feet as I walked to the bathroom. The chilliness... I put my hand on the circular, golden door handle. I thought it looked pristine as I turned it, extremely clean and like it'd never been touched (exactly what I say to boyfriends) and I was grumpy now, sure, but I guessed the staff must've been trying.

 

I swung the door open and watched it bang against the wall the door stopper, heard it spring with impact. The light switch was just on the inside, so I flicked it with my left hand, watching the strobe lights on the ceiling flicker twice, until they all lit up the tiny space too brightly. I almost closed my eyes completely, making my way to the sink. I was going to put on moisturiser, because the cold had dried out my face. As I unscrewed the lid and rubbed it in my cheeks, I heard gentle breathing behind me.

 

I twisted round. Nothing was there. I carried on. Maybe if I hadn't wasted my time rolling around in bed or putting on moisturiser, I could've saved her. At this point, I had no idea where Trish was, and the worst part was that I didn't care.


As I clicked the light off, a partially white/translucent face floated in front of me.

 

"AAAH!" I jumped back, at first thinking it was like the purple blobs you see after staring at the sun, that turning off the lights made my eyes go funny. I tried to talk my self into logic, to be aware that I was in a heightened state because I was tired, in need of sleep.


I decided that the chill was too much to stand, so I went out of the room and into the corridor. Though my room was black, the corridor was lit up by wall lamps. They were dim, much more than the bathroom lights, but I thought they were calming. 

 

No one was there - at first. I walked down the corridor, and thought I saw a child peek round the corner. His eyes were wide, but he was very still, like he was pretending to be invisible. I found it adorable, thinking back to the childish games I used to play as a little girl. 


Then I got to the corner. That's when my life changed. I came around the corner to find the child was nothing but a head. I screamed, twisting on my heels and ran in the other direction. It was a floating head, with no body and I was going to tell the ship's captain or anyone was that in charge that some poor, innocent young boy had been murdered. I hoped it was a trick.

 

But as I turned the other corridor down the other side of the corridor, I saw it. Its mouth was open, a whole stream of blood and its oesophagus trailing along the floor; the blood soaked through the carpet. I backed away, shutting my eyes. Maybe I did get to sleep? Why else is this happening? I was backing away slowly. If I found Talia, then I vowed to always taken her seriously. To say 'yes I see a ghost' and let her have her way. We belonged together, best friends, regardless of one little thing I found annoying, but I could put up with it. This nightmare was here to teach me who I should be. 


I felt something drip down from the ceiling. I looked up, blood landing in my eye.

 

I screamed in protest. This was one powerful nightmare. That blood felt wet like water, but thick like syrup as it hit my eye. I blinked away the red, its stinging bugging me. With one eye open, I jumped around the Halloween-like head and throat, speeding up. My feet pounded against the carpet, though it sounded more like thuds. I raced down every corridor, looking for a stairwell that would lead me up to the captain's deck. 


The wall made noises. Trapped animal noises - with a scratching motion, shaking the wallpaper. It poked through, with pointed fingernails. I stopped at the sight, thinking a person was on the side.


A face came out of the wall, an arm stopping me. It clawed from the white wall paper, like someone glued a false arm on the wall. Then a shoulder emerged, dark hair draping in front of an oval face. I stared at its arm and tried to duck under and run, but another came shooting out, grabbing me. I screamed, desperately trying to shake out of them, but they gripped me tightly, and the face behind the dark hair moaned.

 

A mentally deranged person? I had no idea - but the octave of the moan sounded familiar. I didn't want to see it. Didn't dare think this was how it would end.

'Triish.' It said, with a distorted, grumbling voice, like  it had the throat of a chain smoker. The voice struggled, like it was learning English for the first time. In my stunned silence, I hard it quietly addressing me. 'Trish. Look at me,' she commanded, but with a lost-soul tone to her voice. The hope had vanished, and as she flicked back her hair the sight forced a physical reaction in me. I couldn't help but become nauseated, dizzy. 

 

I paused, taking it in. She wasn't concerned she died. She hadn't blamed me. I managed to look at her. Her face was scarred, scratches all through it. Her hair had been half ripped out, some bits shaven. My friend lost her glossy hair, bald patches replaced it. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, her mouth pouting like a fish. In death, she sounded like she was still there, but her soul abandoned her. She whispered, as if someone would overhear, 'Zombie Ghost.'

 

'What?' Sweat began to drip from my forehead, my armpits dampened with nerves. This was the first time I believed her.


'Zombie. Ghost.' It sounded like it took the last of her energy to speak, the same expelling of breath as when a man lifts a heavy sofa.


'What do I do?' I frantically looked around her whole disjointed, dying body, 'Can I save you?'

 

She shook her head, sad eyes widening in shock, 'Don't let...escape boats...on dock....moOOve lever-' I could tell she was in pain, and then a loud moan came, interrupting her, 'GGRRRAAAA!' She jerked at the sound, her arms dropping, letting go of me, her body flopping down, her neck cricking as if it snapped in half. Her head rolled to the floor. 


She never moved again.



I broke out into a run, tears blurring my view. I finally reached the higher deck - thank God my room was on an upper level...I didn't want to have to go into that lift...filled with dead bodies that hung from the ceiling like they'd committed a mass suicide. The way their necks bent unnaturally,  their mouths agape as they drooled; it was a fate I couldn't endure.

 

My mouth dried, my breath sounded like my obese father, my shin muscles being stretched. The insufferable aching seemed to disappear as I was physically pushed forward by the threat of the looming Zombie Ghost, its, 'Grrra...' making my feet kick the ground, catapulting me toward the boat as I heard its calls, its mumbled groans as if it were feasting upon someone.

 

"AAA....HELP!" A sobbing voice called. It was female, young.

 

I had to ignore it. She was dead anyway, I told myself, the tears streaming. The only person worth saving was Talia, and I'd failed. I never should of seen her scratched face, her balding head...I did it to her. I caused it. I didn't even have time to mourn her death, but I promised myself that when I got home I would arrange the most beautiful funeral, with all our family, and spend the last of my savings in her honour.

 

The shock, the shock broke me. My thoughts were lost: replaced by actions. Forever scarred, knowing that I couldn't protect her after all she'd done. She warned me. After the way I shrugged her off, she could have let me die in my cold bed, let me feel the torture that she felt.


I let the chill get to me - it was the least I deserved - the temperature penetrating my skin despite the layers of clothing. Looking at my arm as I ran, I realised I was the perfect target - a miserable woman, completely exposed on a large deck. Alone.

 

I had to be optimistic, the Zombie Ghost was busy, and There wasn't a chance I saw my last chance at freedom only that life boat was a few feet away, swinging, bright and orange in the chilling breeze. I leaped into it, feeling it rock beneath my feet. You'd never know the relief of reaching freedom and escaping death in the nick of time until it's happened to you. I felt uplifted as I lowered the life boat into the water. As I got nearer to the water, the feeling of utter peace flew through me, this could be the bright shining ending, where I hum happily ], knowing I can make amendments for all I've done wrong. I'll apologise to my mother, who cares? That birthday was years ago, she didn't ruin my whole life and I can reconnect with my ex-boyfriend. He didn't do much wrong. I just bored. I could make up for all of it...I could turn it all around. This could be my near death experience, making me realise my potential. I could be the success story, spend my life helping others...

my heart skipped a beat; it beat harder, the anxiety - the fact that I had the chance to live! A storm formed around me, but I felt like it was urging me on. The sky filled with dark grey clouds and the waves splashed violently, but I still felt safe on my shaky life boat, imagining arriving on the shore the next day, my life boat gently rocking to shore...

 

One noise broke my heart. Burst the love and absolute joy.


A little round window on the side of the ship shattered, glass falling, spinning until it sploshed into the water. Aghast, I jumped back, but instinctively picked up a paddle as my life boat finally touched the water, preparing to paddle. A screech went straight through me and two wispy arms extended out from the window.

 

It flew down, darting toward me like an Eagle after its prey. Red eyes, drooling mouth, head half hanging from its neck, it was a revolting sight. I had to throw up all over the side of the life boat, I couldn't help my physical reaction. Talia in her last moments looked a dream compared to this hideous monster. It opened its mouth, revealing teeth bloodied and sharp. Down its body, its hand were disgustingly discoloured - green like the horrid build up of moss on ageing trees. Its shoulders were bent abnormally, with one having an unnatural indent like a shark chewed out a chunk of it. The whole of one arm looked like it was rotting away, the bones sticking out at the elbow, flesh peeling backwards from it like the skin of a banana. The fingers, ah, easily broken, twisted and mangled. Veins popped out on the back on its palm, bright green and spitting out blood as if someone made an incision in the back of the hand and lifted the veins to the surface. This thing looked like it'd been tortured by terrorists. Its wrists were all scarred, with thick jagged pink lines striped across like a suicide victim. Its stomach was practically non-existent - an intertwining mesh of intestines squished together and knotted, blackened with disuse. I dared myself not to look lower.

 

The Zombie Ghost reached me, so at the last second, I whisked the paddle out of the water and deflected the monster, whacking it on the head, which came off. My uneasy stomach began fluttering, rising with hope. I considered it would be simple to kill it after all. But then the ghost just went and picked its head up as it drifted on the waves. It screwed its head back on like a light bulb and then dove into the water.

 

I looked around, yet the sea was too dark. I wouldn't see any outline coming up at me. Frantically, I spun and spun, expecting it to leap up at me with clawing nails, ready to scratch me to death. I gasped with expectation, swirling around, worry building. My hands quaked with each moment. I lost more and more self control in the long wait, standing, legs freezing as the wind whipped through my trousers and struck my legs. I gripped the paddle tightly, holding it against me. Looking utterly defenseless, and completely fragile, I took the plunge and looked over the life boat. 


Black waves. The reflection of the moonlight. Those were the only things I saw. I wondered if the Zombie Ghost lurked below me, swimming joyfully, teasing me, lying in wake until I grew weak with exhaustion. Dead things can wait forever. From behind, I heard the sloshing of water, drops falling from a figure. It had arisen from the water, and as I spun round, I looked it its feet. They were above the water, dangling in the air, scarily reminding me of Jesus. The feet were skeletal, with remnants of intestines on them that had dripped from the Zombie Ghost's torso and stained its feet. I moved back, instinctively, lifting the paddle above my strength to pound its skull in. I gathered my energy, put in every ounce of effort into my arms and swung straight down, smashing the top of the Zombie Ghost's skull. 'Take that! And that!'

 

It closed its eyes, leaning to the side. It looked like it was going to fall over like a tree, but then it wiped away the blood that had come gushing from its head, and revealed a small crack down the middle. For a split second it looked peaceful while I batted it, but the malodorous monstrosity snapped open its eyes and lunged at me. It used its grey and green rotting hands to grab my paddle and toss it against the ship. It clanged aggressively and weakly fell onto the water.

 

The Zombie Ghost had not taken its melting eyes from me. Still staring, it pinched my sides with its rotting hands and dug into me. Its feet pushed from the life boat and we flew up into the sky. My legs dangled, kicking in a frenzy, as the Zombie Ghost had me within its grasp. 

 

'Grrrrr....AAAH!' It breathed for no need, an instinctual being without true thought. Its red, melting eyes widened as its shoulders rose, the Zombie Ghost peeking just above my head. I pushed away from it, kicked hard everywhere I thought would make it react, punched it in the face, elbowed its eye, kneed it in the guts, but it didn't react. I looked down. Ocean waves splashing angrily against the life boat. The life boat drifting away from me with each wave it rides. My hopes vanishing, my new dreams, my chances to live. I quickly looked back to the Zombie Ghost, watching in terror as it unhinged like a snake. The click forced me to shudder, aware of the what was coming next. The Zombie Ghost grinded its teeth along the top of my head, wearing away a few strands of hair. Its tongue, stale as bread, licked along in enjoyment. I heard it sniffing me, though its nose was not there. I went limp. Panic escaped, I was too tired to fight. The world will go on without me. 


The Zombie Ghost felt my surrender and its teeth scraped away the top layer of skin, digging into my skull.

 

"AAAH!" I cried, I screamed, I felt it scraping the hair from my head, pulling out every strand with its rotting fingers and scratchy fingernails taking several unbearable minutes to peel away my skin, like a scratch card. I felt it dig into my flesh, eating hungrily at my skin, then the horrid sound of it crushing my skull, its hands grabbing at me with intent, like a dog with the leg of a chicken. 

 

It hands clutched my head, its nails pushing heavier into me. I could see the blood coming down my forehead coming into my eyes. Blurred...blood...then the pain stopped. Everything stopped. Forever.

© 2013 Persona


My Review

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Featured Review

I think this was written based on a very good storyline, the progression of the tale is clear and the end is nicely rounded off. It seems to be written a little childishly though very short sentances and not to much description.
A lovely piece of work and a creepy story.

This review was written for a previous version of this writing

Posted 11 Years Ago


2 of 2 people found this review constructive.




Reviews

Very well described and I felt the while story deeply. Chilling and breathtaking. Great job!

Posted 9 Years Ago


Amazing u got a lot of talent.

Posted 10 Years Ago


It's in need of editing and the writing, I guess, feels a little rushed. The story is smooth and it held my attention but I have to agree with the previous reviews. The writing is a little juvenile and the story, itself, deserves to be fleshed out.

I don't think length creates a good story. You could have four lines that depict an engrossing tale. On the other hand, it could be 10,000 words of nothing. With that in mind, I wouldn't tell you to change the length, maybe just try a different way of structuring your sentences, giving us, your readers, a more vivid tale. Otherwise, it's very original and a Zombie Ghost has got to be the most frightening incarnation! I also love the ambiguous ending.

This review was written for a previous version of this writing

Posted 11 Years Ago


0 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Persona

11 Years Ago

Thank you, I look frward to helpful reviews! I'm unsure about what you've said. Could you maybe give.. read more
This would have been an amazing story if there was a bit more description, feelings from the characters, and what I call 'foreplay'.

What I mean by that is that I, personally, think that the death and blood came in way to. There was no reason as to why there was death, or even ghosts at that!

Of course, if there was more to it, the ending is absolutely perfect.

This review was written for a previous version of this writing

Posted 11 Years Ago


Persona

11 Years Ago

You think it'd be better with more preamble, a bigger build up. I agree with what's been said as of .. read more
Ariana

11 Years Ago

You're welcome. I just though I would share that; I'm not sure about what others think, and if it wa.. read more
I think this was written based on a very good storyline, the progression of the tale is clear and the end is nicely rounded off. It seems to be written a little childishly though very short sentances and not to much description.
A lovely piece of work and a creepy story.

This review was written for a previous version of this writing

Posted 11 Years Ago


2 of 2 people found this review constructive.

This was really amazing to read! I personally love anything to do with zombies and this had a really unexpected ending! I liked it a lot. Great work!

This review was written for a previous version of this writing

Posted 11 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.


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717 Views
6 Reviews
Rating
Shelved in 3 Libraries
Added on March 18, 2012
Last Updated on January 16, 2013
Tags: zombie, ghost, horror
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Author

Persona
Persona

Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom



About
I really appreciate people who review and will happily return the favour. Look at 'Make a Move' as I am primarily a story writer. I give honest reviews because I want to help people improve their w.. more..

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Make a Move Make a Move

A Story by Persona