da demo

  “Sometimes a phrase will get stuck in my head.”
    extend “Once it gets in, it repeats itself endlessly, stuck on an insufferable loop. Refusing to let me be.”

    “Sara hasn't said anything all day. It makes me wonder whether she's ready for this.”
    extend “I'm about to hurt her. Probably more than she's ever been hurt before.”

    “And yet instead of thinking of a way to break the news to her…”
    extend “ to tell her that I can't stand being together any more…"
    extend "to tell her that I want to move on…”

    “All I can think of are these two words from some stupid art history class I took in my freshman year. A little Latin phrase that refuses to go away.”

    “Memento mori.”

    “Remember that you will die.”

    "We sit across from each on the second-floor terrace of the café. Sara sips idly on her low-fat soy mocha latte while I wait for my own drink to arrive. She won't even look at me, keeping her eyes downcast.

    Waitress “Here you go, sir. Grey, was it? I'm sorry for the wait, our espresso machine has been on the fritz. Well, you know how it goes.”

    mc “Ah, it’s no problem.”

    “I fumble around for some extra change to tip the waitress. Her figure alone has gotta be worth about ten percent.”

    mc “That's…”
    extend “ about 20% I think.”

    Waitress “Oh my… thank you, young man.”

    mc “Oh and uh… here's for her drink too.”

    "I guess this is my way of balancing out the karmic scales. Making up for what I'm about to do to Sara by being generous with the waitress. It feels kind of hollow, though."

    “She takes the money from my hand and puts it into the front pocket of her apron. Then she smiles and nudges Sara's shoulder, winking.”

    Waitress “You have a keeper here, y'know? I wouldn't let him go for anything if I were you!”

    “Sara blushes but doesn't say anything. The waitress shoots me a wink as well before walking off to serve another table.”

    “Thanks a lot, lady. Really.”

    “Memento mori…”

    “While watching Sara take slow, measured sips from her overpriced drink, I try again to decide what I'm going to tell her. I had weeks to prepare for this, so why did I wait until the last possible second? So stupid. So typical.”

   “ How are you supposed to break off such a long-term relationship, anyway?”

    extend “\“We've had our fun\”?”
    extend “ \“I think we should see other people\”?”
    extend "\"It's not you, it's me\"?"

    “ All of that is true enough. But we've known each other since before middle school. I don't think the typical breakup lines are going to cut it.”

    “My mind refuses to settle. The more I try to keep myself from squirming in my seat, the less I can manage to stay still. I can't keep my eyes in one place, either. I flit them around at random, finding nothing to settle on for more than a second or two.”

    “The stone patterns cut into the floor at my feet. Smiling suns and moons like something from a cheap shower screen.”

    “The patrons inside the café huddling around a TV screen with exaggerated interest – probably the last play of a baseball game or something.”

    "The ornate and expensive-looking flower arrangement on the windowsill outside the entrance."

    “Then there's Sara. The way the sunlight plays on her face, and the shadow her bangs cast across her eyes.”
    extend “ She always seems so sad lately, with her eyelids drooping and her head hung down. Like someone on death row waiting for the warden to come.”

  "…Does that make me the warden? Is this the final meal?"

    “I wonder if she knows what's coming.”
    extend “I wonder if she knows that's why we're here today.”

    “It's not her fault. Really, it's not. We had our time. Now it's over.”

   “I finally make an effort to catch her eye, but she refuses to let me, quickly averting her gaze to the ground beside our table.”

    “Memento mori.”

    mc “Sara, I really think we need–”

    Gf “I love you.”

    “She says it all at once through gritted teeth and the suddenness of it catches me totally off-guard.”
    extend “ Was she waiting for me to say something this whole time just so she could cut me off? Is this her last-minute appeal?”

    mc “What?”

    Gf “I still love you. I know…. I know things haven't been…. I just don't want…”

    “An awkward silence descends over us.”

    “Sara starts taking rapid, tiny little sips from her latte while fiddling with the buttons on her blouse. Waiting for me to say something, probably. To finish what I started. She hasn't made it easy.”

    “I'm torn. On one hand, I feel sorry for her, having dated her long enough to know that she drinks quickly when trying not to cry, and that the fiddling is to keep her hands from trembling.”

    “On the other hand, I find both of those tics incredibly annoying and I have to stop myself from snapping at her.”

    “I have to say something.”

   “Nothing comes to mind.”

    mc “Sara…. Sara, it's not–”

    “From the streets below comes the sound of screeching tires.”

    stop music
    play sound "assets/sfx/cart_explode.wav"


    “I turn to see what's happening just in time to see an expensive-looking late-model sedan barrel at full speed into a storefront across the street. The collision is so violent that it sets off nearby car alarms.”

    “I remember people telling me that when you watch a car crash, it seems to happen in slow motion.”
    extend “ But this is nothing like that. I barely have time to register what has happened before the street is swamped with onlookers and noisy chatter.”

    “Some of the onlookers start making calls on their cell phones.”
    extend “ But it doesn't look like they're getting through. ”

    “Forcing myself to pay more attention, I start hearing flashes of conversation. They keep mentioning riots.”

    Man “…thought it was just downtown…”

    Woman “…heard the rioters burnt down city hall…”

    Girl “… just said 'looters' on the news…”

    “A couple people move a little closer to the car as if to help the driver, but a middle-aged man waves his arm to get their attention and yells at them.”

    Man “Get away from there! It's leaking gas!”

    “As if on cue, the sedan bursts into flames. I can feel the heat of the fire from all the way over here, and it sends the bystanders reeling back.”

    “By now, most of the patrons who were inside have congregated on the terrace to watch the scene unfolding below.”
    extend“ I keep hearing the word \”riots”\ in their conversations, too.”

    “I get the feeling that something very, very bad is happening. Part of me wishes it had happened ten minutes later.”

  “I guess this is Sara's last-second stay of execution from the governor's office."

  "Some small part of me is repulsed by the callousness of that thought."

    “The sound of sirens and screaming washes toward us like a wave, and soon the street is swamped by people and cars, all running in the same direction, as if fleering from something.”


    “Some of the cars are moving slowly because of the congestion, but others just plough through pedestrians, mowing them down without any hesitation.”

    “It looks like some kind of sick parody of the Running of the Bulls.”

    “The shouting and crying is deafening. No one on the terrace has said a word since it started.”

    “Slowly, the avenue becomes littered with people who have been run over or trampled. Halfway between shock and nausea, and feeling the need to look away, my eyes find Sara's.”

    “She has one hand covering her mouth. Her eyes are wide, her face is pale. I give her a small nod and she seems to understand. Breakup plans are officially on hold.”

    “I open my mouth to say something to her, but then the impossibly loud chaos below us somehow becomes even louder. I hear screams that I can make out as \”they're here!”\ Fear and morbid curiosity make me join the other patrons by the railing to get a better look.”

    “Something catches in my peripheral vision. I look down the avenue and see a small mob of people descend upon a terrified woman at the back of the crowd. Her shrill voice carries through the sounds of the stampede.”

    “Woman” “N-no! Stay back!”

    “She takes a couple faltering steps backward and swings her purse at them, but they drag her to the ground.”

    extend “And then, like lions on a gazelle, they begin to eat her alive.”

    play sound “assets/sfx/scream.ogg”

    “The woman's scream is horrifying. I can see the gore from here. This new development spurs the other people on the terrace into action.”

    play sound “assets/sfx/panickedcrowd.ogg”

    extend “…Though they seem just as disorganized and panicked as the rioters below. A few of them dash back into the café – headed where, I'm not sure.”

    “I glance back at the woman on the street. But she’s so surrounded by crazed attackers now that I can’t see her.”

    extend “She hasn't made a sound since the scream that sent the café into disarray.”

    “Some of the rioters on the fringes of the mob, unable to elbow their way past the others, give up and start advancing on another straggler – an old man who's walking so slowly I can’t believe he made it even this far.”

    “Try as he might to escape, his pursuers catch him easily, and a chill goes down my spine as he collapses in a heap under their weight.”

  “More and more of these cannibals appear on the street. As they inch their way forward, they pick off even more stragglers, devouring them one by one.”

    “At some point during the commotion, Sara has joined me by the railing, and I finally notice her. She stares unblinking at the horror below, just as unable to wrap her head around it all as I am.”

    extend “I reach out and grab her hand.”

    Mc “Sara. Let's go inside.”

“Sara follows me into the café on shaky legs. There's a TV hanging above the bar and it looks like it's tuned into one of the big 24 hour news stations. A frazzled reported is speaking at a mile a minute, but I can't hear her over the din.”

    extend “ Below her, a headline reads \”CITY IN CHAOS\””.

    "Looking down the stairs, I can see a couple of waiters on the first level trying to push a table against the front entrance to block it. Some of the customers are yelling at them, gesturing wildly. I can't make out the exact words but it’s obvious they want to leave.

    “I lean down, clasping my hands on my knees and cocking my head, to get a glimpse out of the window. The stampede out on the street is as violent as ever. Those crazed cannibals that the crowd is fleeing from are inching closer to the café with every passing second. "

    "Waiter" "Hey, don't move that!"

   "Customer" "Screw you! Let us outta here!"

    "A fight breaks out. One of the customers grabs a chair and hits a waiter over the head. Others join the fray, and the entire bottom level becomes immersed in a brawl. In the midst of it, someone pushes the makeshift blockade aside and runs out the door. Several others join him. The ones who don't leave the café come running back up the stairs. "

    "I straighten up and stand aside, not wanting to get in their way – the last thing I need is to get beaten to death… or to get Sara beaten to death…"

    "A few people crowd around the windows on the second level."

   "Man" "Christ, they're getting closer."

   "Woman" "They'll be coming for us next… once they run out of people to eat outside…"

    Gf “What are we going to do, Grey? … Grey?"

    $location = "Café"
    $scenename = "\"Fight or Flight?\""
    $cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""
    show sara sad
    menu:
              "Leave the café and try to find somewhere safer":
                      jump caféleave
              "Stay in the café for now":
                      jump caféstay

label caféleave:

      #Leave the café and try to find somewhere safer

    "I run down the stairs with Sara in tow. Through the window, I can see that the stampede is continuing unabated. But the sidewalk just outside the café seems less crowded. I hold Sara by the shoulders and pull her close."

       Mc “Stay alongside, okay? We can't let ourselves get separated if we go out there."

      "Sara nods. I draw a deep breath. We step out. "

      "But I wasn't prepared for this."

    "The wailing and screaming out here almost brings me to my knees the moment I get out the door. The reek of death hangs heavy in the air, gagging me.”

    “I look down.”

    Extend “The gutters are running red with blood.”
    //SHOW GUTTERS HERE, TEXT OVERLAYED. SHOULDN'T FILL THE WHOLE SCREEN, STILL SHOW CROWD SCENE ON THE EDGES

    “About five feet from the café lies a child no older than seven, broken and dead against a wall.”
    //FLASH TO WRECKED CHILD

    “Sara buries her face in my arms."
    //BACK TO THE STREET.

    "We start moving – no time to think. Only to turn and keep pace with the crowd. As we run, trying to coordinate our steps with one another, Sara begins to trip a little.
    extend “So do I.”

    “We're being bumped and pushed around all over the place. Before I know what's happening, we've been swept out into the middle of street, where passing cars are still running people down indiscriminately.”

    //SAME DEAL WITH ALL OF THE FOLLOWING. FLASH TO IMAGES WITH TEXT OVERLAYED FOR EACH LINE
    “Shrieks from alongside me. I turn my head and notice a severed arm hanging from a hood, connected to the windshield wipers by dangling tendons.”
    //HERE
    “From below comes a sickening pop and squelch.”


    “I look down – it's a man who's just had his skull run over by a truck.”
    //HERE
    “Up ahead, a group of cannibals has ripped a teenage boy in two at the waist and now they fight over his innards."
    //AAAND HERE

    $location = "Outside of the Café"
    $scenename = "\"Two Drops in the Ocean\""
    $cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

      "Don't think about it. Keep moving. We have to keep moving. Keep moving."

      "But…”
      extend ”where?"

      "Where are we going?"

      "As we push our way forward, someone manages to wedge himself between us running past, and I feel Sara slip out of my arms.”

      Gf “Grey–!!"

      "But it's too late. She's being swept forward and I'm being pushed aside.”
       extend “I can't see her anymore."

      "I'm never going to see her again."

    mc “Sara! Sara, where are you?"

    "I try to weave through the mob, but there's just no way. Against my back I feel pressure – someone trying to push me aside.”

    “My natural response is to turn around to see who it is, but as I do, someone else pushes me and I lose my footing.”
    extend “ I wobble a bit and finally a third person runs by, bumping into my shoulder and knocking me over. “

     “No one stops. No one helps me up. They just run right over me. "

    "They trample me flat, cracking my ribs, snapping my legs, and I realize with mounting horror that I'm never going to stand up."

      "This… this is it, isn’t it?"

     "Everything's turning black…”
     extend “ I can vaguely make out the outline of a huge SUV heading right towards my head”

    “But I don't have the strength to get out of the way."

      play sound "assets/sfx/crunch.ogg"

#set conditions here, etc
jump youaredead

    label caféstay:

      #stay in the café for now

      mc “Going outside right now would be suicide. We have to wait for this crowd to pass."


      Gf “But… but those… "

      mc “If we just keep our heads low, they'll pass us by too."

    “I'm hoping that if I say it loud enough and firmly enough, I'll start believing it too. It doesn’t work.”

    "One of the waiters goes running back down the stairs and tries to move the table in place to block the door again. I take a few steps forward to help, but suddenly some people push their way through the door, knocking the table aside.”

   “As they file in, they immediately grab for the screaming waiter and pull him to the ground, just like the woman on the street.”

//CAN WE HAVE A CG HERE?

      "And just like the woman on the street, they… "

      Waiter "AHHHH! AHHHH!"

      Gf “Oh god… oh god…!"

    "And again – just as with the woman from before – the waiter's corpse quickly becomes so surrounded by crazed attackers that the latecomers can't get their share."

   "I can hear the other people behind me rushing off and I realize that standing here frozen in shock isn’t my best option. Just as I snap to, though, the cannibals notice me.”
extend “ They start walking toward me, lurching oddly, wheezing and huffing.”

//play sfx zombie sounds close

   “As they move closer, I can see that a lot of them are badly injured – one is missing an eye, another has an enormous flesh wound on his leg – I can't understand how they're still moving."

   "There's no way out of the café except through them. The only option for fleeing is to run back upstairs. But then what? More and more of these cannibals are gathering at the entrance of the café, and now they're converging on the stairs, reaching out to grab me."


  “I hear Sara from a few steps above me, her voice shrill from fear.”

  Gf “Grey? Grey, please!”

  "How could I possibly fight them off?"

  "Where could I go if I ran?"

  "No time to think…! "

  #timed choice?

menu:
"Fight":
jump caféfight
"Flight":
jump caféflight
return

label caféfight:

      "What choice do I have? I rush down the stairs and grab the nearest thing I can lay my hands on – a sturdy-looking wood chair."

      gf "Grey! Grey, come back!"

    “I ignore the cries behind me and slam the chair as hard as I can into the nearest moving figure at the bottom of the stairs. The instant my makeshift weapon hits him, it shatters in my hands and leaves me holding nothing more than a splintered chair leg.”

    “The impact seems to faze me more than it fazes him.”

    “I think I've got his attention though. He reaches out and grabs onto my shoulder while the other cannibals draw in close.”

    “It’s do or die time. I throw a punch, aiming straight for the head, hoping to knock out the bastard for good. It leaves a dent in his skull, but once again, he doesn’t react in the slightest.”

    “It doesn’t make any sense. A normal person would have been floored by that punch. Instead, the man tightens his grip on me and lurches forward, pushing both of us to the ground.”

    “I feel a sharp pain in my arm, and my eyes go wild as I see the man tear a huge chunk of flesh out of my arm, ripping and tearing viciously.”
play sound "assets/sfx/fuck.ogg"

   “He bit me. He fucking…”

    “The pain sends sparks through my vision.”

    “I struggle to get him off of me, but it’s no use. Another one kneels down and grips my leg, biting me just as viciously.”

    “A white-hot searing pain shoots through me and I'm barely conscious of my own scream.”

    play sound "assets/sfx/aiiiie.ogg"

    “There's so much blood. So much blood…”

    “The pain begins to ease though, and I feel like I'm far away from what's happening, like I'm watching it happen from outside of myself.”

   “There’s a dull nausea in my stomach, but I'm too tired to vomit. I can feel the strength going out of my arms and I slump down, my head lolling back.”

    “As my gaze drifts to the stairs, I see Sara. She's frozen in place, and the look of abject horror on her face gives me a moment of clarity.”

    “This will happen to her too.”

    “I don't want this to happen to her.”

    “I gather the last of my strength to yell to her, to tell her to get away, but my voice is weak, and I’m not sure she can hear.”

   mc "Run… Sara…"

   “More figures crowd over me and my world fades to black. The last thing I see is a group of two or three of them moving toward the stairs, reaching out for Sara.”

jump youaredead

label caféflight:

$location = "Café - Closet"
$scenename = "\"Defense of the Café Closet\""
$cur_song = "None"

   "I do a 180 and run back upstairs, grabbing Sara roughly by the hand. If worse comes to worst, we can jump over the railing on the terrace.”

    “A few people have already had the same idea. About a dozen of them are hurling themselves off the edge, straight into the chaos below.”

    “The odds that they have even survived the fall don’t seem very good."

    "As I dart my eyes around the room, I see a better alternative present itself – a smaller group of people are cramming themselves inside what appears to be a janitor's closet. I tug on Sara's arm and start running for it, trying to get there before they lock us out.”

    “The waitress who served us is one of the last ones in – at the threshold, she stops, turns around, and waves for us to hurry up. "

    “I feel a rush of relief and vow to myself that I'll always tip extra from now on.”

    "I glance back over my shoulder. Big mistake. The cannibals are pouring over the stairs in fours and fives now, coming straight for us. My stomach drops. I heave and push Sara with all my force into the closet before diving in myself.”

    “With everyone inside, the waitress steps back and slams the door just before the cannibals get there.”

    “Immediately, they begin to beat madly on the door, trying to break though. A few of the men in the closet with us lean against the door with all their force, holding it closed. I join the effort."

      milf "Is everyone okay?"

    "Most of the people in the closet give weak murmurs of assent, but I don’t think any of us are even remotely okay right now. We're trapped, with no way out – and a thin slab of plywood is all that separates us from being devoured alive."

      "A woman near the back of the room begins to panic."

   "Woman" "Oh god… my son… he's all alone at home right now… I have to get out of here! I have to see if he's all right!"

      "I clench my jaw. The last thing we need right now is for everyone to start freaking out. It seems like the waitress understands this, too – she pushes her way to the back and puts her hands on the woman's shoulders, comforting her."

   milf "We'll make it out of here okay. I've got a son to check on myself. I'm sure they're at home waiting for us. We just have to sit tight and be patient. "

   "The woman breaks down into heavy sobs and the waitress hugs her tight against her breast – to console her, maybe… but I get the feeling it's mostly to muffle the sound."

      milf "Is anyone in here injured?"

      "People shake their heads and shrug."

      gf "What the hell is all of this?"

      "Man" "Beats the hell out of me. The news has been talking about riots for a couple hours now. But they never mentioned anything about people eating each other."

   "I look back to see who's speaking. The pounding on the other side of the door is becoming more violent, and it's getting difficult to hold the cannibals back. Why isn't this guy helping?"

      mc "Hey asshole, you wanna give us a hand over here?"

      Man “Fuck off. I have a heart condition."

    "He walks across the room and sits down against the wall, cradling his head in his palms. People groan and shout at him, but he just sits there, paying no attention. Arguing with him is a useless waste of energy though. I just turn my attention back to holding the door closed."

    "What feels like about 10 minutes pass. The commotion out on the street, at first plainly audible even here in the closet, seems to be dying down. The stampede has passed. But the cannibals are still just outside, still beating on the door. And it sounds like their numbers are only growing.”

    “I can feel my muscles getting weak. I think the others are feeling fatigued too. Sara steps forward and joins in pushing against the door. "

      "No one says anything. We simply listen to thumping of fists outside. And…"

      gf "That sound…"

    "I nod. It's… it’s like someone trying to talk while inhaling at the same time. They're all making it, the crazed people on the other side – every single one of them. Moaning and gnashing and beating away. Like wild animals."

    "I try to think of an explanation for why these people are doing this. This behavior isn't like any rioting I've ever heard about in my life. Eating people alive? /Why/? It feels like I’ve fallen sideways into some bizarre alternate universe."

    "Those injuries that I saw would have been enough to totally incapacitate any normal human being… yet not only are they walking around, they're presenting the very real threat of breaking through the door by sheer brute force alone. "

      "Are they even human?"

    "Suddenly, there's a loud banging sound from below, on the first level of the café. Shattering glass. Shouting. Outside the door, the beating and pounding stop. It seems like the cannibals are shuffling away somewhere. "

   "Hesitantly, I and the others let up off the door. Nothing happens. The only sound in the room is the exhausted panting of everyone who was bracing the door. We look around at each other, confused. "

      "A minute. Two. Three. Still nothing."

      gf "Should… should we go out now?"

      mc "I don't know. Is it safe? What do you guys think?"

      "No one answers. They're all waiting for someone else to act first."

$location = "Café - Closet"
$scenename = "\"When Suddenly…\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

      menu:
              "Stay put":

   "I guess the bystander effect is pretty powerful after all. I hang back and wait with the others. "

   "Things are already very tense, and soon we hear a rustling noise on the other side of the door. Everyone jumps back in unison at it. Someone near the front grabs ahold of a mop handle, as if he plans to use it as a weapon. "

   "The door handle jiggles. I race to throw myself against the door again – but a little too late. It swings open. "

   "The man holding on to the mop lets out a savage scream and brings it through a wide arc, hitting the intruder in the face with the terrycloth end and splashing dirty water everywhere.

    “But the intruder isn't one of the cannibals – he's a normal person. For a few moments everyone stands stock-still, utterly stunned."

   "With a grimace, the person on the other side of the door grabs the mop and throws it aside. With his face fully visible, recognition hits me like a truck. It's my best friend. He's got a sledgehammer on one shoulder, stained red with blood. He doesn't look much worse for the wear himself though."

    bro "Nice going, jerkhole. My hair's gonna smell like mop water for a week."

   ///WOOT, PUT A JUMP HERE

              "Open the door":
   "I take a deep breath to brace myself and put my hand on the door knob. Behind me, I can feel everyone else in the closet tense up. "

    gf "Are you sure about this, Grey?"

    mc "We can't stay here forever. If we don't go now, they might come back."

   "Ready to slam it shut at a moment's notice, I slowly crack the door open."

    "A man on the other side peeks his head around the corner and looks in. Everyone jumps back in shock before realizing he's a normal person.”

   bro "There you are, Ace. What's up?"

   "It's my best friend. His total nonchalance puts me so off-balance that I can’t muster more than incoherent stuttering in response.”

    “He's wearing his trademark jacket, smoking a cigarette. Smiling. Standing there like nothing unusual is happening.”

    extend “But the gore-stained sledgehammer he has resting on his shoulder tells a different story."

    “I finally manage to put a response together.”

   //WOOT, PUT A JUMP HERE


//WOOT, MAKE BOTH JUMPS LEAD HERE

      mc "What the hell are you doing here?"

      bro "That's no way to treat the guy who just saved your ass."

      mc "I'm… just surprised, is all."

   bro "I couldn't get ahold of you on my cell, so I had to check up on you in person. That's what friends are for, right? "

      "Everyone begins to file out of the closet as Bro continues speaking."

      bro "You told me earlier that you were coming here with Sara to break–"

      "He casts a sidelong glance at her and stops himself."

   bro "–So, uh, I figured I'd come here first. Good thing, too. You had a few dozen of 'em on your ass just now, and more coming up. I gave them the ol' runaround. Lured them away for you. No need to thank me, of course."

      "Man" "Is it safe out there?"

      "Bro shrugs."

      bro "Safe-ish. Shit is hitting the fan elsewhere at the moment. If you're gonna skedaddle, now would be the time. "

      "At this, people begin to disperse. Bro steps aside to let them through, and they walk, dazed, down the stairs."

      gf "Do you know what's going on?"

      bro "Do I know what's going on? I'll tell you what's going on. Zombies. That's what's going on. "

      mc "This isn't the time, dude."

   bro "No shit it's not the time. But I'm not lying. This is a bona fide zombie epidemic. And it's getting real fuckin' heavy real fuckin' fast."


   "I massage the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. As much as my mind wants to reject the idea, I have to admit that it explains everything perfectly."

      gf "Christ. Do we have a plan here?"

   bro "Playing it by ear today, slugger. But I think the first item on our itinerary should be to get outta here. I can't stand this muzak. "

   "I look around. Until just now, I hadn't noticed that the café's loudspeaker system was still playing soft elevator music. With tables, chairs, and broken dishware strewn all over the place, it makes for a strange contrast. "

$location = "Copper Avenue"
$scenename = "\"Bro’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

      bro "Follow me. "

      "Sara and I comply, and as we slowly walk down the stairs, Bro lays it all out for us."

    bro "There's a few rules you need to be acquainted with if you're going to survive more than a few minutes out there. First off: destroy the brain."

      gf "What?"

    bro "The brain. That's the only way to kill 'em. Stab 'em in the aorta, puncture their lungs, crush their spleens – won't even make ‘em flinch. You gotta take out the central nervous system. Now you can floor one by taking out its legs, but that doesn't stop it from crawling around. Or nibbling on your ankles as you walk past. The only way to be sure… is to destroy the brain."

    “Sara tuts.”

    gf “Is this a joke?”

   Bro “I’m as serious as a heart attack. And if you want to live, you need to start taking it seriously, too.”

   "Bro stops to open the glass door at the entrance to the café. We step out into the street. Sara claps her hand over her nose."

      gf "Oh god, this smell…"
   "The stench of death hangs heavy in the air. The avenue is littered with mangled corpses. A few people are still running past, but not very many. A police cruiser passes by, driving slowly, but it doesn’t stop to offer anyone aid."

   "I'm so taken aback by the ludicrous atrocity of the scene before me that I stop in my tracks and just stare at it, trying to take it all in. Bro waves his hand in front of my face to snap me out of it.”

   bro "Like I said, it's real fuckin' heavy right now. But you gotta stay with me here. Okay, champ? We can't help those people. They're dead. Okay?"

      mc "O… okay."

      bro "Okay. Rule two, then. Get bit and you're done for. "

      mc "Done for?"

   bro "/Done/. That's how it spreads. One bites two, two bite four. Soon enough, everybody from here to Timbuk-fucking-tu is a walking corpse. Don't get bit."

      gf " This is insane. God."

      bro "Rule three: quiet. "

      "He sweeps his palm through the air in a downward motion for added effect."

    bro "Sound draws 'em like gangbusters. The key to keeping them off your ass is to lay low and stay quiet. They won't even know you exist. Learn a card game or ten, we're gonna have a lot of free time from now on. "

   mc "Sure, let me just pull out my \"rules of Hold 'em\" pamphlet."

   bro "Last rule for now. Supplies. Now, we're going to want to find someplace safe and stay there. I'm thinking we should head to your apartment… it's the closest… and it's on the second floor, which is a plus. "

   bro "But we still need to eat, and we need good defenses. That means barricading windows and shit – and that's where supplies come in. We need to go to the store and get a few things. Sooner rather than later. When I was coming here, most of the stores I passed were already jam packed with looters. There won't be much left by the time we get there."

      gf "It's already late. Could we get to a store and then back to our apartment before sunset?"


    “Sara seems to be getting her head around the situation a lot faster than I am. Bro nods thoughtfully and looks up at the sky, hand over his brow to shield his eyes. The sun is hanging low. It'll be dark in an hour and a half, maybe less."

   bro "You're 100\% right, batgirl. We don't want to be going around at night. And I don't think we could make it in time on foot. But maybe…."

   "He looks around and spots a car parked on the street with one of its windows rolled down. He runs up to it and tries the handle, but it's locked. So he reaches in through the window and opens it from the inside.”

    $location = "Copper Avenue"
$scenename = "\"Fuckin’ Magnets!\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

      bro "God bless idiots. "

      "Bro gets inside and kicks at a panel underneath the steering wheel, revealing a huge bundle of insulated wires."

      mc "Do you know what you're doing?"

      bro "Sure, I've done this plenty of times before."

      “I'm 97% certain that's a lie.”

      gf “When? When have you ever hotwired a car?"

    bro "Okay, okay. You got me. But I've seen it in tons of movies. That's basically the same as doing it yourself, right? I mean, how hard could it be?"

      gf "Pretty fucking hard, I'd say."

      "Bro starts fiddling with the wires, stripping off ends with his teeth and putting them together at random."

      bro "No way. You just connect wires until you find the combination that starts it."

      mc "This is retarded. That's not how hotwiring actually works. We have to get going."

      bro "Just give me a second, jeez. "

      play sound “assets/sfx/bzzt.ogg”

      bro "Ow! Motherless…"

   gf "Look, even if this stupid plan works, we have to figure out where we're actually going. We may not have the time to get to a store and then back home even in a car. Especially if we run into a crowd of people. "

      play sound “assets/sfx/bzzt.ogg”

      bro "GODDAMN it, that hurts!"

      mc "So are we going back to my place or are we going to the store?"

    bro "Look. All I know is, whether we go today or not, we'll have to get to a store eventually. We're in this for the long haul, broheim. "

  Sara and I consider it for a moment. I can tell she doesn’t like it, but Sara admits that Bro’s assessment is correct.

   gf "He’s right, Grey. We don't have a lot of food at home, and we definitely don't have anything to barricade with. If we have to hunker down, we need supplies. "

      mc "Fine by me. Any luck with the car, Bro?"

      play sound “assets/sfx/bzzt.ogg”

      bro "Combinatorics can kiss my ass. Goddamn it."

      mc "This is pointless. We're just wasting time here. We have to GO. Now. "

      "Sara tugs at my shirt sleeve."

      gf "Uh…"

   "She points to the other end of the street. I turn around to see what she's pointing at.”

   “There's a group of people lurching toward us. Thirty or forty, maybe more. I recognize some of them as the cannibals that I saw in the café."

      gf "We /really/ have to go. "

      mc "Bro. BRO! Look! Those cannibals you gave \"the ol' runaround\" to? Well they’re back! We have to get out of here, /RIGHT NOW/."

      "Bro glances over his shoulder and sees them. He just shrugs and goes right back to playing with the wires."

      bro "They're not cannibals. They're zombies. Try to keep up. "

      mc "Cannibals, zombies, aliens from fucking Venus, who gives a shit!? Let's go! Goddamn it!"

      bro "One second, I've almost got this."

      mc "No. NO. We're leaving!"

      bro "We /are/ leaving! With a new set of wheels, too!"

      gf "You idiot! Stop with the fucking car! You don't know what you're doing! "

   "The cannibals… or zombies… monsters… whatever they are… are getting closer. Perhaps less than a hundred yards separates us from the mob."

   bro "I think it's this red one. That's the key. And this blue one here… and the black one? No, that's the ground… fucking Mitsubishi, what do all of these wires even DO?"

   "I stomp my feet and pace back and forth. I don't want to abandon my best friend to these things, but he isn't giving me much of a choice."

      gf "We have to go, Grey."

      mc "I know."

      gf "With or without… I mean…"

      mc "Move your ass, dude! We're leaving!"

      bro "Have a little faith in me, man! I've almost got it, I swear!"

      menu:
              "Wait a little longer":
                      jump brostay
              "Leave":
                      jump broleave
return

label broleave:

$location = "Copper Avenue"
$scenename = "\"He’s Dead, Grey\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

   "The horde is less than a dozen yards away. We're out of time. I love him like a brother, but I can't let him get me and Sara killed. I just hope he'll snap out of it in time and run away with us."

      mc "I'm sorry, Bro. I'm going. For the love of god, come with us. Please."

      "Bro doesn't look up from his work."

      bro "Do what you gotta do. I'll be right behind you. Just… remember to stay alive, okay?"

   "I grab Sara by the arm and begin to run off, hoping that our departure will be the incentive he needs to give up on hotwiring the car. But as I duck into an alley with Sara, I can see him still sitting there in the driver's seat, trying to get the car started. I lose sight of him as I run down the alley. But just a little bit later…"

//PLAYSOUND BROSCREAM

   "Even from here, the scream is piercing. There's no mistaking what it is. It's the same way the woman on the street screamed… the same way that waiter at the café screamed…"

   "I fall to my knees and cradle my face in my hands. The reality of what just happened hits me so hard it winds me. I groan, softly at first, but growing in pitch, until I’m screaming at the top of my lungs. I feel Sara put her arms around me."

      gf "We have to keep moving. There's nothing we can do for him. "

      mc "I killed him. I killed my best friend!"

      gf "Please don't talk like that. We tried to get him to come. "

    "She moves to hug me close, but I feel a white-hot rage boil up inside me. With an incoherent shout, I push her roughly away.”

   “She nearly falls down, but manages to steady herself against a nearby wall. As I stand back up, she looks at me with a mixture of shock and hurt. I tug my shirt taut against myself and glower at her."

      mc "Come on. Let's get to the store."

       “My voice sounds alien to myself. I feel like I’m autopilot right now. No longer fully in control.”

      "I trudge off. It’s a few moments before I hear Sara's footsteps as she hurries to follow behind me."

     "We walk for a little while like that, with her behind me, and I do my best to keep from thinking very much. Off in the distance, I can hear sirens and gunfire. I can't tell from which direction – the sounds are echoing through the alley too much to pin it down.”

   “A helicopter passes overhead. It looks like it could be military. Thick black smoke is wafting through the air from an unseen fire somewhere. " //CAN WE HAVE SOME CGS AROUND HERE?

      "I glance at my watch. It's been less than an hour since this whole thing started. It feels like a decade."

    "Further down the alley, we come across a half-eaten corpse. A pool of quickly congealing blood seeps from a gaping hole in the torso. The reek is indescribable. I look away as we walk past. I think I hear Sara dry heave. I’m too numb to even react to it though." //CGSSS

   "We continue on. A we weave through back alleys, Sara keeps her distance and doesn't say anything. But as we come to a fork, she hurries to get alongside."

      gf "I think the nearest store is Tom's. We should go this way."

      "She points to the left."

      mc "Are you sure?"

      gf "Well… not 100\%. But that should be the right way. "

      mc "Okay… but if we die, it's your fault."

    “That comes out colder than I intended it but Sara smiles nonetheless.”

   “I think she's feigning it. Joking about our situation doesn't change the very real danger hanging over us, and we are both very acutely aware of that. "


   "I let her take the lead. As I watch her walking, it occurs to me that, if this chaos had started just a few minutes later, we would both be on our own. She would have stormed out of the café in a huff after I broke it off with her… or perhaps more likely, I would have left her there on the terrace, crying to herself.”

   “And both of us would probably be dead right now."

      mc "I'm sorry for pushing you away."

      "Sara stops but doesn't turn around."

      gf "It's all right."

    “Sara's probably known Bro for as long as I have. I haven’t even thought about how losing him has affected her. I do my best to say something reassuring.”

      mc "He was your friend, too.  I’m… I didn’t mean–"

      "Sara nods and keeps walking. A few moments later, she stops again. As before, she doesn’t turn to face me when she speaks."

   gf "We're on our own now, Grey. At least for the foreseeable future. So we have to look out for each other. Will you do that?"

   “Her voice is surprisingly steady.”

      mc "Yes. Yes, of course."

      gf "Good. I… I know this wasn't the plan. "

      mc "It's okay."

    $location = "Davis Park"
$scenename = "\"Grey Has Startled the Witch!\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

   "We turn another corner and see a little girl huddled down near some trashcans. Her back is to us and she looks like she's crying. Sara calls out to her."

      gf "Little girl…? Sweetie, are you okay? Are you lost?"

      "The little girl doesn't answer. We stop walking and Sara glances nervously at me."

      menu:

              "Help the girl":

   "I take a couple halting steps forward and call to the girl too."

   mc "Do you need help finding your parents? It's okay, we won't hurt you."

   "The girl wheels around. Her throat is ripped open in a wide swath, bits of gory flesh hanging down in strips from the wound. She snarls at us. "

    "There's no need to investigate further – we both know what the girl is. Sara turns and runs away. I try to follow suit, but slip in a puddle, falling prone. Before I can get back up, the little girl crawls on top of me. I frantically try to push her away while she claws at my face."

   gf "Grey! Grey, oh God…"

   "Sara doubles back and tries to pull the girl off of me, but it's too late. She bites down hard on my throat.”

extend “ I see a horrible spurt of my own blood flash past my vision. Then the searing agony hits me.”

   “The pain is incredible, but it fades almost instantly. I see another, weaker spurt follow the first. I realize that I’m bleeding out.”

  “Sara's crying and screaming and tugging, but the girl's grip is like a vise."

   "She lets up just long enough to take another enormous bite out of my face, wheezing and gurgling in delight. Unable to do anything, Sara just tumbles backwards, sobbing helplessly while the creature eats me alive. "

   "The girl chews and gnashes, stopping every once in a while to bite me somewhere else.”

   “The world slows down around me and becomes increasingly blurred, like I’m seeing everything from underwater. My limbs are too heavy to move. I feel tired. So, so tired.“

   “As darkness envelops me, I think about how this very same thing must have happened to the girl. Perhaps only moments ago. Somehow, the parallel works to ease my terror.”

   "Blackness comes. The warmth of oblivion."


jump youaredead


"Leave her":


     mc "We should leave her."

      gf "But…"

      mc "I think she might be one of them, Sara."

   "Sara nods sadly. Even from here, we can hear the girl wheezing. It's the same noise those things at the café made. She isn't human any more. There's nothing we can do to help."

   “The memory of Bro's scream echoes in my mind, and I shake my head as if to physically force the thought out. I don't want to think about it.”

   "Unfortunately for us, the only way forward is past the girl. We do our best to go as as slowly and quietly as possible.”

   “But when we get near, she spins around and lunges forward. Her neck is little more than an enormous hole with bits of gory flesh dangling from the wound, and her eyes are milky white, lifeless.” //OH GOD CGS HERE

   “Sara and I are momentarily stunned by the sight. In that split second of indecision, the girl grabs at my legs, pulling me to the ground."

      gf "Grey–!"

   "The girl mounts me. She claws at my face and eyes while I frantically try to push her off. Sara manages to grab her by the hair and tugs her away before she can bite me. "

    "The girl rolls across the ground but then quickly springs back to her feet. Sara freezes up in terror as the girl starts lurching for her. "

   "From my position on the ground, I grab the girl by the ankle and knock her down again. She lands at an odd angle. I can hear the snapping of bones as she shatters her foot. "


   "On her stomach now, the girl reaches back and tries to attack me again, snarling madly. I push myself to my knees and crawl backwards, looking for something to use as a weapon.”

   “She crawls along the ground, advancing slowly – but she never takes her deadened eyes off of me, still wheezing in that eerie, inhuman way that the monsters from earlier did."

   "Suddenly, I catch sight of Sara. She has a huge cinderblock in her hands. She stops just behind the girl and raises the concrete block high above her head."

      gf "GAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

    "She brings the cinderblock down with all her force, directly on the girl's head. The back of her skull gives way with a horrifying wet thud, and brain matter sprays across the alley. The girl stops moving – dead."

   “The danger past, Sara puts her hands on her knees, breathing heavily, her eyes wrenched shut. I stand up unsteadily and walk over to her.

    “She lets go of her knees and tries to stand upright again. But her breathing gets even more ragged with the effort. Before I can say anything, she doubles back over and vomits."

   "I put a hand on her back, rubbing up and down, trying to soothe her. She wipes a strand of spittle away with the back of her palm as her breathing returns to normal."

      gf "Goddamn it… goddamn it…"

      mc "Come on. Let's keep going."

      "Sara opens her eyes and gives one last look at the girl's body before wordlessly continuing on."

    “The adrenaline begins to fade. I find myself dwelling on how close that was.”

    “With a mental shrug, I add it to my growing list of things not to think about.”

   "After a few more minutes of walking, we emerge from the alley, finding ourselves on a little side street that leads to the parking lot of a strip mall. The lot is full of cars and the place is swarming with hundreds of people.”
   extend “We eye the scene warily."

      gf "Are we sure about this?"

      mc "Yeah. We need to stock up. If we don't do it now, we'll miss our chance."

jump store

label brostay:

   $location = "Copper Avenue"
$scenename = "\"Are You a Wizard?\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""


   "I scratch at my head with both hands and let out a frustrated moan. This is driving me nuts. I can't just leave my best friend behind. By the same token, I can't let him get me and Sara killed.”

   “I start seriously considering the merits of hitting him over the head and dragging him away by force. But I don't have the time to carry around dead weight like that."

   "The monsters are closing in fast. Sara stares into my eyes like a deer in headlights, silently begging me to run away with her. "

      "I nod, and we take a few steps into the street… when, unbelievably, the car roars to life."

      bro "Like candy from a damn baby!"

      "He slams the driver side door shut. Then he reaches across the center console and opens the passenger side door."

      bro "Get the fuck in here, everybody!"

   "Sara and I dive inside. I manage to close the door just as one of the monsters limps up alongside the car. It slams a bloody palm on the window, smearing gore all over, baring its teeth.”

   “Sara screams in terror and thrashes her way into the back seat while I settle myself in the front. Another monster comes up on the left side of the car.”

  extend “But Bro's window is still down, and the creature pokes its head inside."

   "Now it’s Bro's turn to yell as the creature snarls and gurgles, trying to bite at his face. Bro leans to the side, kicks the car into reverse, and slams on the gas, knocking the monster down as we pull back.”

  “The vehicle's motion is short-lived, though – We’re thrown violently back in our seats as Bro slams into the car parked behind us, setting off its alarm."


   "Sara is screaming incoherently, and I'm muttering obscenities too. Taking a few deep breaths, Bro grabs for the crank to roll his window up, but it falls off when he tries to use it."

      bro "Fucking Mitsubishi, /I swear to god/!"

   "More of them are coming, building up all around us. They beat against their fists against car and moan as they try to get in. Another one of them pokes its head through the open window."

      bro "Seriously?"

      gf "Go! GO!!!"

   "Bro throws the gearshift into drive and pulls out into the street. Some of them disappear under the front of the car and we roll over them like speed bumps.”

   “The parking space is tight, and as he peels away, Bro clips the back end of the car in front of us, setting off its alarm, too. Finally we’re free of the mob, speeding off down the road.”

      bro "What do you guys say? Am I driver of the fucking year or what?"

   “The monsters try to chase us, but soon they’re nothing more than specks in the far distance. Calming down enough to stop screaming, but still agitated, Sara kicks the back of Bro's seat a few times.”

      gf "Fuck you! You almost got us killed!"

      bro "The key word there is \"almost\" We're alive, aren't we? You're welcome."

      mc "Jesus Christ, bro. Could you cut it ANY closer?"

      bro "Sure I could. But there's a point where it becomes showing off, and I'm way too classy for that."

   “I pound my fists against the roof of the car, letting out another frustrated moan. I'm about to start really freaking out, and I do my best to contain it. Now is not the time. I have to hold it together, at least until we get back to my apartment. I rest my head on the dash and try to clear my mind."

  “Bro's begins to drive slowly and doesn't seem to have any real goal in mind.”

      gf "The closest store is Tom’s. Do you know where that is?"

      bro "Sure do, buttercup."

      gf "Well, you're going the wrong way."

      bro "…"

      bro "I knew that. That was a test."

      bro "…"

      bro "You passed. Congratulations."

   $location = "Hamilton Street"
$scenename = "\"God Damnit, Japan!\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

      "Without any warning, the engine sputters and dies. We roll to a halt."

      bro "What the–-"

   "I lift my head and look around, confused. Bro tugs at the bundle of wires underneath the wheel and inspects them. The insulation has melted, fusing the wires into a single tacky mass."
extend “There's no way we're going to get it started again.”

      bro "You think the warranty covers that?"

      gf "Great. What now?"

      bro "How far are we from Hank's, again?"

      gf "Tom’s. And I thought you knew where it was. "

      bro "This is your final test. If you pass, I will reveal the secrets of the Freemasons."

   gf "Oh, shut up. We're about a block away. We can walk down Orchid Street and cut through the vacant lot at the end of it. Tom’s should be on the other side. That's the quickest route from here."

      mc "Let's go, then."

   "Bro grabs the sledgehammer and swings it across his shoulder again, stepping out. The way he carries it is like something out of an action movie and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he practiced in the mirror at some point.”


   “Sara and I get out of the car as well and we all start walking. Sara leads the way.”

   “The scene here is the same as before – bodies lying mangled on the ground, blood everywhere, abandoned cars in the middle of the road.”

   “We pass the horrors in silence.”

   “When we turn down Orchid Street, the scenery becomes a little more suburban. It looks like the chaos hasn't penetrated this far. In fact, everything seems kind of normal – albeit eerily quiet."

$location = "Orchid Estates"
$scenename = "\"Orchid Street Showdown\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

   "We approach a gray brick wall standing at the end of a cul-de-sac. It’s maybe eight feet tall.”

   Gf “Tom’s is just on the other side of this wall. Right across an undeveloped lot.”

   “Just as we go to hop over it, a group of three rough-looking teenagers swoop past us and block our way.”

   “All three are armed with shotguns. Their average age has got to be a little south of 16, but their weapons are very real, and they point them at us menacingly. We hold our arms up as a show of non-hostility. The leader steps forward, accosting us."

      "Punk" "What’re you doin’ in our neighborhood?”

      bro "We're just passing through."

      “Punk” "Yeah?"

      bro "Yeah. "

      “Punk” "You’re not one of those monsters?"

      bro "We're not monsters. Go on guys, tell 'em we're not monsters."

      mc "Yeah… uh… w-we're not monsters."

      gf "Please…"


    “This is going badly and getting worse by the second.”

      "The lead punk smiles wickedly."

   “Punk” "Sure is a hot piece of ass you got there. What's she doin' traveling with a couple faggots like you? Girl like her… no way you two can satisfy her."

      mc "Hey, fuck–"

      "Bro shoots me a mean look, waving his hand to shush me. Then he turns back to the group."

      bro "I'm going to make this simple enough that even a dropout like you can understand."

   "He swings his hammer down into both hands and holds it at the ready. The punks jump back a little, ready to fire on him."

    bro "You're either going to have to kill us or let us pass. If you kill us, that means you have to use those shotguns. And if you use those shotguns, the sound is going to draw every single one of those monsters in a five mile radius. You won't be able to get away in time. Now, you look like reasonable guys. I know you don't want that."

   "The punks look back and forth at each other. Something tells me that they're not very reasonable after all. Bro twirls the hammer in his hands."

      bro "You're going to have a really shitty day if you don't let us through. I can guarantee you that."

      “Punk” "Yeah? And who says–"

   "He steps closer – Bro reacts instantly. Pivoting on one foot, Bro puts himself behind the teenager and grabs him across the neck by the handle of the sledgehammer. Then just as quickly, Bro spins back around to face the other two teenagers, using their leader as a human shield. "

   “I wonder if he practiced that one in the mirror too…”

   "Bro's hostage flails his arms and drops his shotgun. Without even thinking about it, I kneel down to pick it up. It feels awkward and heavy in my hands.”

   “I point it at the other two. After the looks they were giving Sara, I’m pretty sure I wouldn't have any problems using it.”

   extend “And just like that, our two groups are evenly matched."

      "Bro half-whispers in his captive's ear, pulling tightly on the sledgehammer's handle for added effect."

      bro "What do you say, Columbine? Maybe it's time to rethink your strategy a little, huh?"

   "The kid waves his arms wildly, trying to pull himself free. He grits his teeth and growls, spittle flying from his pursed lips."

      “Punk” "Fuck you! You're dead! Dead!"

      gf "Grey!"

   "I wheel around to find out what's wrong, but it's too late. I see the butt of a shotgun arcing through the air. It smacks me across the forehead and I fall back, sparks filling my vision.”

    “I'm only disoriented for a fraction of a second, but that's long enough for me to drop the shotgun.

   “The person who hit me picks it up before I can react."


    "Rubbing my eyes, I look around. Two other teenagers have apparently flanked us. They point their guns back and forth, targeting me, Sara, and Bro, but never settling on any of us for very long.”

    ”Humiliated at being outmaneuvered by these little shits, and too scared to make a move, I just sit there on the ground, waiting for someone else to do something.”

      bro "Listen to me, guys."

      mc "What?"

      “Punk” "Fuck you!"

      bro "Shut up, screamo, I'm not talking to you. Now, ace… you two are gonna have an opening to run.”

      “Punk” "What?"

      bro "Take it."

      mc "I don't understand."

      bro "Hop the wall with Sara."

      mc "What, without you?"

      bro "I'll be right behind. Promise."

      “Punk” "Whatever you're fucking–"

      mc "No way, man."

      bro "Just go. You'll know when."

   "Bro starts to walk backwards with his hostage. The other punks take a couple halting steps forward to follow him, not wanting to leave us unattended. After Bro has gone about 10 yards, they threaten to shoot us if he keeps going. So he stops."

      bro "Here we go!"

      mc "What the hell–"

      bro "I’ll catch up with you guys! Remember to stay alive, okay?"

   "With that, Bro suddenly drops his grip on the lead punk and immediately smacks him hard across the face with the sledgehammer, flooring him.”

   ”The other four react instantaneously, running after him. He holds his arms wide and jogs backwards, trying stay out of range of their guns."

      menu:
              "Hop the wall":
                      jump criminalscum
              "Help Bro fight the hunters":
                      jump brosbeforehoes
return

label criminalscum:
$location = “Orchid Estates”
$scenename = "\"I Killed My Best Friend\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""


   “I have to trust that he knows what he's doing. He always does.”
   extend “ This is our opening. "


   "I jump to my feet and run for the wall. Sara follows. I let her use my hand as a footstool to boost herself over before going over myself.”

//play gunshot sound

    “I hear an incredibly loud crack from behind us and the sounds of buckshot peppering the wall."

      gf "Shit! Was that–"

      mc "Just run!"

    "On the other side of the wall is an undeveloped dirt lot, just like Sara described. Still reeling from being fired at, we run across it as fast as we can.”


//play gunshot, muffled
//play scream
“From the other side of the wall there's another crack of gunfire and a scream of pain.”
//play yeeeehaww
“The punks whoop and holler as if celebrating.”
//play gunshot, muffled
“There's another shot, but no scream this time.”

    "I fall to my knees mid-stride with the realization. It feels like something just got ripped out of me.”

     “Sara stops and pulls at my arm, pleading with me to get up."

      gf "Come on! Please! They could come for us next!"

      mc "He's dead."

      “Saying it out loud just makes it hurt even worse.”

      gf "You don't know that! Let's go!"

    “I can feel guilt welling up, almost as strong as the sorrow.”

    “He died because I ran away like a coward. Instead of protecting him. Instead of being loyal to him, as he was to me.”

      mc "I killed him. "

      gf "We don't know that he's dead! We have to keep running!"

    "I don't say anything in response. As I sit there on my knees, I can feel my mind shutting itself down. A tiredness envelops me.”

   ”I want nothing more than to lie down, right here, and take a nap. To not have to deal with this anymore. To not have to face up to what has just happened."

      "Sara kneels down in the dirt before me and holds my face in both hands."

      gf "Grey… Grey, listen to me. He did that for us just now. He told us to keep going. We have to."

      mc "Why do we have to?"

      gf "We just do. We have to keep moving. We have to go home. Please take me home, Grey, please."

      "Again, I don't respond. Sara begins to tear up. She shakes me a little, trying to bring me back to reality."

    gf "I know this wasn't the plan. I know this isn't what you wanted. But we have to look out for each other now. We have to protect each other. I can't lose you right now, Grey. Please. /Please./"

   "I look at her and see the terror in her eyes. If I don't get up and keep going, she'll stay with me… and we'll probably both die here."

   “As ready as I am to give up myself… I don’t want her to die. I can’t be responsible for two deaths today.”

   "It suddenly occurs to me that if all this chaos had started just a few minutes later than it did, we'd both be on our own right now. She would have stormed out of the café in a huff after I broke it off with her… or perhaps more likely, I would have left her there on the terrace, crying to herself. "

    "But it didn't happen like that. We're stuck together now – for better or for worse. And I have an obligation to her, just as she does to me. I'm not sure how to feel about that… but now isn't the time to stew over it. Sara's right. We have to keep moving."

      mc "All right… let's go."

      "Sara breathes a sigh of relief as I stand up with her."

      gf "Tom's is pretty close. Do you still want to get supplies?"

      mc "Yeah. We need to."

    “My voice is dead and monotone. As if I’m functioning on autopilot.”

    “Sara takes the lead and we jog the rest of the way through the lot. At the end of it is a small side street that leads to the strip mall where Tom's Grocery stands."

jump store

label brosbeforehoes:
$location = "Orchid Estates"
$scenename = "\Bros Before Hoes\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""


   "I can't let my best friend get himself killed. I don’t care what he tells me. We’re in it together – no matter what.”

   “I get up and make a beeline for the nearest punk, a scrawny little thing in a long trenchcoat. He doesn’t seem very imposing and I tackle him to the ground before he can react.”

   ”Seeing the scuffle, another one of the teenagers approaches me, gun at the ready. Before he can shoot me, I see Sara come out of nowhere. She latches herself onto his back with a yell and bring him to the ground."

      bro "Goddamn it, what are you two doing? Run!"

    "I struggle with the one I tackled, fighting over his weapon.”

   ”He knees me in the groin so I shift position, trying to choke him.”

   ”We roll around, our movements uncoordinated and spastic. From my position, I can no longer see what Sara and Bro are doing, but I can hear frenzied shouting from all over."

//play sound gunshot
//play sound death rattle

   "There's a loud bang to my left and a horrible bloody gurgling.”

   “The sound distracts me enough to give my opponent the upper hand.”
   extend ” before I can get my bearings, he slams my head hard against the ground. I lose my grip on him and he takes the gun, clambering to his feet with a self-satisfied huff.”

    “He puts the gun to my head and I look to see where that shot came from.”
//CG HERE
    ”Sara's lifeless body lies on the ground just a few feet from me.”
    extend “ Most of her head is gone.”

   “I claw at the asphalt below me and let out an incoherent scream.”
    //play sound gunshot”
  “It’s interrupted by another gunshot.”


"The gang is cackling evilly as they gather around me and drag me to my knees. Their leader is bleeding from the head, but he doesn't seem to be bothered by it. He grabs me roughly by the chin and twists my neck painfully, forcing me to look behind me.”
//CG AGAIN
“Bro is face down on the asphalt, unmoving. There's a pool of blood spreading out from under him."

      "I try to scream again, but nothing comes out. It’s like being in a nightmare. I can hear the hunters laughing again."

      “Punk” "You fucked up real good."

      mc "Go to hell! Go to hell, you shit!"

      “Punk” "I'll see ya there."

      play sound “assets/sfx/see you space cowboy.ogg”

jump youaredead

label store:
$location = "Hank’s Food Warehouse"
$scenename = "\"The Siege of Hank’s\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

   "Sara and I approach the parking lot. At the edge of the lot, on a curb, is an empty cart that has been turned on its side. I set it upright and start pushing."

   "Just getting into the store is hard – the volume of foot traffic both in and out is insane. As we enter, we pass dozens of people who have stuffed their shopping carts to bursting with food and other sundries.”


   ”One woman, who appears to be traveling alone, is wheeling three full carts: two which she trails behind her, one in each hand, and one that she pushes in front of her by kneeling down and guiding it with her chin."

    “On a normal day, it’d be comical, but now… I find myself wondering whether I should try the same tactic.”

      "Before stepping into the foyer of the store, Sara stops me."

      gf "I was thinking. "

      mc "What about?"

   gf "What we need. We'll need a hammer – no, three… screwdrivers, too. Philips head and flathead. Well, grab as many as you can find. And nails. A few boxes of nails. There should be an aisle where they keep the tools. I think on the other side of that aisle is the produce section. We shouldn't get much produce. Or anything else perishable. But grab some fruit, and we can eat that tonight. Whatever you like is fine. They have huge jars of peanut butter here, too. Grab a couple. Bread is good, that keeps for a while. The canned soup aisle should be on the other side of the tools from the produce. Get as much as you can fit. I'll hit the toiletries section, and the freezer section, but we shouldn't focus on anything that needs refrigeration. Oh! Remember to get…"

   "Sara drones on for a little while and I sort of lose track of what she's saying. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that she planned for the apocalypse in advance.”

   ”Listening to her lay things out like this is a shock to me. It’s like she’s a different person.”

   “I’m thankful that she’s with me, that I have her to rely on. She was always better than me in dealing with tough situations. Now is no different."

      gf "…Got it?"

      mc "Uh, yeah. "

      gf "Let's get to work then."

   "We elbow our way inside. Sara breaks off to hit one end of the store while I push the cart towards another end. While passing the toppled sale displays in the front, I grab everything that catches my eye along the way: a pineapple, a bag of chips, even a little jar of poultry seasoning.”


   “But then I turn down an aisle and start doing some serious looting, sweeping whole shelves of random stuff into my cart at once."

   "While I work, I notice a police woman step into the store. She doesn't look happy."

   "She wanders this way and that through the crowd. She might be the only person in the whole store who isn’t grabbing everything in sight.”

   ”People continue to loot in spite of her presence and brazenly push their shopping carts, stacked high with stolen food, right past her.

cop “Put that back! You heard me! Hey! You too!”

   “No one listens to her. It's clear that she's not used to having her authority brushed off like this, and she paces back and forth, completely powerless to control the situation."

   "After it finally becomes apparent to her that she can't stop the looters, she balls her fists up and clenches her teeth, standing by the exit and positively fuming with rage."

   "Seeming to get an idea, she strides purposefully toward the checkout lanes and jumps up on one of the conveyors. She unholsters her gun, holds it high above her head, and fires it into the air.
//play gunshots
//stop crowd noise sound
   “There are brief gasps of shock, and the store falls silent.”

      cop "Now listen up!"

   "She pauses for a moment and scans her eyes around the store, as if checking that nobody is trying to slink away. Satisfied, she continues shouting."

    cop "We are going to follow protocol here! You are going to shop as you would on any other day! Anything you remove from the shelves, you will bring to the checkout lanes, and then you will pay with legal tender before leaving! You will browse the merchandise in an orderly fashion! You will not vandalize the store or make a mess! And if I see anyone – ANYONE – looting, I will shoot them in the goddamn head! Do we understand each other?"

   "There's a tense silence while everyone in the store considers what she has said. They look back and forth, first at each other, then to the police officer, and then down to their carts. And then all at once, just as suddenly as it stopped, everyone in the crowd – myself included – starts looting again.”
//start crowd noise again, fade it in though

   “The pace is just as frenzied as before, picking up exactly where it left off."


   “I can still hear the cop's voice over the din, but she's nowhere near as authoritative as she was a few moments ago. She actually sounds kind of pathetic, as if she’s begging us to control ourselves.”

      cop "Stop! Stop this instant! You're all under arrest, do you hear me? I'm arresting all of you! "

      "I certainly don't care, and nobody else seems to either."

    cop "Y-you have the right to remain silent! Anything you say– stop, goddamn you! Why won't you listen to me? Anything you say– anything you say–"

   "Sara appears at my side with an armful of toilet paper and bottled water. She dumps it in the cart and tugs at my sleeve. We have to shout to hear each other over the crowd."

      gf "Did you get a box of nails?"

      mc "Yeah!"

      gf "Good! And peanut butter! They have those huge jars of peanut butter here, did you grab one?"

      mc "Yeah, it's right here–"

      "As I point it out, someone runs past the cart and grabs the jar of peanut butter, never breaking his stride."

      mc "Hey! "

      gf "Grey, I think we should get out of here!"

   "I look around at the shelves. They're starting to look quite empty. It won't be long before people are fighting over carts. Sara is right – we should leave."

      cop "–A right to an attorney! If you cannot afford one… if you cannot… "

    "There are horrified screams from the front of the store. A huge group of those creatures, at least 30 of them, are shambling in through the automatic doors. As they enter, they lunge wildly at any looters in their vicinity.”

   “I remember Bro's rules. The crowd’s yelling and the police officer's gunshots must have drawn them here.”


   “People begin abandoning their carts and running blindly for the exit in the back of the store."

   "The police officer snaps into action and begins firing at the monsters, coolly taking aim and putting each one down with a single shot.”

   ”There are too many to fight on her own though, and finally, she runs out of ammo. She turns her gun in her hand and glances at it, cursing under her breath before holstering it again. "

      "Without any way to fight them back, she hops across to the conveyor nearest the entrance and kicks down a shelf of magazines to block their path. It doesn't have much effect."

      gf "Grey! Come on! Go go go!"

   "I look around. Everyone else seems to be heading for an exit near the back. Something in my gut tells me that we might want to go another way… but any other way would bring me a little too close to those shambling monsters for comfort. "

   "The police officer breezes past, headed for the back exit herself. She's blowing on her whistle, trying to coordinate the evacuation."

      cop "Single file! Single file! You'll block up the door otherwise!"

      menu:
              "Head for the back exit":
$location = "Hank’s Food Warehouse"
$scenename = "\"Mob Mentality\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""

   "I start pushing the cart down the aisle again, toward the freezer section. But Sara tugs on my sleeve to stop me."

    gf "Grey, look!"

    “I turn and see about a dozen of them heading straight up the aisle for us. The sight of them throws me into a panic.”

   ”Sara and I abandon our cart. We start running for the back exit along with everyone else."

   cop "Single file, goddammit!"
    "The back exit is completely swamped with people, shoving and pushing against each other. We join in, trying to worm our way towards the exit, but it's a pointless endeavor. The police climbs up onto one of the shelving displays, waving her arms impotently."

    cop "We have to do this in an orderly fashion! Your lives depend on it! Form a line! "

   "Suddenly, the police woman sways back and forth as the shelf she’s standing on begins to shake. The monsters are pushing at it from the aisle on the other side. After a couple seconds, it comes crashing down and the police officer disappears underneath it, going silent."

   "Like a wave, the creatures pour across the toppled shelf and come straight for the crowd. People start screaming and yelling and pushing even harder. We're so tightly packed that I can barely breathe. I can't even see where Sara is anymore."

    “Something gives way in front of me and before I can right myself, I fall forward, landing hard on the ground. Something crawls on top of me. I don't have any room to turn and see what.”

    ”I feel a white hot pain on my leg and the warmth of my blood flowing out like water. Then something grabs my arm and I feel a bite there too."

    “I can't move. Above me, the crowd screams and surges, drowning out my own terrified yelling.”

    “By now there must be at least five of them on top of me. I'm being bitten over and over again. The agony of it is all-consuming.”

   “One of them leans in and takes a chunk out of my shoulder, tearing the flesh out in a strip that extends straight up to my left eye. Another one has breached my stomach and its hands explore my insides."

   "My head begins to feel light. Before I lose consciousness, I manage to catch a glimpse of Sara being dragged to the ground too."
                      jump youaredead

              "Look for another way out":
   "I start pushing my cart down the aisle again. At the end of it, I move as if to turn in the opposite direction from the exit. Sara jogs behind, tapping me nervously on the shoulder."

      gf "Uh, Grey… aren’t we going /that/ way?"

      mc "No. There’s too many people headed for that exit. Look, the door's already jammed up. "

      gf "There's no other way out!"

      "She glances behind her and yelps. At the front of the aisle, about a dozen monsters are shambling straight for us.”

      gf "Please!"

      mc "I have an idea. Here."

    "We duck around the corner, running along the back aisle. A little ways down, I find what I'm looking for – the butcher's counter. Behind it is a swinging door that leads to a meat locker. I lift up the hinged portion of the counter, pushing the cart through, and we head back. "

   "Inside, enormous cuts of meat hang from hooks. The room is cold and gray, bigger than I thought. On one end is a delivery-bay door, where the store accepts shipments of meat. As we walk over to it, I can hear horrible screaming from inside the store. It sounds like not everyone made it out in time.”

   “I shudder and try not to visualize the scene.”

    "Then another thought strikes me. I wonder whether that police woman will be okay. Probably not."

   “I undo the lock on the bay doors and push them open.”

    “Luckily, the parking lot at the back of the store is empty except for a couple trailer trucks parked nearby. A ramp slopes gently down, leading from the doors to asphalt below. Nothing out of the ordinary here.”

    ”We guide the cart down and start heading for home. The horrible sounds of people being eaten alive – already much too familiar to me – grow fainter as we walk off. Eventually we are free of them entirely."

    “But I can still hear them ringing inside my head.”
$location = "Valley Terrace"
$scenename = "\"Home Free\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""


"Our apartment is less than a block from the store. The journey home is fairly uneventful and it passes in silence. Sara walks alongside the cart, holding her elbow in one hand, eyes drooping. The way she looked back at the café.”

”That may as well have been a lifetime ago, though."


"We made a good haul. It looks like we have enough food to stay holed up inside for a few weeks at least. That should be more than enough time for help to arrive and get this mess sorted out."

      "Right?"

    “As I push the cart, we pass a restaurant that's burning to the ground. The blaze is completely out of control and it looks like it could easily spread itself to the neighboring buildings.”

   “Not a soul is around. No firemen. No police. Not even curious onlookers. The entire street is empty of people except for us. "

      "It makes me remember what Bro said. How we're in it for the long haul. "

      "A zombie epidemic, he called it."

      "Those usually evolve into a zombie apocalypse, don't they?"

    "How ridiculous. This isn't a horror movie. Whatever's going on… someone will sort it all out. And we'll be okay. We just have to lay low for a little bit. "

   “Finally, we're in sight of home. We push the cart through the parking lot just outside my apartment complex and then down the little pathway that leads to my unit."

   "It’s a nice place, for off-campus student housing – modest yet quite livable. I've been here with Sara for three years now. And yet just a couple hours ago, I had thought my time here was coming to an end. I’d already made arrangements to move to one of the dorms on campus.”

   “I was planning to move out tonight, right after I broke up with Sara."

    "Best laid plans, huh?"

    "We haul the cart upstairs, Sara taking the front end while I bring up the rear. A couple random bits and pieces fall out as we lug it up, but I can't muster very much concern over it. After a little effort, we get the cart inside.”

   “Home. "

$location = "Towers at the Avenue"
$scenename = "\"Home Sweet Home\""
$cur_song = "\"Dystopian Diner\""


   "I shut the apartment door behind me and lean up against it, my head in the crook of my arm. Sara fumbles her way into the living room, where she falls down on the floor, an exhausted, shellshocked heap.”

    ”About a minute later, she reaches out and turns on the TV. I can hear a panicked reporter babbling about something or other, but my mind is swimming too much to pay any real attention.”

    “I step away from the door, put my back against the foyer wall, and slide down so that I'm sitting.”

    “Then I look up at the popcorn stucco ceiling. Jaw agape. Thinking. "

     "My best friend is dead."

    "In the living room, Sara mumbles to herself, sobbing as she watches the news report. I think about how silly that is. They couldn't be showing anything we didn't just walk through ourselves. "

    "Yet… it does make sense. It is only now that we have the time to breathe a little. Before, we were just running. Keeping ourselves moving and trying to stay alive. Now, here, we can take it all in. We can mull it over. Consider the implications. Imagine the future… and then realize that it's empty. The more I run it through my mind, the more I feel as if I'm straddling an abyss."

      "Memento mori."

      "Why did I think of that?"

   "It was in my mind a couple hours ago. Then driven out by these other things. But not really. It was there this whole time. It is still with me now."

      "Remember that you will die. How couldn't I?"

   "I'm crying now too. Just like Sara is, out there in the living room. We cry for the same reasons. We've seen the same horrors. We've both lost a dear friend. And yet the gulf between us remains. We cry alone. In separate rooms. In separate hells. "

      "We will be living like this for a long time, I think.”
      extend ”Together and alone.”
      extend “Trapped."

    "I let the grief come in. I let it take hold and do its violence inside of me. I sob and heave and blow my nose on my own shirt sleeve, not even caring about the mess. I fall forward and pound my fists on the tile, kick against the wall, pull at my hair, yell and shout.”

   “And finally again I am calm. Not eased, but unable to cry any longer. My mind too weary to fear, my body too tired to rage.”

   “I sit back up and look at Sara. The TV is off again and she's on the couch. Lying there in the fetal position."

   "I can see that she isn't asleep though. On the contrary – she just lies there and stares at the blank black screen with deadened eyes.  "

      "I think about what he said to me before he died. \"Remember to stay alive, okay?\" It's more than that, though. "

"Everything has its opposite number someplace. It occurs to me that this must also be true of the Latin phrase that I've been fixating on. I try think of what its opposite must be. Even though I took Latin in high school, it is hard to grab the right word out of the cobwebbed recesses of my mind. But then all of a sudden, there it is. "

      "Memento vivere."

      "Remember to live."

      "I sniffle a little bit and stand."

      mc "Do you know how to play gin?"