The Zombie Apocalypse Militia: An Untold Tale of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center (The Zombie Apocalypse Call Center Series Book 7) Read online

  Also by Taylor Ellwood

  How Pop Culture Magic Works

  Pop Culture Magick: A How to Guide to Practical Pop Culture Magick

  Pop Culture Magic 2.0: The Evolution of Pop Culture Magic

  The Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

  The Zombie Apocalypse Militia

  Watch for more at Taylor Ellwood’s site.

  The Zombie Apocalypse Militia

  Taylor Ellwood

  Portland, Oregon

  The Zombie Apocalypse Militia

  by Taylor Ellwood

  © 2021 first edition

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

  The right of Taylor Ellwood to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

  Cover Art: Mark Reid

  Editor: Kat Bailey

  IYR010

  Imagine Your Reality Publications

  http://www.imagineyourreality.com

  Other Fiction by Taylor Ellwood

  Learning How to be a Hero Trilogy

  Learning How to Fly

  Learning How to be Free

  Learning How to be a Hero

  The Zombie Apocalypse Call Center Series

  The Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

  Secret Missions of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

  Rebels of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

  Heroes of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

  Tales of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

  Outlaws of the Zombie Apocalypse Call Center

  Coming Soon

  The Alien Invasion Call Center

  Dedication

  To Victoria Pike who gave me a place to stay when I really needed it.

  And to Jennifer Gerrity for shining a light and helping me find my way out of the dark tunnel I was in.

  Acknowledgements

  I have so much to be grateful for, because despite a truly rough year I am still writing and my life is getting better. I want to thank those of you who reached out and checked in on me when I really needed it. You know who you are. I also want to thank Mark Reid for the excellent book cover. As always you do solid work, mate.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Bonus

  Chapter 1:

  Day 7 of the Zombie Apocalypse - Ben

  I look at the fort walls with dismay. The zombies have totaled the place. There’s no way we can stay here. Another attack from them or some marauders will see most the people here dead or becoming zombies. Neither choice is palatable.

  “This place is toast isn’t it?” Annie bleakly asks.

  “I’m afraid so. Gerald did a number on us, by leading the zombies to attack us. We should check and see how many people are still alive,” I suggest.

  Annie reluctantly peels away from me and for a moment I watch her go. It’s been so long since I’ve been involved with someone that it feels unreal. I wish I could enjoy the feeling more, but finding love during a zombie apocalypse isn’t the ideal time to explore a relationship. The realities of survival outweigh the new relationship energy.

  There’s a lot of dead zombies, which means the militia managed to fight them off, but I see a few people as well with their throats torn out. There’s also a person groaning on the ground. I run over to him. It’s Mike.

  “Mike, are you okay?”

  “I-I think I got bitten by a zombie.”

  “Where?”

  “On my ankle. Can you take a look?”

  “Sure,” I say and kneel down to take a look.

  Mike’s ankle looks red, but I don’t see a bite anywhere. I’m relieved. I really don’t want to kill him. He must have sprained his ankle during the fight.

  “I’ve got good and bad news, Mike.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Which do you want first?”

  “Uhm the bad news?!” he tentatively asks.

  “The bad news is you’ve got a sprain. The good news is you haven’t been bitten.”

  “Oh thank God!”

  “We’re going need to get that ankle looked at though, or you will end up being zombie chow. Let me help you up.”

  I carefully help Mike stand up. He leans against me and we carefully make our way to a tent which has a medic’s cross flying from it. There’s a couple of people in the tent, already working on other people who were wounded, and I spot an empty foldup chair, which I deposit Mike in.

  “What happened to him?” I’m brusquely asked by a middle aged Asian woman.

  “He sprained his ankle, during the zombie attack.”

  She snorts and says, “He can wait then. I’ve got a young woman who got shot by one of the other people here, and there are a couple of people we’re having to put down. Besides he was one of Gerald’s dogs.”

  “Gerald’s dead and Mike is one of us. By the way, my name is Ben and you are?”

  “Kim, and he just because Gerald is dead doesn’t mean squat. Mike and Frank helped Gerald bully us.”

  “I get that, but Gerald is dead, and we need all hands on deck. We can’t survive the zombie apocalypse if we give up on people who made mistakes,” I point out.

  Kim waves her hand at me and turns away to go to her patient. I want to go after her, but I realize it’s not the best time to continue talking with her about her attitude. Sometimes being a good manager is knowing when to let people do the work they are doing, even when you see where they need to improve. And she’s trying to save a life.

  “Mike, someone will come look at your ankle soon. Hang tight, while I go take a look around.”

  “Sure. Thank you, Ben.”

  It’s nice to be appreciated by someone. When I was a call center manager at Zombii Co., no one appreciated me. I can’t say I blame them. Being a call center manager is all about finding the faults with what people are doing while trying to force them to adhere to the corporate rules of the company. And when you are doing that you’re dealing with irate customers who are unhappy with the support they got. It’s a thankless, stressful job, especially because no one realizes how little power I had in that position. The manager position, in any call center, is basically created for the express purpose of the call center agents blaming you for why their job sucks, while keeping the upper management insulated from the complaints. It’s a smart play on the part of the corporate higher ups, because they don’t have to dirty their hands with the peasant customer support workers, and we get to be the hated Bourgeois.

  I walk around the rest of the fort. It’s basically totaled. The zombies crashed through the walls and tore the place apart. The main reason they didn’t win was because of the discipline of the militia and the traps we put in place. It kept us alive, but staying in this place is out of the question. I look around and spot Annie helping at the cooking tent.

  “Annie!” I call out.

  She turns and smiles at me and waves me over.

  “I’m just helping with making food. Everyone’s famished, after the battle!”

  “Yeah, I bet. We need to talk about that, actually.”

  “What’s up?”

  “The zombies totaled our defenses. We’re going to have to leave here and find a more defensible place and the sooner the better.”

  “Let’s wait until everyone has some food in their belly before we break that news,” Annie suggests.

  “I don’t think we can wait that long, Annie!”

  “Ben,” Annie firmly says and looks me in the eyes. “If we don’t let people eat and relax for a moment, we’re just going to stress them out. We’ve all been through a crazy battle. I want you to take a deep breath, go for a walk and come back and get something to eat. Then we can break the news. Got it?”

  I look at her for a moment. The manager in me wants to snap back and tell her why we need to focus on the bottom line, but she’s right. I nod my head, take a deep breath, and turn around and go for a little walk. I walk around the camp and I see how exhausted everyone looks. It reminds me of how I used to feel at the end of peak season at my old call center jobs. I’d take phone call after phone call, dealing with people who were pissed off about their software not working and by the end of each day all I wanted to do was go to sleep. And at the end of peak I’d usually have gained fifteen pounds, because of all the stress eating I did.

  These people just went through their own peak experience and here I am wanting to push them even further. That’s the last thing they need, and yet I’ve gone down the typical corporate manager route of only thinking of the bottom line, instead of truly seeing the people I’m dealing with. It’s like something is broken in me.

  I walk back to the food tent an
d grab an apron and take a place on the line, dishing up food. For the next half hour, it’s just putting food onto plates and watching people devour the food. I realize how hungry I am, as I watch them and also how unfair it would have been of me to insist everyone pack up and move. Yes, we’re in danger, but that’s an everyday part of life in a zombie apocalypse. We’d be in even more danger if people don’t take care of themselves.

  The food line has become a trickle. I grab some food of my own and start wolfing it down. I start feeling better immediately, but the problem at hand hasn’t gone away just because some food is in my belly. Annie comes to join me and for a few moments we sit and eat in silence.

  “Did the walk help?” she asks me.

  “Yeah, I see why you recommended it.”

  “It’s to think you have the solution in the moment that you see a problem, but knowing when to address the problem is just as important.”

  I chuckle and reply, “In customer service, people don’t want to wait for problems to be solved. They want them solved now! Of course, it helps if they actually know they have a problem.”

  “Yes, it does, because if they don’t realize it, they’ll be resistant to dealing with the problem in the face of more immediate concerns,” Annie replies.

  “Do you think those immediate concerns have been addressed?” I ask.

  Annie smiles and pats me on the knee and then stands up and faces the people who are eating or talking.

  “Everyone, I need your attention!”

  For a moment conversation continues and then people begin to quiet down until they’re all looking at Annie.

  “First off, I’m proud of us. We survived a zombie attack, one brought on us by Gerald, no less. You all did your part and I’m glad you have, but that attack trashed this place. We need to find somewhere more defensible because the next time the zombies come or some marauders come we’ll probably get overwhelmed.”

  “Where are we supposed to go, Annie?” a woman asks.

  “That’s a good question, Leslie. I’d love to hear a few suggestions from those of you who know the area. Where should we go? We came here because of Gerald, but he’s no longer with us, and we need something more defensible, where it’s easier to spot zombies or marauders who might attack us.”

  “I know a place,” Mike hesitantly says. The people around him glare at him. They haven’t forgotten that he was one of Gerald’s bully boys.

  “What’s the place, Mike?” Annie gently asks.

  “I live on a farm. I left the farm when the zombie apocalypse started, but we could go back there. I’ve got a red barn on the property that’s defensible, as well as the house. We could set up some people up in the house and the rest in the barn. I’ve got some crops growing there and that’ll give us some food, and a well.”

  “How far is the farm from here?”

  “About 9 miles. It’ll be a walk, but we could make it, especially if we get going now. I’m going to need some help though, because of my sprained ankle.”

  “And why should we help him?” Kim asks.

  I stand up and say, “Because he is one of us. He stayed and helped fight off the zombies, didn’t he? I understand you don’t like him because he enforced Gerald’s rules, but Gerald isn’t here anymore, and Mike still helped out. We don’t abandon our own, even if we’re unhappy with their choices. Besides, he’s offering us a place we can go to that’s more defensible than where we are at. I’m sure that can give him some good will.”

  The other people mutter for a moment, with some nodding their heads. Kim sees this and glares at me, but doesn’t say anything else.

  “Alright everyone, I want you to get your guns, valuables, and anything else packed. We leave within the hour,” Annie says.

  “Is Kim always like that?” I ask as we walk to her tent.

  “No. I’ve known her for a few years, and she isn’t normally like that. But the past week has been stressful and Gerald didn’t help. Neither did Mike or Frank and while I’m glad Mike is trying to make amends, it doesn’t change the fact that he was an asshat for the last week.”

  “What did he do?”

  “Whatever Gerald told him to do, which was mostly harassing the rest of us. You saw what Gerald was like.”

  “I did. I’ll keep a close eye on Mike, both for his protection and to make sure he doesn’t repeat past mistakes.”

  “That would be a good idea. I’ll talk with Kim, once we get on the road. Help me pack up my tent.”

  I help Annie with her tent, enjoying being near her. She’s the one person I don’t feel like I have to manage. It’s such an odd feeling to have, to just be able to be with a person without feeling like I have to somehow anticipate or control what they’ll do.

  Once we have her things packed up, we both go to where the ammo stores and guns are. I start packing the ammo in boxes, while Annie works on making sure the guns have their safeties flicked on and that any which aren’t being use are emptied of their ammo.

  “We’ve gone through most of the ammo. We’re going to have to be careful, even after we get to Mike’s farm,” I caution.

  “First we have to get there. Hopefully, we can do it without having to use any more ammo up, but I think you and I know better.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be happy if we don’t lose anyone.”

  “I’m going to check on the others, if you don’t mind wrapping up here.”

  “Sure thing, Annie.”

  She comes over and gives me a brief kiss on the lips and then breaks away to check on the others. I spend a moment feeling like I’m on cloud nine and then I continue getting the ammo packed up.

  Mike carefully walks over, using a stick as a cane to help him keep off his sprained ankle as much as possible. He’s got a wary look on his face as he approaches me and he anxiously licks his lips.

  “Thank you for sticking up for me back there, Ben.”

  I give him a little smile and nod my head. He looks uncomfortable and then continues speaking.

  “I know people are angry with me because of Gerald and I don’t entirely blame them. I was just trying to survive the zombie apocalypse and he seemed to be the one person who knew what to do. I realize now that wasn’t the case, but I know people like Kim are going to be sore with me for a while.”

  “It seems a lot more personal for Kim,” I point out.

  Mike squirms a bit and then sighs.

  “She’s my wife. She hates my guts because I went along with what Gerald wanted, even though she told me it wasn’t a good idea. We got into a nasty fight the second night of the zombie apocalypse and she hasn’t talked to me since. I was just trying to protect her and my kids and I thought Gerald, with his guns, was the way to go. I didn’t realize just how bad he was until you came along.”

  “That’s tough. Do you think you and her can work it out?”

  “Our marriage has been rocky for a while. The only reason she’s here is because I came and got her from her work, when the zombie apocalypse first started. She didn’t believe me at first, but when she saw the news, we got the kids out of school and then I ran into Gerald at the end of the first day. We’ve actually been separated for a couple months and I was hoping we could work things out, but this recent situation hasn’t really helped.”

  “Yeah being put in a pressure cooker situation doesn’t help. It does reveal the problems though. I don’t know if you and her will work things out, but if you’re open to some advice?” I tentatively ask.

  “Sure.”

  “Apologize to her. Admit you messed up. It won’t make everything better, but it might help you and her out.”

  Mike sighs and reluctantly nods his head.

  “I know it’s hard to admit when you’ve messed up, but trust me when I tell you it’s one of the best choices you can make.”

  “I’d better go and apologize to her then,” Mike says and then carefully turns around and starts making his way to the medic tent.

  I continue packing up the ammo. They have a few cars here, so I start packing it in the cars. There’s about fifty people here and not all of them will fit in the cars, which means we’ll either have to drive slowly or send the cars ahead to Mike’s place. Mike will have to be one of the passengers, because of his sprained ankle, and because he owns the place we’re going to. I’ve just finished loading up the last of the ammo when Annie comes back.