Skip The Budgie

I dream of Zombies.

Not the usual green and rotting kind, these ones seem healthy, cruel (and naked for some reason). They are quick, dangerous and they are what is left of my friends.

It all started with an invasion. Yes, this is the future, yes it's a sort of Industrial Distopia and yes it is still a dream. One of my more elaborate lucid dreams. The first future-bomb falls some way away but it is not long before there is fighting in the streets. On the way to work I am ambushed and have to fight my way into the office, which is a perfect Zombie-movie set.

I creep down the shadowy corridors and back into a classroom. I have acquired a weapon from somewhere, which is just as well because the ceiling collapses and hooked claws swipe at my face. Of course I pull off some amazing moves to avoid certain zombification.

The building is slowly destroyed and I climb down the iron skeleton, to a place that used to be the cellars, but is now an infested cave. I am unarmed and frightened. I find you in a corner, you are terrified that I will give away your position but I need help, we will survive longer if we stay together.

...

Later, I find myself with some hardy companions dragging along a string of zombified friends, tied and gagged (and naked) of course. We manage to get on a boat and sail round the coast to the enemy city.

As we draw near, I sense that something's wrong. The place is too quiet. A gate swings on its hinges with that Hammer Horror 'gate swinging in the wind' sound. A realisation occurs.

I look up and see the battle in the sky, futuristic dogfighting over the last safe place on the planet. They weren't invading, they were running away, but they brought the disease with them! I look at my zombie friends, starved of brains and crunchy fingers and open my mouth to scream.

You Maniacs! You destroyed it all(sic)! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!

The alarm rings, it's time for work again.