Reporting in

Hello, dear diary.
What a week, honestly. First I almost get bombed to pieces, then I find a guy who now calls himself 'the last Geek on Earth' (his idea, not mine, though I can't really disagree with him). At the very least, he's making himself useful.
We just got him a few books about electrics from the next bookstore and he spent the rest of the day holed up in his quarter and the next morning the radio suddenly started picking up signals way beyond its range. Derrick was sleeping next to it, screwdriver and soldering rod right next to him. I don't know how he did it, nor do I even care, but the higher ups haven't decided yet, whether they should tell the colony that there's actually still a world out there that has forsaken us or keep them believing that we're the last ones.

Of course I wanted to tell them, they deserve the truth just as well after all and after we saw the plane, the rumor mill never stopped running anyway, but John just asked me, how I felt when I learned about it. It...wasn't a pleasant feeling to say the least. And while I understand their motives, it just is wrong to leave us here to die and rot like the rest of the corpses that forgot to drop dead.

John almost slapped me, when I reported what I found. Not for going out to find out, obviously. Neither for bringing Derrick back. But he was not very happy that I told them where we were. And after what they did to the building I was talking with them from, I can even see why. Still, there haven't been any bombers to eliminate us yet, so either they just don't really care about us enough to eliminate us or they just have bigger problems than us. I want to believe that it's the first. I want to believe they're actually fine out there.

Dear diary, I know this may sound strange to you, but do you know the saying 'I wouldn't wish ... on my worst enemy'? The Zombies are like that. I wouldn't wish them on anyone, even if they tried to fry me good.

The voice hasn't come back and I'm grateful for that. The Zombies are also staying quiet around us. Okay, yesterday, I had to tell another girl off who tried to get my attention, but other than that, I'm fine.

I just wish Lily was still here. Who am I kidding, I wish I never would've met any of these people I now call friends, I wish I would just wake up in my bed, next to my wife whose face I can't even remember anymore, go to my boring job in the next town.

Tears fall on the paper as Azrael fills the pen again

I just want all of this to be over. I just want to wake from this nightmare and never have to think about it ever again.

Ah yeah, I've been telling Maria about those strange dreams I sometimes have after eating, where I'm someone else. After studying the notes of Doc, she told me, that maybe I was somehow consuming the memories of the people I ate, at least the strong ones.

Heh...I guess that makes just as much sense as everything else. However it is strange. Sometimes it feels like these dreams are somehow connected. And I've really eaten a lot of Zombies in my time, why don't I get memories from all of them?

A hard to resist offer

Azrael put away his diary and his pen and leaned back against the head of his bed.
After a few minutes, he decided to plan his next trip into the outside world in order to check out the bunker Derrick had found. Maybe in there he would find a way to end this nightmare. Or at least so he hoped.

While he was going through the material, the voice from before suddenly reverberated in his head, making his ears tingle, "Azrael! Come outside! Now!"
Azrael groaned, "I just wrote about you in my diary, you know? Told it, that you'd finally shut up."
"Come out now, or watch your precious humans get consumed!" the voice demanded.
"Really? Look, I don't know who you think you are, but..."

Gunshots from the outside followed by the alarm siren got Azrael to shoot up from his bed and grab his blade resting near his bed.
But, just as quickly as it came, the gunshots stopped, the siren stopping shortly after and the voice said, "This was a mere warning. Refuse to comply and neither your guns nor your sirens will be able to save you."
"What...", Azrael started and walked out, his heart beating fast.
He had convinced himself, that the voice was merely his imagination, but the timing of the attack couldn't have been a coincidence. Or did he somehow sense the Zombies approaching and his mind created the voice in order to warn him?

Azrael shook his head and walked up to the guards on duty and asked, "What happened?"
"About two dozens of the critters tried to run up on us. We thought there were more coming, that's why we started the siren, but it was just those twelve."
Azrael sniffed, his nose picking up the distinct smell of decay and said, "No...there are more. A lot more...hey, can you point that searchlight into the distance?"
"Sure thing, Azzy!" the guy on the watchtower platform shouted and directed the searchlight into the farther distance. The light got reflected by a thousand dead eyes.

"Holy mother of...", the guard at the gate stammered, ready to hit the siren again, however Azrael stopped him.
"Don't."
"What? Why?! We need to defend ourselves, if those guys attack, we..."
"We don't stand a chance even if the whole colony gathers here at the gate. We'll get torn to shreds. And there's nothing we can do about it."
"Oh come on, Azzy. We've dealt with Zombies before and it's not like they are smart enough to launch a coordinated assault against us."
"No, not by themselves," Azrael replied deep in thought.

He grabbed his blade tightly and then stated, "Tell John I'm sorry, okay?"
"Wait, what are you...!" the guard shouted right before Azrael sent him flying with a strong punch to the torso. Before the other guard could even react, Azrael sent him flying too with a kick, also to the torso and forced the gate open, squeezing himself through before other guards could try to stop him.

Azrael ran while the siren sounded once more, alerting every single resident who decided to roll over after the last alarm died. But Azrael didn't really care.
He just focused on the mass of Zombies just a few feet away from him, forming a clean row.
"I'm here! What do you want?!"
"The same thing I always wanted...I want you to join me," the voice replied, however instead of in his head, it this time came through the air, just beyond the row of Zombies.
"My answer remains the same, though. And nothing you can do, will change that."

The voice, now seemingly wandering, stated, "That's a shame, really. We are so much more than the feeble humans you seek to protect. I thought that a display of my power, a display of our strength would maybe open your eyes, but you'd rather continue to be blind? Well, it's not all I can offer..."

Now the row of Zombies split and a young, quite beautiful woman stepped to the front, however her eyes were as empty as the eyes of the Zombies next to them.
"A fine specimen wouldn't you agree? I found her on my travels. She was scared and alone, just like you."
"What...what did you do?!"
"I imparted my gift on her. And she was quite happy to accept it, when I promised her the end of fear and pain."
"You...you killed her?!"
"Oh no, as you can see, she is perfectly fine, unharmed and, most importantly, alive. Her mind is one with the consensus, so she no longer feels anger, fear or agony. Do you see it now? It is not death I bring. It is salvation!"
"You...you are a monster!"
"A monster? Just like those people who would refuse to divert even just a tiny bit of their resources to save their fellow men from certain death? Or maybe the monsters who would rather chase you out than accept you and only accept you, because you promise them protection?"

Azrael allowed his eyes to wander among the legion, just a step away from the reach of the Zombies. He also perceived an all too familiar growling from within the mass. He knew, as soon as his invisible adversary was fed up with him, he was toast, Anti-Zombie or not.

The voice continued, "Azrael...you could have it all. You could have all the women you'd ever want without them ever talking back. You could rule the world. There would finally be peace. Imagine, no more wars, no more pain, no more suffering. Join me and it will all be yours."
"No more wars, I can dig. No more pain, sign me up. No more suffering sounds really great too."
The voice chuckled, however Azrael quickly added, "However what I cannot accept is that this end of all bad would also mean the end of all good too. No more love, no more happiness, not even diversity any more! If that's the world you want, you're better off just killing me!"
"...such a shame, really. So much potential wasted on a man, who just refuses to see."

"...now call off your dogs, we're done here," Azrael said and started to turn around, when the voice shouted, "Leave and everyone dies!"
Azrael, without turning around, replied, "And if I join you, they get to live a life even worse than death. As mere cattle!"
"...is there really no way to convince you?"
Azrael was just about to draw his sword and slash out against the army of Zombies, who was getting restless, when an idea went through his head.

"I think...there is one. I'll accept your offer on a few conditions."
"Which would be?"
"Whatever girl I want, right?"
"As many and whatever girl you want, yes."
"Sounds good. Okay, my first condition: Nothing must happen to the people of the colony. You will not use them as cattle."
The voice remained silent for multiple seconds before saying, "...alright. However only those in the colony are exempt. All those who do not live on the compound are mine. Is that acceptable."
Azrael clenched his teeth, but nodded, "Alright."
"Will that be all?"
"No, I have a second condition...I want to know, whom exactly I am making a Faustian deal with here. I want to see your face."
The voice laughed, "Oh, I wouldn't have it any other way! Just tell me when and where."

Azrael smiled, "I think I know just the place. Open range, barely chances for an ambush."
He began describing where he would like to meet the voice, who hummed a few times approvingly and eventually said, "Agreed. Anything else?"
"No, that will be all. Tomorrow. At noon. I'll be there. Just you and me."
The voice cackled, "I'll be there, don't worry."

And with that, the legion of Zombies quickly retreated into the darkness, leaving behind the woman.
"Hey, you left your toy!" Azrael shouted.
"Consider her as a gift. She will do whatever you ask her to, no questions asked."
Azrael muttered, "Sick bastard..."