The Living Dead 2.

by John Joseph Adams.

Introduction.

By John Joseph Adams

Turns out, zombies really really don't want to die. don't want to die.

When Night Shade Books and I put the first The Living Dead The Living Dead anthology together a couple years ago (which I will refer to hereafter as anthology together a couple years ago (which I will refer to hereafter as Volume One Volume One), we had the sense that zombies would be big, but I don't think any of us realized just how big how big they would become. they would become.

When the book actually came out in September of 2008, it seemed like the timing was perfect, that we would be hitting right at the crest of the zombie's popularity. But now it looks like they've only become more more popular in the intervening period, spreading throughout an unsuspecting population like zombiism itself. popular in the intervening period, spreading throughout an unsuspecting population like zombiism itself.

In the last couple years there have been a slew of new zombie entertainments released, across all media. There have been new movies (Quarantine, REC REC2, Deadgirl Deadgirl, Diary of the Dead Diary of the Dead, Survival of the Dead Survival of the Dead, Dead Snow Dead Snow, Zombie Strippers Zombie Strippers, Zombieland Zombieland); video games (Plants vs. Zombies, Dead Rising 2 Dead Rising 2, Dead s.p.a.ce Dead s.p.a.ce, Left 4 Dead Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 Left 4 Dead 2); and a veritable horde horde of books ( of books (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and its sequel, books from several of the contributors to this anthology, and even a and its sequel, books from several of the contributors to this anthology, and even a Star Wars Star Wars zombie novel called zombie novel called Death Troopers Death Troopers). Plus Plus, a film adaptation is in the works for Max Brooks's World War Z, World War Z, and Robert Kirkman's and Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead The Walking Dead is being made into a television series. is being made into a television series.

And all of that's just off the top of my head-if I wanted to make an extensive list, I'm sure it could be ten times longer. If you were inclined to have zombies in all of your entertainment, I expect you'd have very little trouble finding things to watch, play, or read, all of them chock-full of zombie mayhem.

But since zombies have continued to dominate the popular consciousness-and Volume One Volume One was so popular with readers and critics-it was an easy decision to do a second volume of zombie stories; after all, even at 230,000 words, I couldn't fit everything I wanted to into the first book! was so popular with readers and critics-it was an easy decision to do a second volume of zombie stories; after all, even at 230,000 words, I couldn't fit everything I wanted to into the first book!

And while it's obvious that the public can't get enough of zombies, well, I guess it's just as obvious neither can I.

Let's talk a bit about this anthology in particular, and how it is similar to and different from Volume One Volume One.

Volume One was comprised entirely of reprints (except for one original story, by John Langan), but this volume is mostly original with a mix of selected reprints. Twenty-five of the forty-four stories appear for the first time in this anthology. was comprised entirely of reprints (except for one original story, by John Langan), but this volume is mostly original with a mix of selected reprints. Twenty-five of the forty-four stories appear for the first time in this anthology.

With the popularity of zombies infecting the pop culture like it has, more writers than ever have been itching to try their hand at a zombie story, so it was not difficult to find writers eager to partic.i.p.ate in the book. I asked some of the top names in zombie fiction-Max Brooks (World War Z), Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), David Wellington (Monster Island), Brian Keene (The Rising), and others-along with some bestsellers and rising stars of the science fiction, fantasy, and horror fields-to write me original stories. And boy did they deliver.

For Volume One Volume One, I chose stories that I felt represented the best of the best and together showcased the range of what zombie fiction was capable of. This time around, because my intent was to include the best new new stories, I focused on finding the best material that had never previously appeared in a zombie anthology before. So while nineteen of the stories are reprints, there's a good chance that-even if you're a hardcore zombie fan-they'll be entirely new to you. stories, I focused on finding the best material that had never previously appeared in a zombie anthology before. So while nineteen of the stories are reprints, there's a good chance that-even if you're a hardcore zombie fan-they'll be entirely new to you.

To bring this introduction to a close, let's bring it back to where it started: Why are are zombies so appealing? zombies so appealing?

Since Volume One Volume One came out, that's one of my most frequently asked questions. (It's kind of a curious question, as if there's some reason zombies came out, that's one of my most frequently asked questions. (It's kind of a curious question, as if there's some reason zombies shouldn't shouldn't be popular. Do people ask NFL football players why football is so popular?) be popular. Do people ask NFL football players why football is so popular?) I can't claim to know exactly why it is that people love zombies so much, but there are a number of common theories about their popularity.

Zombies are: * an enemy that used to be us, that we can become at any time; * a canvas writers can use to comment on almost anything; * a morality-free way to fulfill a world-destruction fantasy; * a monster that remains scary and cannot be easily romanticized.

I'm sure that's all part of it, and we could continue to speculate ad nauseam ad nauseam-I'm sure there are dissertations being written on the subject as we speak. But one thing is clear: Zombies aren't going to be dying off any time soon, and we'd better learn how to live with them.

Alone, Together By Robert Kirkman

Robert Kirkman is best-known for his work in the comics field as the writer and creator of the critically acclaimed, bestselling zombie comic The Walking Dead The Walking Dead-which is considered by many (myself included) to be one of the greatest comics series of all-time. Other comics he's written for include Invincible Invincible, Haunt Haunt, and The Astounding Wolf-Man The Astounding Wolf-Man. He has also worked on many Marvel t.i.tles, such as Marvel Zombies Marvel Zombies, Captain America Captain America, Ultimate X-Men Ultimate X-Men, The Irredeemable Ant-Man The Irredeemable Ant-Man, and Fantastic Four Fantastic Four. Despite all of these writing credentials, this is his first piece of published prose fiction.

In The Walking Dead The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman set out to tell a different sort of zombie tale. Most such stories focus on a brief period of intense danger-a single night, as in the original Night of the Living Dead Night of the Living Dead-or perhaps a few days or weeks, and concern the characters eluding predators and obtaining the immediate exigencies of survival-food, shelter, weapons.

The Walking Dead follows the characters for month after month after month in their grueling quest to stay alive and, more importantly, to stay sane. The stories present searing portraits of disaster psychology-survivor's guilt, depression, and hopelessness, as well as the grim humor and small acts of kindness that allow people to carry on. The zombies in this world are an ever-present threat, but for long stretches of the story they fade into the background and the emotional landscapes of the characters take center stage as they feud, break down, fall in love, lose heart, and ultimately endure...or not-for this a gritty, realistic world where no one is safe. The characters learn the hard way that other survivors can be more dangerous than zombies, and that the most dangerous foe of all is your own heart. follows the characters for month after month after month in their grueling quest to stay alive and, more importantly, to stay sane. The stories present searing portraits of disaster psychology-survivor's guilt, depression, and hopelessness, as well as the grim humor and small acts of kindness that allow people to carry on. The zombies in this world are an ever-present threat, but for long stretches of the story they fade into the background and the emotional landscapes of the characters take center stage as they feud, break down, fall in love, lose heart, and ultimately endure...or not-for this a gritty, realistic world where no one is safe. The characters learn the hard way that other survivors can be more dangerous than zombies, and that the most dangerous foe of all is your own heart.

Our first story shares this focus on human psychology. This is a zombie story and a love story, the story of an ordinary man in a terrible situation, and of the woman who just might be his only hope to make it out alive.

She was dressed like a private detective from a low-budget TV show-a pair of slacks, modest high heels, and the most ridiculous trench coat I'd ever seen, one of the shorter ones, that hung just above the knees. I couldn't help but laugh, and it was obvious my reaction annoyed her, but she did her best to hide her feelings as she pressed a finger to my lips, quieting me, and gently nudged me back inside my apartment.

We'd been dating for nearly three months. The next day was our anniversary, and we were supposed to do something together. I can't remember what now, but she had some sort of last minute work obligation crop up. She called to tell me she wanted to see me that night. I had hung up the phone maybe five minutes before she arrived. She must have called me on the way. She had nothing in her hands. No present. I was suspicious.

As she closed the door she flashed a naughty grin and opened the trench coat. It's not an overstatement to say that that moment changed my life. Her slacks stopped shortly above where the coat ended. She'd cut the legs off of a pair of her pants and attached them to a garter belt.

She wore nothing else under the coat.

To say this looked slightly ridiculous wouldn't be a lie but in that moment I couldn't care less about how silly she looked. She was gorgeous, full-figured in all the right ways, dark hair, bright eyes. I instantly fell in love with her, head over heels, hopelessly smitten, and all that. I already knew she was smart, funny, kind, and all that other good stuff, but to see this work of genius- these pant legs, concocted to better sell the old naked-under-the-trench-coat gag, knowing how much thought and preparation went into something so completely and utterly silly-I instantly knew that this was the woman for me.

I proposed to her in that very moment. She thought I was joking, of course, but when I did it again two weeks later, properly and with a ring, she accepted. We were married six months later.

We were married four wonderful years before the world around us fell apart. The world as we knew it quickly disappeared, leaving us and everyone else lost without any hope of regaining the lives we'd grown accustomed to. Diane died two weeks after we abandoned our home.

My name is Timothy Stinnot, and if it's Christmas I'm twenty-eight. Yes, it's as horrible as you would imagine, growing up with a birthday on Christmas. An entire childhood of receiving exactly one more present on Christmas day than my little brother, only to watch him celebrate essentially a second Christmas a few months later. It's not easy for a kid to overcome that kind of jealousy. Justin is probably dead by now; I have no way of knowing for sure. Some days, I'm jealous of him for that, too.

My father-who I must also a.s.sume is now dead-had this saying when we were growing up: "If not today, when?" It was usually just to get me to clean my room or some other ch.o.r.e I'd been avoiding. He didn't really give me much advice that didn't have a direct correlation to something he wanted me to do at the time. It's really just another way to say: "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today." But his way was a little catchier. Of course, these days I've altered the saying to better reflect the times. Now it's, "If not right now, when?"

These days, tomorrow is much less of a guarantee.

I should be sleeping. Instead, I'm sitting next to the window looking down at the grocery store across the street, listening to Alicia breathe as she sleeps on the floor next to me. I saw the store on our way in earlier tonight. Dad's motto be d.a.m.ned, it was much too dark to try anything then so I didn't even mention it to Alicia. Maybe I wanted to surprise her; maybe I just didn't want to let her down. But I can't stop fantasizing about what we might find in that worn-down, abandoned building.

Tomorrow.

So, I should be sleeping, but instead I sit here, in this empty apartment, surrounded by trash and belongings that weren't quite worth taking when the owners left. I alternate between staring at the store, and watching the quiet rise and fall of Alicia's chest as she sleeps.

She's not the most beautiful woman in the world, or at least she wouldn't have been-before. Now she very well might be. Blonde and bone-skinny with a boyish figure, she's pretty much the exact opposite of Diane and not at all the type of girl I would have dated in my previous life.

Have you ever heard of Smurfette Syndrome? Smurfette was the lone female Smurf on the children's cartoon of the same name. The syndrome dictates that when a group of men have only one female, the men in that group will grow to find her attractive, no matter how much they may otherwise not be attracted to her if there where other females present. The male desire to procreate takes over your brain and forces you to suddenly consider the only female available to be extremely desirable.

I desire Alicia extremely.

When Diane was still alive I used to think that I could never be with someone else if something ever happened to her. I know it's something people do all the time but I just couldn't imagine doing it myself. It seemed like such a betrayal. That was, of course, before Diane died. I never considered what complete and utter loneliness felt like-how tormenting it was, and just how much that torment could make you desire to connect with someone.

We started out as a group of six-five guys plus Alicia. I met up with them about six months ago, almost a month after I'd lost Diane. Alicia and I have been alone for two. Guess what happened to everyone else.

There was David Never-Got-His-Last-Name. He lasted all of ten days: rounded a corner as we were leaving town when the walkers got him. He distracted them long enough for the rest of us to get away.

I never really walked out front much after that. I do more now that it's just Alicia and I, but even still, not very often. One of the things I love about her is how strong she is, and brave. Things I'd never even say say I was, she I was, she is is. Sometimes I feel like I'm the one protecting her, but really we're protecting each other. I sometimes wonder what she'd say on the matter.

The Carson twins lasted a little longer than David. We were at a used car lot, trying to siphon enough gas out of the cars and trucks to fill the tank of a pa.s.senger van we'd commandeered. There were just four of us by that point and we really should have tried to get something with better gas mileage, but I think we wanted a vehicle we could all sleep in.

Carson One-that's what I called him when I had to call him by a name-got his leg mangled up by a walker that had been hiding under an old Ford Taurus. I don't know if it had done that on purpose or if it had ended up there by chance. Either way, Carson One's leg got mangled all to h.e.l.l and we knew right away that he was done for, soon to be one of them-we all know what the bite does.

Carson Two-I think think it was Two.... Come to think of it, I could have them reversed in this story. (That happened a lot.) Anyway, Carson Two saw his brother mangled up, bleeding all over the asphalt, crying and carrying on-and he just it was Two.... Come to think of it, I could have them reversed in this story. (That happened a lot.) Anyway, Carson Two saw his brother mangled up, bleeding all over the asphalt, crying and carrying on-and he just loses it loses it. Maybe it was a twin thing, where he was feeling the pain of his brother, but he wailed on that thing like a man possessed, which isn't something you should ever do-cutting your fists up and rubbing open wounds on one of them is about the same as getting bit. Alicia, James, and I all yelled for him to stop, trying to get him to see what was coming for him. All his screaming and carrying on had drawn a lot of attention-the kind that gets you killed.

The three of us ran away as Carson Two got torn to bits. James and Alicia hadn't seen as much of that kind of thing as I had. They didn't talk very much for the next few days.

James was Alicia's fiance. They were both very young, about the same age Diane and I were when we got married. Before the whole d.a.m.n world went to s.h.i.t, they were in love.

I'm getting upset just thinking about it-the three of us, alone...them hugging and holding each other all the time. The way they slept in a tangled mess, stealing each other's breath throughout the night. Me off to the side, the worst third-wheel situation in the history of the world. I was still in agony over the loss of my wife and now here I was, trapped with two honest-to-G.o.d lovebirds. I wouldn't have thought that this h.e.l.l on Earth could be made any worse, but seeing those two so in love with each other somehow did.

The day he died, James and I had been looking for medicine for Alicia. She had been sick for almost a week. We'd been out all day, and it was starting to get dark when we headed home. I was lost in thought, agonizing over all the time I was likely to spend over the next few weeks watching James and Alicia together. Seeing him watching over her, tending to her every need, reminding me of how alone I was, how much I missed Diane.

In a split second it was over. When the walkers moved in and swarmed around him, I watched, unable to save him as they tore him apart. Just like that, he was gone.

I might've said that my prayers had been answered but then I'd have to stop and consider who it was that had answered them.

"They got him," was all I could say to her when I returned to camp. She recovered from her illness in a few days, even without the medicine; she didn't stop crying until much later.

Over time, the spells between tears got longer and longer and we began to talk about the things we had each lived through. I couldn't talk about what happened to James without crying, something about being so close to it. I saw Diane slaughtered in front of me, all the others, and now James. It was all too much. Both our hearts had been broken. We were two people, alone, sharing in each other's agony over what we'd lost. All we had now was each other.

After James was gone, I started to notice things about Alicia that I hadn't noticed before: the point of her nose and how it was slightly off center; the dent in the middle of her bottom lip; the way her voice would crack ever so slightly when she got excited about something. There was no TV, and no movies, so my main-no, my only- only-pastime had become obsessing over Alicia.

Alone together, we talked. For hours, day in, day out, about nothing in particular. I told her all about Diane and all that she had meant to me. She talked about meeting James on their college campus. I told her about my mother's horrible childhood, relaying the stories I'd hear as a child when complaining about absolutely anything at all. She told me about her sister's heart condition, about the long trips to the hospital, how she occupied herself in the waiting room. No story too mundane, no detail too personal. We had nothing but time and so we talked.

As I look at her now, sleeping on the floor beside me, I realize I've never known anyone so intimately. Even Diane had her secrets. But when the world is falling apart around you, secrets become just another luxury that you have to give up...or risk dying for them.

It is a strange thing for me, to feel like I am falling in love all over again. My grief over the loss of Diane has transformed into what feels like real affection for Alicia. But is it real? Do I really love her as much as I loved Diane? Or do I just feel the need for companionship so badly that I would find a way to love anyone?

Is this, in fact, just Smurfette Syndrome?

If it is, I don't care. My every waking thought for the last two months has been of Alicia. Is she okay? Is she happy? Is she scared? Is she tired? Is she okay? Is she happy? Is she scared? Is she tired?

As I sit here watching her chest rise and fall as she breathes, every so often letting out the faintest hint of a snore, I find my thoughts of the grocery store below shifting away from What will I find for myself? What will I find for myself? to to What might I find for Alicia? What might I find for Alicia? What she might like to eat? What she might like to eat? What things left behind by other survivors might she find some value in? What things left behind by other survivors might she find some value in?

If there is anything left in that grocery store at all, of course.

But I can't dwell on that. I have to stay positive. I have to sleep. Tomorrow we'll go to the store and find out what is left.

When we arrived here, it had been getting dark, and we had only had enough time to make sure this apartment was secure. In the hustle of preparing for nightfall she didn't even notice that the window overlooks the grocery store. She's unaware of the possibilities tomorrow could hold-which is why she fell asleep right away, and I'm still up, obsessing over what we might find.

Maybe they'll have saltine crackers. I know she loves them, and they'd still be relatively edible, if a little stale-those things last forever. Tomorrow we'll know.

Tomorrow.

"Did you see it?"

The question wakes me. Alicia is standing near the window, looking down. I should have closed the curtains. Maybe her opening them would have woken me up and given me enough time to see the surprised pleasure in her smile. Too late now; the news has been broken. Still, the look on her face is full of hope and antic.i.p.ation. I love how excited she gets about little things, even surrounded by all this death and misery.

"I was going to surprise you," I tell her.

"Oh, that's so sweet."

The look on her face fades instantly as she begins to rush me out of our makeshift bed. Somehow I find even her impatience adorable.

"Now get ready, I'm dying to see what's inside," she says as she pulls the tattered blanket out from under me.

Clothing is not something that is hard to find-clothes that fit perfectly, sure, but there's a wealth of clothes a little too loose or a little too tight. We can't really wash them, so we change clothes every other day or so, rotating through found clothes, trying to stay as clean as we can.

Alicia brushes her hair constantly, not so much for appearance but to keep it from turning into a tangled mess. We have a small bottle of shampoo, but only use it once a week. I made that rule because she blew through the last one so quickly.

I can't fault her for wanting to stay clean. She still uses way too much toothpaste, though. The tube is already almost empty and we've only had it for a month. I cover maybe a quarter the length of my toothbrush with toothpaste when I brush. She uses the full-length, as if you could go down to the corner and buy a new tube when you run out. I'll need to make a point to look for toothpaste once we get into the grocery store. And soap. And definitely shampoo.

I tighten my belt to hold up my two-sizes-too-big jeans, which I have to admit, I have been wearing for almost three weeks. They still look remarkably close to clean for as much walking as we've been doing. The only other pants I've found are a bit tight. I wore them for a day and it was miserable. I'm searching this apartment for pants before we go. T-shirts I have plenty of. I usually discard a few before ever wearing them in favor of newly discovered ones. I favor the ugliest ones I can find because they always get a smile out of Alicia. I have a hot pink "Don't Worry Be Happy" t-shirt that I just can't get rid of, no matter how many times I've worn it.

"Just let me tie my shoes and I'll be ready," I tell her.

She impatiently hovers over me and feigns annoyance. Alicia always sleeps in her shoes, just in case we ever have to leave in a hurry. It's a practice she has often tried to talk me into, but I just can't sleep with shoes on my feet. She watches me roll my eyes and then offers me a fruit bar.

"Have you eaten anything?" she asks as I tie my other shoe.

"I kind of wanted to wait until we checked the place out before I ate anything. Wouldn't want to spoil my appet.i.te."

Alicia shakes her head at me. "You know that's never a good idea."

She's right. I'm sure many people have rushed into such places looking for something to eat, only to get eaten themselves. We could find anything down there, including a large group of walkers. It's never a good idea to do anything dangerous on an empty stomach.

I eat a blueberry fruit bar. It's stale and hard to chew, but it's the best we've got. After I choke it down, we make our way to the grocery store.

We very rarely find doors.