This is the fourth in a series of 365 Flash Fiction stories I’m writing from 2nd December 2012 until the 1st December 2013. It’s intent is to keep me writing throughout the year, and not just in November. you can find out more about the challenge here.
Zombies Versus Mummies by Jonathan L. Lawrence, 5th December 2012
Word count: 999
Warning: mild danger, referenced gore
The story:
Seti strolled back and forwards before the museum doors, swearing in Ancient Egyptian.
“That won’t help,” Ramesses said joining his father by the doors.
“I no longer care,” Seti said. “My neck hurts, my heart hurts, and these bleached people don’t agree with me at all.”
“Well it was either them or we wander round blind, and dumb. Hark we would have been easy prey for these undead creatures that plague this city.”
“Better to die than let our royal selves be tainted,” Seti said suddenly standing tall.
“We cannot remain here forever, the dead walk the Earth this night, and you and I are reborn into this strange world. We must journey and find out what we can, and find a way to restore our lives to ourselves,” Ramesses said.
“Ah, my son the man,” Seti said wistfully.
“Old man,” Ramesses said, “I lived a good long time. I underwent the festival of Sed.”
“God king?” Seti asked, “Truly the youth surpasses his father. Okay then, God King, where do we go?”
“I know not, but we are Egyptians! And we are undead also, but not so weak and mindless as these pathetic minions. In rebirth we are granted great strength and powers, how else could we both have escaped those strange glass sarcophagi we were placed in?”
“I felt it,” Seti said solemnly, “I felt it.”
“Let us gather weapons, and let us be upon this world, and remind them what true Pharaohs could do,” Ramesses said grabbing a spear and a shield from a display stand.
“Remember what I taught you about winning over a populace?” the older pharaoh asked.
“Father, I always did. I lived by it, ‘you win them over by their hearts and their minds’,” Ramesses repeated.
“Well I think that’ll work just the same for these undead thralls. Hit them in their hearts, then bash their brains in son,” Seti said strapping a Khopesh to his waist, putting several throwing sticks in a plastic bag, (which he looked at with great interest when studying the material), and then finished off his ensemble with an Egyptian axe.
“Age before beauty,” Seti said offering his son the chance to lead the way; he’d just finished strapping a Khopesh to his waist, having extracted a belt from one of the dead guards.
“Very funny,” Ramesses said dryly, he used the butt of his spear to break the glass, and suddenly they were in the heat of battle.
There were dozens of zombies gathered on the museum’s steps, drawn by the smell of dead flesh the mummies had left in their wake. Both pharaohs had been brought up in the military of their father’s reign, both men knew how to fight, and had attended and participated in many tournaments. Unarmed, dull minded zombies weren’t enough to slow them down.
“That was invigorating,” Seti said.
“Huh,” grunted Ramesses catching his imaginary breath.
“I can sense the magic out here,” Seti said.
“Me as well, it comes from yonder,” Ramesses said pointing across some kind of park. “If we separate, keep making your way there.”
“I think we need to have words about giving orders,” the old king said annoyed.
“This is neither the time nor the place father, and I do not meant to – I was just ruler for a long time after you passed,” he said.
“Never mind,” Seti said, regretfully, “Let us fight on.”
From a top a flat complex barely a mile from the museum to young teenagers looked out of their windows at the chaos below.
“I still can’t find the spell to stop this,” the one called Gale said exasperated.
“Maybe it wasn’t us,” Julian said. “I mean we’ve been trying all day and all night and nothing. Magic can’t be real.”
“Oh yeah, well neither are zombies, but look at them down there,” Gale said pointing.
“What’s that?” Julian pointed to the park. Gale grabbed his binoculars.
“Oh my fucking god,” he uttered.
“What? What is it?” Julian asked. Gale didn’t respond, he just handed over the binoculars, and Julian looked through. “Okay, I’ll admit, that really is the Egyptian book of the dead,” he said finally.
Both watched as the zombies and the mummies fought in an epic battle of the dead. Limbs of the undead were scattered everywhere, and bodies laid left, right and centre. The mummies weren’t with out with injuries though, they clung together, fighting as one now, because one had lost a leg, the other an arm. The smaller of the two seemed to have a loose head to.
“Are they coming this way?” Julian asked still looking through the binoculars.
“Oh god, they are,” Gale said running to the book.
“What are you going to do?” Julian asked. It had been Gale’s idea to try a spell from a book he’d found in Oxfam, he was hoping he could fix it.
“Burn it,” Gale said. “Burn the whole fucking thing.”
“What?” Julian asked, he’d only just started believing in the book, and now Gale wanted to destroy it.
“They’re coming for it. Maybe if we destroy it, it’ll destroy the spell. It’s a zombie apocalypse out there; I don’t think mummies are going to make it any better.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Julian acknowledged and headed for the cupboard where the matches were.
Gale put the book in the sink, and doused it in various cleaning products.
“Here goes,” he said taking the matches from Julian. He lit one and threw it in. The book exploded in a burst of flame, leaving only a few ashes. They raced back to the window, and saw the horror of what they’d done. Everywhere were scattered bodies. The mummies had vanished though.
“Where did they go?” Julian asked.
Just then, the door to their family’s flat was kicked in, and in walked two mummies, growling and angry. Both boys wet themselves, and prayed to god, or whatever gods were out there, that this wasn’t the end.
The versus theme has been very popular of late, but I’m not sure I’ve seen Mummies versus Zombies. Obviously, I’ve decided that Mummies have brains, and zombies are your typical eat all things leaving, especially the brains type monsters.
I haven’t finished the story, I think I want to revisit it at later date, but it offers a tantalising view of something a bit different I hope. (Well I felt it was tantalising anyway).
Aspiring 