Over six weeks, we ran a series of blog posts called Tales of the Apocalypse, where the reader got to choose what happened next. We’ve gathered up the choices made each week and put all the posts together. What would you have done differently..?
I woke up to a sore head and darkness. Where am I? How did I get here? I call out into the night but there’s just silence. I need to get outside, figure out where I am. As I move around I can see a dim light shining through what must be a window, so I head there.
Outside, it’s night. I can see shadows of people moving around. Why wouldn’t they have helped me? Maybe they’re hurt. I push through the shattered window and fall out on to the grass. That seemed to get their attention. Maybe they couldn’t hear me when I was inside the wreckage.
This doesn’t feel right. The closer they get, the less I’m sure they’re human. I need to get away from here! But where am I running to? There might be supplies in the helicopter wreckage, but I’m not sure it’s safe to stick around and check.
YOU CHOSE A: RUN AWAY
I decide to go with my gut, and get as far away from those shadowy figures as I can. It’s still so dark that I can’t make out much in the distance. What if I’m running towards more of those things?
I get to the edge of a cornfield, where I stop to catch my breath and see what’s happening at the wreckage. There’s a fire burning somewhere in the helicopter, and it looks like all of the creatures have swarmed towards the wreckage. I still wonder what they are – they’re not really human, that’s for sure.
I need to get further away. If I can see them, they can probably still see me. Where’s the safest place to run to though? I could head into this cornfield, or it looks like there is a forest not too far away.
YOU CHOSE B: HEAD TO THE FOREST
The cornfields seem too risky, so I run towards the forest. It’s still so dark in here, but I can no longer hear any movement so I think I’m safe. Now that I think about it, I can’t hear anything at all. No birds, no animal noises. Everything seems far too still.
I need to get a better view, so I climb up one of the trees. It looks like there’s a house not too far off! I think I’ll go see if there’s anyone else around. I haven’t talked to another human in what seems like forever.
When I get there it’s not a house like I thought, it’s an old barn. It seems safe though, so I think I’ll have a look around.
YOU CHOSE A: SEARCH THE UPPER LEVEL
I decide to head to the upper level of the barn, so I can look around and get a better view of my surroundings.
Under a pile of hay I can see the corner of a suitcase. That means there were people here at some point. I wonder what happened to them?
I clear the hay off of the case and unzip. Inside, there’s a flashlight, some tins of food, and the best thing I’ve seen this whole time – a shotgun!
I grab the flashlight and test the batteries. It works! I put it in my pocket and grab the gun, in case I bump into something unpleasant later.
YOU CHOSE A: SEARCH THE LOWER LEVEL
I go downstairs to search the lower levels of the barn. There are piles of hay scattered all about the place, partially obscuring the rusted remains of abandoned machinery.
I wander over to an old tractor to see if there is any chance that it would work. Might not be fast but it would be protection against anything scary outside.
I shine my flashlight into the tractor, when I see movement from the other side. My heart is racing before I realize – it’s a dog! He looks scared and he’s probably been abandoned.
YOU CHOSE B: APPROACH THE DOG
The dog looks a bit scared, but not dangerous. He wags his tail as I walk up to him, and I’m about to pat him when he starts growling. I freeze, not sure what to do.
Suddenly he leaps past me, and starts barking. He has a zombie up against the barn! I didn’t even hear it approaching.
I start to run, and soon enough the dog has caught up to me. I think I’ll keep him around. I have a feeling it’s a long road ahead.
