Zombie Moshfest

The heat was oppressive as Mary dragged a breath into her lungs, surrounded on all sides by gyrating Goth types, she tried to enjoy the experience. Her hand was clamped in an almost vice-like grip to her boyfriend Dan stood next to her.  She hadn't wanted to come to the concert, but Dan had railroaded her until she had agreed.  1

The music was loud, almost painful to her ears. The throb of the bass amps travelling up her legs and through her body. The lead singer, a sweaty, long haired, tattooed man, screamed into the mic, his voice sounding like feedback and not music. Mary shook her head sadly, if she hadn't felt so self-conscious she might have thrown herself into the almost hypnotic trance like the others around her.  She sighed, looking down at herself in amazement. Here she was, normally a preppy cheerleader, dressed in borrowed black spiderweb shirt and a short black leather skirt. Her long legs clad in fishnet stockings and clunky boots. 2

She looked across at Dan, realising that she wasn't really into him that much, now that it came down to it. She'd been attracted by the danger, by his dark clothes and Fuck The World attitude. Plus she'd known her parents would freak out when they met him. Mary rolled her eyes as she watched him moving in time to the music; his long dark hair was plastered to his face with sweat, numerous piercings covering his pale, skinny form. Yep, she was so over him.  3

"Drink! Dan, I'm going for a drink!" Mary shouted loudly into his ear. He nodded and let go of her hand. She sighed gratefully, flexing her hand so the blood pumped back into it.  It took her almost ten minutes to make her way through the crowds of people.  There had to be about 5,000 people crammed into this little venue, Mary thought bitterly - that wasn't safe. She climbed up what seemed like a hundred stairs until she reached the balcony restrooms. The tickets for the balcony seats at the concert had been $50 more than the mosh pit, so Mary figured that the toilets up there would be cleaner.4

Minutes later, her theory confirmed; she was locked into a toilet cubicle, her elbows resting on her knees, her black legs akimbo.  She wanted to go home, this place blew big time. She reached into the pocket of her skirt for her cell phone, tapping out her parents number.5

"Daddy, can you come get me please?" She said, her black lipstick covered lips pouting like a little girl.6

"What's the matter Sweetheart?"  Her Father said gently, his voice filled with concern.7

"I don't like it here, they're all weird." Mary said finally. Her Father let out an audible sigh, glad that she'd grown out of this particular phase.8

"I'll be there in half an hour, wait out front for me OK?" Her Father said, and Mary smiled.9

"Thank you Daddy, I love you."  Mary closed her cell phone with a smirk.  Men were so easy to control, be it your Father or your latest boyfriend. Mary frowned; Dan had been different though - he'd made her work for the attention instead of lavishing it on her. She scowled; getting to her feet and grabbing some toilet paper.  She scrubbed at the black make up on her lips and eyes, surprised when it didn't come off cleanly. She swore opening the cubicle door and walking into the badly lit basin area.10

Minutes later, her face was clean and black make up free; although her eyes burned a little from using the hand-soap to remove the mascara. She pulled back her red hair into a braid, securing it with one of the rubber bracelets on her wrist. Satisfied she nodded at her reflection in the cracked mirror. Not Bad! She walked towards the door, her hand resting on the door.  Suddenly she was overcome with a sense of foreboding. She dismissed it, pulling the door open. 11

A bitter smell filled her nostrils, coppery and unpleasant, along with a horrible odour of rotting. Mary gagged covering her nose and mouth with her hand. Someone must have set off a stink bomb for a joke, well it wasn't funny, she thought. The music was still playing, loud and discordant. Below her in the foyer of the venue, some of the Goths were standing around in small groups, smoking and chatting away.  She looked down at her watch, her Father wouldn't be here for another twenty minutes.  She didn't fancy standing in the freezing cold for him to come. She sighed sitting down on the floor on one of the balcony's overlooking the foyer, her back to the balustrades. This had to be one of the worst nights of her life, she thought bitterly.12

"Anyone sitting here?" A voice said and Mary looked up into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen.13

"No." Mary said breathlessly.  The man smiled, pushing his long blond hair behind his ears.14

"I'm Nathan, Are you a fan of Death Maggot?" Mary giggled, as she realised he was referring to the band. She shook her head.15

"Not really, my friend brought me here. I'm Mary." Mary discarded the word Boy before friend, deliberately.16

"Hi Mary, Me either. I was looking for a way out." He sat down beside her.17

"Is it me, or does it smell like something has died in here?" He asked candidly and Mary nodded, noticing the smell was now overpowering.18

"Somebodies idea of a joke, I expect, letting off a stink-bomb." He shook his head.19

"Wanna get out of here?" He asked his mouth breaking into a smile and revealing even white teeth. Mary nodded putting her hand in his.  They were about to get to their feet when there was a bloodcurdling scream. They spun around peeping through the balustrade.20

The doors to the concert hall burst open and hysterical people poured out into the foyer.21

"GET OUT!! Save yourselves!" A girl screamed falling under the platform boots of her fellow Goths. Mary grabbed Nathan's hand, glad that she was up and out of the way from the melee below.22

"What are they running from?"  Mary asked and Nathan's eyes filled with fear.23

"Come with me." He said pulling her to her feet.  He opened the door to the balcony, just as people began to flood out through it.24

"What's going on in there?" Mary screamed as the people pushed past her. 25

Nathan pulled her into the balcony, leading her down the steep steps to first row of seats. They peered over the top, noticing that the music had stopped to be replaced by a chilling moaning sound.  26

Through the darkness and the remnants of fog hanging in the air from the smoke machines, Mary could see bodies lying on the ground, limbs torn off and strewn about, blood everywhere.27

"What happened here?" Mary asked her eyes filling with tears at the horror before her.  There was a whimpering sound from a girl curled up into a ball just a little away from them.28

"We didn't notice at first, the music was too loud, and we were watching the stage. But then the crowd started moving and we noticed the bodies lying on the floor. And then one of them grabbed a girl and ripped off her head. Then we knew it was real, and the panic started." She started to rock, tears rolling down her cheeks. Mary looked down through the darkness her eyes contacting with one of them.29

"What are they?" She said in a whisper. The girl shook her head, not able to contemplate the horror she had just witnessed.30

"They're not alive." She said her hand clamping over her mouth in terror. Nathan grabbed Mary's hand.31

"Come on, we have to get out of here before they catch us and do the same to us."  They left the girl where she sat, hidden behind one of the folding seats.32

Nathan dragged Mary through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE" using a chair to wedge against the door handle. Mary's eyes were filled with frightened tears.33

"why do I feel like I'm in a really bad horror movie?" She said finally as screams echoed through the steel door. She looked down at her watch, her Father would be there to collect her in a few minutes.34

"I need to get outside, my Dad will be here in a couple of minutes." Nathan looked around him, his eyes moving upwards at a pair of fire escape stairs.35

"Head for the roof, then we can use the fire escape to get down to the road." Mary nodded feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Her boots clattered as she climbed up the steps, Nathan pushing up the trap door above them. It led out to a suspended walkway, that in turn led to more stairs across the concert hall to the roof.  Mary fought the urge to run for it, undoing the laces on the heavy boots.  Nathan did the same.36

"We need to be as quiet as possible, so they don't see us and know what we're doing."  Mary nodded, as she began to edge out across the walkway above the moaning and screaming below. Halfway across she looked back towards Nathan and he smiled in encouragement.37

"Don't look down." He mouthed to her and Mary nodded, trying to fight the urge to do just that. Her eyes picked out the torso of a young man, his cries cutting through the rest, crying out as he noticed her high above him, safe.38

"Mary!" He screamed. She closed her eyes as the sounds of hell assailed her making her sway on her feet. Dan's screams filling up her soul with terror. Strong arms grabbed her and helped her across the rest of the way.39

"You can't help him now Mary." Nathan said as he led her out through the door at the end of the walkway.  Soon they were climbing out into the frozen night, the air biting and chilling Mary to her bones.40

"It's the end of the world." She whispered and it struck a cord with Nathan who bit his lip to keep from losing control.41

"I won't leave you." He whispered his hand holding hers tightly. He led her over to the edge of the building, looking down the six stories to the road below. 42

"What are they?" Mary asked as the Goths from the concert spilled out through the doors, changed forever into demonic abominations.43

"They look like Zombies." Nathan said, his voice soft with fear.  A car turned the corner at the top of the street, its headlights cutting through the darkness. 44

"It's my Daddy." Mary said her voice filled with relief.  Nathan shook his head.45

"They'll tear him limb from limb." Mary began to sob, Nathan's strong arms enfolding her.46

Mary's Dad stopped his car in front of the concert hall, a moment later his cries filled the night. Mary sobbed her head buried in Nathan's chest.47

"It's over Mary." He said his voice monotone. A group of Zombies were now congregating around the base of the building, looking up at Mary and Nathan with ravenous eyes. 48

"We're safe up here aren't we?" Mary asked. Nathan shook his head in disbelief as the door they had exited only minutes before opened. He dragged her to her feet. 49

"How do you want to die?" Nathan said, finality in his voice as the zombies began to flood out through the small door. Mary looked around her in panic.50

"Let's jump." She said finally jumping up onto the small ledge.  Nathan followed her, holding onto her hand. Mary blinked away tears, as she looked at the drop below her, more afraid of being torn limb from limb than dying in a fall. 51

"I'm sorry I never got to know you Mary." He said as he launched them from the edge of the building into the air. The air rushed by them quickly, the fall killing them instantly as they connected with the concrete sidewalk. 52

The zombies began to walk off into the night, looking for a new source of food; leaving the bodies to rot where they had fallen. Red and blond hair matted with blood and gore into the ground.53

Hell on earth had begun it's terrifying reign.54