The Dead Need Nature Too Read online

The Dead Need Nature, Too

  By Jason K. Allen

  Illustrated by Jill Thompson

  Copyright 2014 Jason K. Allen

  One lovely spring morning in rural Alabama, a small group of grotesque, deteriorating zombies trudged along a peaceful country road.

  Several of the zombies munched on human remains. This was a productive, successful group of zombies. They were good at what they did. They cared not for the arts or nature or sports; they enjoyed only human flesh.

  The zombies suddenly noticed two backpackers up ahead. They pursued the terrified hikers, who screamed and ran away. The zombies moved slowly, but they were relentless.

  However, one particular zombie didn’t give chase. He ignored the others, disinterested. He had no appetite today. He wore a frayed, dirty t-shirt and rugged work boots. His name was Elrod. Or at least it had once been. He paused, sighed and looked all around. Finally he turned and headed in the opposite direction.

  Elrod sadly lumbered along the edge of the woods, staring at the ground, deep in thought. It occurred to him that he’d never had one single thought until now -- at least of nothing other than walking and eating. But today was different. There was something in the air. He glanced up and saw a bird fly over. He had never noticed one before.

  After plodding a bit farther down the roadside, Elrod noticed something and paused. He glanced up at an entrance sign which read: “Cedar Ridge Nature Park.” He studied the sign, curious. Somehow he was able to read the words. Then he attempted to comprehend their meaning. He had seen these words before -- perhaps in a different life.

  * * *

  Inside the nature park, several visitors enjoyed a relaxing day. A family ate lunch at a picnic table. A shorebird waded in the glistening lake. A boy and girl tossed frisbee.

  Elrod peeped out from behind the bushes, watching the park activity. He thought perhaps he should devour as many of these humans as possible while he had the chance. But these particular people looked happier, more joyful than most humans he had encountered. What was it about them?

  Then Elrod noticed movement beside him. It was a large butterfly fluttering about, bouncing through the air. The butterfly finally landed on a flower. The creature was black and yellow with a long tail, and it seemed to be feeding on the flower.

  Elrod gazed at the butterfly, intrigued. Something about it seemed familiar. He couldn’t quite recall the creature’s name or fully understand its relationship to the flower, but the whole thing was quite fascinating and wonderful to him. He wished he knew more.

  * * *

  A bit later at the park, two kids happily skipped rocks across the lake. Elrod watched from behind a tree. He thought this was an odd pursuit. But the two kids seemed cheerful.

  When the kids finally departed, Elrod cautiously emerged. He approached the lakeshore and examined the ground. He picked up a small rock and studied it. Hmm, he thought. He had seen such objects before, but had never given them much thought. They had always seemed rather useless to him. He had walked on them many times, he recalled.

  Finally he raised his arm back to skip the rock, but he awkwardly dropped it straight down into the water -- kerplunk.

  Baffled, he picked up another rock. He inspected it and tried again. He threw it stiff-armed, and the rock traveled a few measly feet before plopping harmlessly into the lake. His coordination was not what it used to be.

  Elrod sighed, dejected. He was not so good at this endeavor. He wasn’t overly concerned, however, because he didn’t understand its purpose anyway.

  Moments later a hopping green frog caught Elrod’s attention. Curious, he lumbered toward it. He bent down and awkwardly attempted to grab it, but the frog leapt away. Why was he trying to catch this unusual creature, he wondered? To devour it? To study it? To skip it across the water? He wasn’t sure, but it felt natural to him.

  He tried to catch the frog again, but the agile amphibian easily escaped. Frustrated, he tried once more, lurching at the frog, but he fell clumsily to the ground.

  Several kids pointed at the fallen, sprawled-out zombie, laughing and snickering. Angered, Elrod stood, raised his arms and growled at the kids, who screamed and ran away. But he didn’t pursue them. In fact, he had no interest in them. He was simply embarrassed.

  Then something in the distance caught Elrod’s attention: a playground.

  At the playground, a young boy played happily on a swing. When he saw the zombie approaching, he screamed, jumped off the swing and ran away.

  Elrod examined the dangling swing. He noticed the chains that held the swing together. He ran his hands over the chains. He was puzzled by this contraption. Finally he attempted to sit on the swing, but his weight was unbalanced and he went sprawling onto the ground. He moaned, irritated.

  He pulled himself up and glared at the swing, which seemed to be taunting him. He decided to try again. He tentatively lowered himself onto the swing and held on to the chains for dear life, wobbling all over. I’m surely doomed, he thought.

  A young girl approached. She watched the zombie struggling on the swing.

  “Just hold on to the chain,” she said. “I’ll push you.”

  The girl walked behind him and gave him a slight nudge. Elrod froze, terrified.

  She gave another push. Elrod squealed in fear as he propelled through the air.

  He swung higher and higher. He looked all around, stunned. Eventually he realized he was not going to die (again). He began to enjoy his new adventure and the cool breeze on his face. He felt an excitement unlike anything he had felt before.

  Nearby a woman yelled out, “Anna Marie, you get away from that zombie right now!”

  The young girl looked in her direction. “Aww, mom...”

  Finally the young girl wandered off. Elrod was puzzled by her departure. But he kept on swinging. For the first time in his zombie life, a slight grin spread over his face. He took his hand and felt of the grin on his face -- and he liked it.

  * * *

  A bit later in the park, two women admired a striking pink wildflower. One raised her camera and photographed it; the other knelt and smelled of the spectacular bloom.

  Elrod watched from afar. He decided he wasn’t interested in eating the two women. He also decided that pink was a lovely color and that he liked flowers.

  * * *

  In a deeply wooded area, Elrod grasped a pair of binoculars, attempting to use them for the first time. He located a bluebird in a tree. He gazed at it through the binoculars, fascinated. A grin spread over his face.

  While examining the bird, a thick gob of black-and-white bird droppings splashed onto his shoulder from above. He lowered the binoculars, noticing the fresh bird droppings on his shirt. That wasn’t very nice, he thought. He scowled, grumbled, and shook his fist into the air.

  * * *

  Across the way, Elrod noticed a fisherman along the bank. He plodded toward the fisherman, growling, scaring him away. Then he picked up the abandoned fishing pole and examined it.

  Clumsily raising the pole backward, Elrod cast the baited hook toward the lake, but the hook became tangled in a tree limb above him and thus never reached the water. However, Elrod wasn’t aware of this development. He patiently watched the water and waited for something to happen. Nothing happened. He decided he didn’t care much for fishing.

  Bored, he threw the pole down and lumbered off.

  * * *

  While roaming through a scenic prairie, Elrod knelt and examined a delicate flower. This one was purple. He smelled of the bloom, in awe of its beauty. Why hadn’t he noticed flowers before? Quite simply, they made him happy. He felt of the grin on his face, pleased.

  The afternoon progressed. Two young men paddled a
canoe across the shimmering lake. Elrod studied them from afar, admiring their pursuit. He then noticed several canoes stacked nearby.

  Elrod took a canoe from the bank and pulled it into the water. He attempted to enter the canoe. Unable to adjust his weight properly, he fell clumsily into the lake. Angered, he punched the water. Nature was very strange, he decided.

  He lumbered toward the bank, dripping, scowling. He wanted to curse but couldn’t remember how.

  * * *

  Hundreds of red ants worked busily around an elaborate anthill.

  Elrod lay sprawled out on the ground, watching the ants, mesmerized. He wasn’t sure what these creatures were doing, but he knew it must be important. He wanted to know... he wanted to learn!

  * * *

  A bit later, Elrod again tried to skip rocks across the lake. He continued to struggle mightily.

  While searching for another rock, he saw a park visitor toss a candy wrapper onto the ground and continue walking.

  Elrod examined the litter, puzzled. This didn’t seem natural at all, he thought. From out of nowhere, a tear fell from his eye. He reached up and felt of the tear, astonished. What was happening to him?

  Without thinking, he picked up the candy wrapper and placed it in a trashcan, wiping his eyes. He decided that from now on he would pursue those who litter and devour them.

  * * *

  Meanwhile, a group of park visitors enjoyed a friendly game of volleyball. Somehow Elrod found himself playing among them. There was a flurry of activity as the ball traveled back and forth across the net, but unfortunately Elrod never got in on the action.

  Finally the ball sailed through the air in the direction of Elrod, but he was slow to react and it bopped him in the head. The others laughed. Not amused, Elrod became angry and decided to terrorize them. But then he had a sudden change of heart. He chuckled and nodded his head, gritting his teeth.

  * * *

  After the volleyball game, Elrod examined a bird nest filled with eggs. This made him happy, too. What was inside the eggs, he wondered? Butterflies? Rocks? Pudding? He wasn’t sure, but he wanted to learn more.

  Elrod glanced up and noticed several people riding bicycles. Hmm, he thought.

  Eventually he found an abandoned bicycle on the ground. He picked it up and studied it. Finally he climbed aboard and began to pedal. He wobbled all over, steering the bike straight into a tree and crashing violently to the ground.

  * * *

  A bit later, a park ranger led an educational hike and taught park visitors about trees. Standing among the group was Elrod, who listened intently to the ranger.

  Elrod picked up a leaf and examined it. Then he discovered an acorn. He looked up and realized that these objects came from the trees above. He was learning quite a bit today. In fact, he decided this was the happiest day of his life.

  * * *

  Following the nature hike, Elrod watched several deer graze in a pasture. Hmm, he thought. Following suit, Elrod dropped to his hands and knees and grazed along the shoreline. Several people pointed at the zombie, fascinated.

  * * *

  As the sun lowered in the western sky, a family grilled out at a picnic shelter. They ate food, talked excitedly, and played cornhole and other games. They were having a grand time. Standing at the grill among them was none other than Elrod, who now wore a chef’s hat.

  Elrod happily flipped burgers and served them to the family members. On the grill with the burgers were hot dogs, vegetables, and a severed human foot. Elrod looked at the fresh meat, licking his lips. He had worked up quite an appetite today.

  * * *

  Following dinner, a cheerful Elrod enjoyed a solo hike along a nature trail. He found a turtle and examined it intently. He studied its shell, fascinated. He wanted the turtle to be his friend, and he named it Randy. He looked all around, feeling alive. His senses had been awakened. His curiosity had been piqued.

  Suddenly a park ranger approached, clearing his throat to get the zombie’s attention. The ranger pointed to a sign which read: “Park Closes at Sunset.” Elrod examined the sign, then turned and noticed the setting sun.

  Elrod lumbered toward the exit and past the entrance sign. He turned and looked back toward the park, reminiscing about his glorious day. Then, taking a deep breath, he reluctantly departed.

  * * *

  The sun disappeared below the horizon as several zombies trudged along the peaceful country road, gnawing on human body parts.

  Elrod stepped out of the woods and rejoined his group. He walked with them for a bit, but something was amiss. He studied the other zombies, contemplating. Did they not know what all was out there? Were they so focused on desires of the flesh that they couldn’t see the beauty of nature all around them? Could they not understand its importance?

  Elrod paused and looked toward the woods. He noticed the birds... the trees... the flowers. He glanced at the other zombies who continued to wander up the road. Finally he turned away from them and lumbered back into the wilderness alone.

  Two other zombies noticed Elrod heading into the woods. They paused, puzzled. They finally decided to join him. Then the other zombies followed him as well, and they all disappeared into the forest.

  * * *

  Several weeks later, a magnificent orange-and-black Baltimore Oriole sang joyfully from atop a majestic oak tree. A pair of binoculars pointed at the warbling bird.

  Clutching the binoculars was Elrod. He now wore a floppy sun hat and a backpack, and a binocular case hung around his neck. He also grasped a homemade hiking stick. His “Go Green” t-shirt had a bit of blood splattered on it.

  Elrod pointed at the oriole. Another zombie appeared beside him and borrowed his binoculars to observe the bird.

  Several other zombies gathered around Elrod, who took out his bird identification book and showed them a picture of the oriole. They all examined the photo, nodding, fascinated.

  A zombie noticed a frog, enthralled by it. Another zombie got on her hands and knees and smelled of a tiny yellow wildflower. And yet another examined a leaf, flipping through a tree identification book.

  One particular zombie knelt on the ground using a magnifying glass to watch an insect. A grin spread over the zombie’s face. Perplexed by this new sensation, he lifted his hand and felt of the grin on his face.

  Elrod observed his students as they found joy and meaning in nature. Then he looked to the sky and took a deep breath. It was a glorious day to be alive. Or dead. He smiled, pleased.

 

  THE END

  About the Author:

  Jason K. Allen is a writer, filmmaker, nature photographer, and wilderness guide from Nashville, Tennessee.

  Discover other titles by Jason K. Allen:

  The Horse-Drawn Hearse

  Sometimes They Get Hungry

  The Zombie Who Liked Fred Astaire

  Connect with me:

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allen.jason.k

  IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3021924