I began work on this little tale more years ago than I care to admit. In the interim the story became lost when an old computer quit working. I remember at the time that I felt the story was beyond my capabilities. I feel confident now that I may be able to do the story justice.
Disclaimer: I understand it’s not possible for a memory from a donor to appear in a clone. But when you’re writing, you enter the world of what if, where everything is possible.
Without further adieu I give you the first 600 words of
I Am!
He became aware of his surroundings in increments.
The tireless voice of a wheel humming on pavement, punctuated by the rhythmic slap of a seam in the roadway that came like the steady tick of a metronome measuring the passing moments. The rocking motion of the vehicle in which he was a prisoner, wearing through the skin at the tips of his shoulder blades pressed against cold, unyielding, steel.
The air around him was heavy with the scent of unwashed bodies, and though his eyes were open, he saw nothing but the bleak emptiness of despair.
Where am I? What have they done to me?
A cough came from above, a grunt from the left. With shaking hands, he explored his prison and found he was sitting in a corner, his hips twisted to one side with his legs curled beneath him. Other sounds intruded upon his terror, adding to the panic slowly nibbling its way through him. He struggled to bring it under control, to try and reason out this problem, but could find no plausible explanation for what was happening to him. At this his panic roared to life as he tried to reign it in. If he let it go, he would turn into a raving lunatic battering its flesh against unyielding steel. He had to center himself if he hoped to survive.
Bringing his emotions under control, he realized there were others with him.
But where was here?
Warm fluid trickled onto his chest, several drops splashing into his mouth to leave a bitter taste as the overpowering odor of urine washed over him, tainted with the sharp tang of shit. He held up his hand to shield his face, his fingers pressing against warm flesh in a tangled mass of coarse hair. His hand brushed against a fleshy appendage and he grabbed it.
Stars filled the darkness as a hard hand slapped his face and he released his hold to retreat into the corner.
Who are they? What are they?
They were trapped, all of them, living in their own waste as the night stretched into forever.
The last thing he remembered was leaving his office to check on the sound of voices coming from the loading area. The Co-Op, where he’d been the assistant manager for the past three months had been closed for nearly an hour when the sound of the big steel door going up interrupted him as he was counting the till.
Normally he would have been gone by then, but his wife had called frantic over a report of someone breaking into their neighbor’s house. It had taken Gus the better part of an hour to settle her down, reassuring her as best he could, promising he would be home soon. The memory of that promise, now broken, sent a pang of guilt shooting through him.
How long has it been?
Here, time held no meaning.
In the loading area he had come upon two drivers throwing bags of shelled corn into the back of one of the company trucks. The deliveries had been made for the day so the only explanation for what they were doing was theft. If you’re going to take the risk of stealing something, why shelled corn? he wondered.
He never got the chance to ask for as he approached them, and they stood up from their task, the younger of the two glanced over his left shoulder. Someone was coming up behind him and as he turned to confront this new threat darkness descended around him with an abrupt finality.
Why?
To be continued!
This week the short story titled, Brothers, was sent to my newsletter. It’s a story much like this one that was born in my desire to write a series of alphabet stories. The title of each beginning with a letter from the alphabet. I Am! will be the ninth story when it is eventually finished. What you see on my blog is the raw, unedited version. What my subscribers receive is the fully polished and edited version of each story. The stories are sent every other month. During the off months I share a full chapter from one of my works in progress, of which there are currently three.
If you’d like to sign up for my newsletter, follow the link below and you will get full access to every story and chapter sent since I got serious about following through. You will also receive a full length novel only available to my subscribers. You can’t buy this book anywhere else.
Synopsis: Jimmy and his friends have come to the roof of their apartment building to watch the passage of the comet Omega9. Little do they know the dust from the comet contains ancient organisms that are about to turn their world upside down.
They’re already dealing with tough times, but things get even crazier when Robert’s mom is attacked by his dad and turns into a zombie. This is only the first act in a chain of events that plunges the world into the zombie apocalypse. Forcing the boys to figure out how to survive in this new, terrifying reality.
Trapped between the undead, and the evil living in the building, their future becomes more perilous until Robert makes a startling discovery in the basement. In the end it’s all about survival, friendship, and facing their fears as they fight to protect each other and their home.
Richard Schiver 
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