'Professor Clark's work usually helps people. But this is something new.'
Clark's helper - Tasha Kiara - is telling Chaz - a local TV reporter about the Professor's new serum.
Then an earthquake hits Clark's California lab, and his serum brings dead bodies in the cemetery alive. Soon the zombies attack!
What happens to Professor Clark? How can Tasha and Chaz stop the zombies? Who lives and who dies? Read this story and see.
In the Professor's Lab
Professor Clark is an important scientist in the United States. Day and night, he works in his lab. It's in the hills near the little town of Brilla in California.
He's working on a new serum. 'This can change everything!' he thinks.
Tasha Kiara is a young scientist in the Professor’s lab. She isn't happy about Professor Clark's latest work.
The Professor is always saying, 'Why must people die? My new serum can stop that!'
'This can't be right,' Tasha thinks. 'What's the matter with Professor Clark? Is he going crazy?’
One day, Tasha sees something awful. The Professor injects a dead rat with his new serum. Minutes later, the rat begins to move on the lab table. It is suddenly alive again!
'Professor! What are you doing?' Tasha cries.
'Look!' Clark smiles. 'This rat's not dead now. My serum works!'
'You can't do this, ' says Tasha more quietly. ‘It's wrong, Professor. Do it again, and I must tell someone. I must speak: to the local TV station about you.'
The Professor laughs. His eyes are crazy.
'Do that,' he says. 'But don't bring any reporters here now! Not before I'm ready for them.’
In the Diner
Tasha calls the local TV station. That evening, she meets with the reporter Chaz, his camera operator Leroy, and sound engineer Ella. They meet in the diner in town and talk.
'So, what's the story, Tasha?' Chaz asks.
Tasha tells them all about the Professor, his new serum, and the dead rat.
'Wow!' Ella says. 'That's very interesting!'
'I know,' Tasha answers, 'but it's something dangerous, too. Today, it's dead rats. But who knows about tomorrow? Professor Clark's work usually helps people, but this is something new. He doesn't listen to me any more. Something's wrong with him.'
'Well, thank you for calling us,' Chaz says. 'It's a wonderful story for our local TV station. But we must go to the lab and speak with the Professor.'
'He's not ready to speak to reporters,' Tasha says, 'but I can open the lab for you. Let's go there tonight. Then you can see the rats and the serum.'
'OK,' Chaz says. 'It's 10 o'clock now. Is this a good time?’
'Yes, it is,' Tasha answers. 'The Professor usually goes home at 9.00 pm. Hey, what's happening? The table's moving!'
Suddenly, everything in the room is moving. ‘Help!' the people in the diner cry.
'It's an earthquake!' Leroy says. 'Quick! Let's get out of here!'
They all run into the street.
'Listen. We must go to the lab now!' Tasha tells them. 'There's a lot of serum there. And, with this earthquake, that's dangerous!’
'OK. My car's over there!’ Chaz says.
From the Cemetery
Tasha opens the lab door and goes in. Chaz, Leroy, and Ella go after her.
'Oh, no!' Tasha cries.
The damage from the earthquake is very bad. Worst of all, the Professor's new serum is all over the floor.
'This isn't good, ' Tasha says. 'The serum's in the ground under the lab now.'
Ella is looking out through the window at the old cemetery not far from the lab. Just then, she gives a sudden cry.
'Look over there! People are coming up out of the ground!' she says.
Tasha goes and looks.
It is true. Dead people are coming alive. They are coming from under the ground. Their faces and their bodies are grey. They don't speak, but awful noises come from their mouths. They move their arms and legs slowly, and begin to walk from the cemetery to the lab.
'Those aren't people. They're zombies,' Tasha says. She comes from Haiti, and knows all about zombies.
'Zombies?!' Chaz, Leroy, and Ella cry.
'Yes, and they're coming for us,' Tasha tells them. 'The Professor's serum is doing this. Hungry zombies eat people's brains. Be careful. Don't go near them. They can bite you - and then you change into a zombie, too!’
Suddenly, Professor Clark runs into the lab.
'My serum,' he cries. 'Where is it all?'
'In the ground under the cemetery!' Tasha answers angrily. 'And now a lot of zombies are coming here!'
'That's crazy talk,' the Professor says. ‘We're scientists, Tasha. There are no Zombies!'
Just then, they hear an awful noise. Someone - or something - is breaking the lab windows.
Through the Trees
The next minute, the zombies come through the lab door. They walk slowly over to the Professor. Tasha can smell their half-dead bodies.
'Professor Clark, they're coming for you! Quick! You must run!' she cries.
But the Professor is afraid and can't move. The zombies have their hands on him now. Excited noises come from their open mouths.
'You're right, Tasha. Help! They are zombies,' he cries. 'I' m sorry, I- '
Suddenly, the zombies push the old man to the floor. They attack him hungrily, and there is an awful cry.
Leroy and Ella run over to the Professor, but the zombies attack them angrily.
Tasha and Chaz run from the lab and get into Chaz's car. Chaz drives away fast. But it's a dark night, and he can't see well. Suddenly, his car hits a tree. Tasha and Chaz quickly get out, and run through the trees. Far behind them, they hear Leroy and Ella' s calls.
'Good. They're OK!' Chaz says. But Tasha looks back. She sees their dead eyes, and their slow walk. Leroy and Ella are zombies now.
'Leave them, Chaz!’ she cries.
Chaz and Tasha run back to the road. They see a tanker truck on its side there. Suddenly, Tasha
remembers. Not many things can kill zombies - but fire can. They must burn the gas, and move the zombies into the fire.
Just then, a man with dark blood on his face gets up slowly from behind the tank:er. He begins walking across to Chaz and Tasha.
'Zombie attack! Run!’ Tasha cries.
The Pool of Gas
'Wait! I'm not a zombie!' the man cries. 'I'm Sam, the driver of this tanker truck. It's on its side now - after my crash in the earthquake!'
'Do you believe him, Tasha?' Chaz asks.
'I do,' Tasha answers.
Chaz and Tasha go over to the man. Tasha talks about killing the zombies with fire. The two men listen carefully to her.
'Let's do it,' Sam says. 'First, we must empty the tanker truck. The more gas the better. Come on!
Those zombies aren't far away now!’
Chaz and Tasha help Sam, and the three of them empty the tanker truck. Minutes later, there is a big pool of gas all over the road. But there is very little time. The zombies are coming. They are very near the pool now. So Tasha and Chaz must burn the gas quickly - or die!
Sam runs to a pylon at the side of the road. Two of its feet are off the ground after the earthquake.
'Let's bring down the power lines,' he cries. 'Quick!'
The three of them push over the pylon. It comes down, and it brings the power lines with it.
'Move!' Tasha cries. The power lines hit the pool of gas with a crash!
Whooooosh!
Suddenly, there is a very big fire. The sky is red with it, and there is black smoke over everything. The zombies are dying in the fire! Their hair and their coats are burning, and they go down with awful cries. After some time the cries stop, and things go quiet again.
'Hey!' Chaz says. 'The zombies are all dead!'
'Good work!' Tasha cries.
Bad News
Two weeks later, Chaz is at the lab one morning. He is talking to Tasha.
'Hey, Tasha, how do you feel?' he asks. 'The zombies are all dead now. There's no more dangerous serum here in the lab. You're a hero!'
'Not me, Chaz. I'm happy about the zombies, but I'm very sorry for Professor Clark. And your friends Ella and Leroy are dead, too. That's awful.'
'I know. But you and I are OK, and Sam, too.'
Just then, two police officers arrive at the lab.
'Ms Kiara, we have some bad news,' one of them says.
'What is it?' Tasha asks.
'The earthquake damage all over Brilla is very bad, you know. So we're looking at Professor Clark's house today, and what do we find there?'
'I don't know.'
'A little lab under the house.'
Tasha's face is suddenly white when she hears this. 'A lab, you say?'
'That's right,' the police officer answers. 'And there’s more of that serum in it. Maybe there's more serum in the ground there, too.'
'I see,' Tasha says quietly.
Just then, all the people in the room smell something awful - the smell of a dead body. Nobody says a thing. Is this truly happening?
Nobody sees the face at the window - a grey face with blood in its mouth. The zombie is wearing a scientist's white coat. It brings its arms up and it breaks the window with a crash. Professor Clark can't talk or think much now. But he can smell brains - and he's hungry!
