Chanting Graces Part 1

Book 1:



Stories from a Tattoo Artist





Chapter 1: An unusual start





My name is Dean a.k.a “Tattsman” and I have decided to write this in remembrance of the great men that helped me escape the nightmares the world faced in 2015. Whilst we live at present in these safe zones as a result of the dead zones, I just want you to understand something very clearly and it is important that you understand, for you see these “dead zones” are not dead per say, no for beasts still roam their streets and infest their houses. However the most terrifying of these beasts are not those of the dead, but of two brothers and let me tell you this, those boys are having fun…

Blame as to the start of the infection has been shifted to every which person. The religious called it the apocalypse and the overflowing of hell. The scientific called them the anamorphic dead. And to the normal folk like us, only one word had been presented through the media “Zombies”. Truth is we found out the cause was neither religious, nor super natural in any way shape or form, it had been caused through an experiment held in seven laboratories around the world, a conglomeration of works done in order to find a cure for cancer. The scientists had discovered that an unknown human genome that showed to have the potential to eradicate cancerous cells within the body.

The same experiment was conducted in each lab, one in Johannesburg, South Africa; Utah, USA; A makeshift lab in Rio, Brazil; London, United kingdom of Britain; Zurich, Switzerland; Beijing, China; and was headed up by the same researchers that had previously discovered the vaccination for the flu on the Gold Coast in Australia. The use of separate Labs was necessary to test the altitudinal and latitudinal variance of the tests or so they said, however this just showed to spread the plague quicker. You see each test showed to have the same results, a huge success at the start with all patients showing to have all their cancerous cells eradicated. The success went even further with all health problems being cured within the patient. They hailed it as the elixir of life. 

“For all your health problems you can say no more” the posters and TV commercials would so elegantly claim. Six months after the elixirs release and the first patient past away through natural means, those that were present could not tell you of what happened for they were among the first to become infected, speculation could only assume that that old lady rose the same way all the others do, with that dead look in their eyes and that disgusting need for flesh. The virus became airborne and showed to have infected everyone, however it remained dormant in the body until death occurred or when infected by a person that had succumbed to the infection. Three days is all it took for the virus to take control of the naturally deceased and anywhere between that and an hour on the bitten or infected, this however depended on the infection.



I was like everyone else when word spread, my first instinct was to laugh and needless to say I didn’t believe one word of it. I continued going to work as usual probably because at the time I was placing this lovely little piece on the inner thigh of a very attractive brunette, sixteen hours of work I spent on it and still got nothing but a mere thanks as she ran out of the door. God the things I would have done to her. Anyway back to the story, I lived about 25 minutes away from the university at which the Gold Coast lab was located, so needless to say it spread quickly through my region. I had gathered supplies and had boarded myself up in my attic hoping that help might find me before the beasts did.



A week passed when that infamous doorbell rung and the door was booted from its hinges. I remained in the attic in fear as I heard each door of my house being kicked in, until eventually the ceiling was penetrated and Grim showed his face. “We got a live one, dweebus,” his voice cried out to the person below him. “Female?” the voice cried back. “Na, so he’s perfect for you,” Grim stated all the while looking me dead in the eye with that evil smirk on his face. “Screw you Wang Chung,” the voice responded. “Please don’t hurt me,” I stupidly stated without thinking. “Hurt you? Princess we’re here to help you. Now grab your shit and get your ass down from there. Oh and bring the chocolate,” Grim stated in his sarcastic manner. “Chocolate?” I stated in shock. “Ya the box by your feet. Otherwise don’t even think of coming near the jeep,” he said all the while removing his head from the hole in the ceiling and returning to the level below.



I grabbed my bag and a few other things and before I knew it I was standing before them. Grim was cleaning what I was to later find out was called “the creation”. He had a shaved head with facial hair covering his Van dyke and border edges of his jaw. He was well built with his upper body displaying each muscle as clearly as the next. Blood stains covered his camo pants and boots. “I’m Dean by the way,” I said in hopes of ending the awkward face off. “Grim and that’s Sariel,” Grim sated pointing at himself and then at Sariel all the while maintaining his focus on the creation. Sariel looked almost identical to Grim with the exception of the facial hair and a slightly crooked nose.



“Did you bring the chocolate?” Grim stated further. “Shit, sorry... Hang on,” I said as I returned to the attic and grabbed the box. “Did he think I was fucking joking,” I heard Grim say as I returned from the attic. We remained pretty quiet as we walked down and out of my house and got into the jeep. Sariel drove with me riding shotgun, whilst Grim stood in the back seat holding the creation all the while scanning for victims. Oh ya “the creation”, you guys are probably wondering what it is by now. Well “the creation” was Grim’s pride and joy, a six foot steel rod with a three foot blade extending from the pole two inches from its end. Both ends of the pole were spiked as well. Basically it was Grim’s own attempt at a scythe.



“Where are you taking me?” I asked 20 minutes into the journey. This time it was Sariel that responded, “Hopefully your new home dude,” He said all the while avoiding obstacles of all shapes and sizes on the road. “Hopefully? What is that supposed to mean?” I had said in shock. “Well that is if you pass the test,” he said calmly facing the road. Grim’s head all of a sudden appeared between the front seats and with a quick “Shotty not,” his head vanished and he was back at his post. “Screw you I did it last time,” Sariel argued all the while making eye contact with Grim through the rear view mirror. “Then you probably should have said it first,” Grim responding all the while raising his hands in sarcasm.  “So what did you do for a living …, Um…” Sariel had tried to ask in politeness only to forget my name. “It’s Dean and I am, or I was a tattoo artist,” at that point both boys eyes locked onto me in delight. “What?” I had asked in response to their looks. “Nothing you just better pass this test that’s all,” Grim had responding acting as if nothing had happened. It was at that point that I noticed that neither of the two had a single drop of ink displayed on their bodies. I laughed and proceeded to ask, “So what’s this test, then?” Just then the car was drifted to a halt.



“Find out now, we continue on foot from here,” Sariel said following Grim in leaping out of the car. I followed suit as we proceeded to walk down the road, Grim leading the way with Sariel, whom had now armed himself with a pair of axes that had been attached to holsters on his lower legs (something I had not noticed previously), taking the rear. Signs started to appear along the sides of the road warning of explosives and death to all those that don’t follow the rules. “Are there really explosives?” I had asked Grim. “Yeah we’ve set up about 42 along this road,” “40, two went off last night,” Sariel stated after cutting off Grim. “Haha ya that’s right, so just follow us and you’ll miss em all,” Grim stated finally finishing his previous sentence. “How do you know where they all are?” I asked once more. “It’s simple... Stick to Green,” the boys stated in unison. Just then the surrounding signs began to say the same thing and shortly after, a green line presented itself all the while swaying in a snake like fashion all across the road as it worked its way down the street.



We followed the line for a while until we reached a dead end in the road. Before us stood a large mansion, it’s large walls surrounding all edges of the roundabout that made up the end of the road. There on what I had assumed at the time to be the garage was a make shift fort, sand bags formed walls with a canopy being held up above it. “Alright Dean in the circle if you will,” Sariel stated pointing to a spray painted circle in the middle of the roundabout. Grim proceeded to walk into the house closing the gate behind him, all the while Sariel stood before me.



Doing as he asked I had walked over to the circle and stood facing the gate. “Right now comes the uncomfortable part,” “Don’t lie it’s your favorite part,” Grim said from somewhere behind the wall, all the while cutting Sariel off. “Screw you,” Sariel continued, “So as I said the uncomfortable part, you have a minute to strip completely or Grim’s going to shoot you in the head.” “What, why?” I said trying to protest it. Grim started counting back from 60, his voice echoing once more from behind the wall. Without thinking twice I stood before Sariel completely bare, my clothes sitting at my feet. “Good, now rotate please,” “Nice and slow like,” Grim stated in a country accent, once more cutting Sariel off. “Not helping,” Sariel yelled back as I rotated. After completing a full rotation Sariel yelled, “He’s clear.” “Well then invite the man in,” Grim’s voiced yelled as he opened the gate.



I put my clothes back on as quickly as possible and proceeded to follow Sariel into the mansions courtyard without thinking twice. There in the courtyard were three leather lounge chairs in a circle with an icebox filled with beer in the middle of them. A congrats banner strung the wall behind one of the chairs of which Grim had taken up residence in. “Well grab a beer and pull up a seat,” Grim stated all the while reaching for a beer. Sariel and I took seats and grabbed a beer accordingly.



“Well cheers to being the only person so far to pass the test,” Sariel stated raising his bottle in the air. “Cheers,” followed Grim as they proceed to scull their beers. “Wait no-one else stripped?” I asked in shock. “Na they strip, just you’re the only one that hasn’t been bitten or infected, hence no bullet to your head,” Grim said joyfully to himself more so then anyone else as he reached for another beer. “You see we would ask people, but people lie especially if they think that you won’t help them if they get the question wrong. So we get people to strip, because you’re body can’t lie. So ya, sorry we would have told you the reason but then you might not have stripped,” Sariel explained.



“He needs a new name,” Grim had stated out of the blue. “True, when you enter these gates you enter a new man, hence new name. Got any in mind Grim?” Sariel asked all the while facing Grim and excluding me in the naming process. “Tattsman or Tatts,” Grim said smirking to himself. “I like it, what do you reckon Tattsman?” Sariel had asked me. “I could get used to it,” I had responded. "So if new names are given once you enter here then Sariel and Grim aren't your actual names?" I had continued. "Oh god no," Grim stated laughing all the while. "So then what are they?" I had asked without hesitation. "Mistake number one newbie, the past is left on the other side of the wall," Grim stated before Sariel could say anything.



“Alright I’ll take first watch, Sariel you go show your new boyfriend Tattsman around ‘Le casa de Grande’ seeing as though you two have already shared such a magical bond,” Grim mocked as he proceeded to head off inside the building. “Yeah go play with yourself you douche,” Sariel had responded to Grims finger as he walked off finishing his beer.



Chapter 2: Le casa de Grande and the rules of the game



“Well we might as well get started before it gets dark and we have to go on ‘alert mode’,” Sariel stated heading towards the doors of the mansion. “Why what happens at dark?” I asked not knowing due to my hibernatory nature over the past week. “Well they’re just that little bit more active and, like moths, are attracted to the light,” he stated casually as we passed through the double doors.



“Now this lovely manor was owned by the lovely and recently deceased Steve and Jesamy Bell. Yes, thanks to the Bells deep pockets and dire need for privacy, we are now staying in one of the most sophisticated and luxurious forts ever created, a couple of alterations excluded of coarse.



This 50 something roomed house is spread over four blocks of land covering the whole end of this block. Each block of coarse is waterfront property with a ten meter wall surrounding the rest,” Sariel explained in great detail. “What if they come from the water?” I asked inquisitively. “Ah already thought of that. Just yesterday we set up an electric fence around the whole waters edge. So the theory is if they can swim, then they are in for one hell of a shock when they touch our custom designed high voltage fence, pun intended. It should send them airborne and straight back to the other side of the river, at least we hope so,” he said all the while demonstrating the unfortunate beast’s flight over the river.



“Ok so you can have any room in the house except ours of course. Anything you see lying around that you want in your room, go for it, its free game if it’s not in your room. Grims room is the black line, mines the white one and the kitchen is the red line,” he stated pointing to the lines on the floor.



“What’s the orange line for?” I asked noticing the extra line. “War! Yep, we’ll follow that one now,” he said anxiously leading the way along the line. “So why the lines?” I asked curiously as we continued down a long corridor. “Did you not just hear me; this place is huge and trust me you get lost really easily, so we made lines to help us,” his response was sarcastic and then yet expected.



We turned a corner after a short distance and then proceeded up a flight of stairs, another corner and with a “Tah Dah,” Sariel introduced me to the war room. Weapons of all shapes, sizes and styles strung the walls. “Why is there a frying pan on the wall?” I asked noticing the misfit amongst the items on the wall.



“Hahaha, that my friend was my kill. We were in a house not to far from here when an old lady popped out of a cupboard, so I grabbed the first thing I could find and hit her over the head with it. Hence the pan,” he stated smirking all the while as he proclaimed his achievement. “So wait, let me get this straight. Every item here has been used to kill a zombie?” I asked in disbelief. “Yep it doesn’t go on the wall until it has a kill to its name,” Sariel stated as he waved his hand over to a pile of weapons lying in the corner of the room.



“So how many have you killed?” I asked my curiosity overwhelming me. “Me personally? I’m not to sure; we should probably check the books. Oh and while we’re at it I’ll show you the hide and the scoreboard,” He said leading into the next room whilst doing so. The room was tiny and had once been used as a study, the filing cabinets and desk giving this away. I say had once been, for now one of the walls had been torn out leading to the roof of the garage and into the hide I had seen before. There with a rifle in hand was Grim.



“What tours over already?” he said sarcastically. “Any movement?” Sariel asked him as he made his way out onto the roof. “Na just a couple of birds,” Grim stated casually as he lent on the rifle. “So what brings you to the hide?” he continued. “We’ve come to see the scoreboard and the books,” Sariel said turning a board to face my direction. “Awesome, well Tattsman you better start killing soon because you are well and truly behind dear sir,” as Grim said this my eyes fell to the chalk board, on which my name and the two boys names had been written.



Below my name was a rather large and over emphasized zero, below Sariels stood 62 and below Grims stood 85. “Tattsman, you look confused? Or constipated I’m not to sure,” Grim stated mockingly. “Na shat my pants when I first saw your ugly mug,” I retaliated. “Oh Tattsman with the call,” Sariel laughed all the while pointing at Grim. “Touché Tattsman, touché,” Grim stated smirking.



“Why my dear Sariel how does one obtain these points that seem to favor Grim so,” Grim mocked as if he were on a TV commercial. “Why Grim its simple, the closer the combat and the more unusual the kill the higher the points. You get extra points for creative weapon choices and first time weapon kills,” Sariel said now taking the role of sales person and continuing with the “monologue” of their fake TV ad. “Wait you mean to tell me that I can get extra points by just being creative?” Grim continued this time ending his sentence with his hands clutched before him, his eyes all the while wide with his mouth open in fake awe. “But wait there’s more, also by using a zombie’s body part to kill another gives you double points of your whole days total points,” Sariel said all the while emphasizing the ‘double’ in his sentence. “Wait so if I got 20 points in one day it becomes 40 points just by using a zombie to kill another?” Grim asked in sarcasm. “That’s right,” Sariel quickly replied. “Wow that’s amazing,” Grim said now reeling out of the role all the while laughing at the stupidity of the conversation. “You guys are idiots,” I said as Sariel and I joined him in the laughter.



A couple moments passed and the laughter calmed. “But ya back to the tour, we document and record all our kills categorically within these books,” Sariel explained ending his explanation by pointing out a box filled with different colored books. “Go through them if you want,” Grim encouraged.



“The red book is all close range and hand to hand combat weapons. The blue book is all aquatic instruments and items. The Green is your hunting equipment, so guns and bows mainly, and the Yellow one is for explosives and electrical items, so your chainsaws, hedge trimmers, nail guns etc,” Sariel explained. “What’s the black one for?” I asked only too eagerly. It was Grim that responded this time as Sariel looked away towards the neighboring houses. “That ones the dead list, we write down the names of family and friends we come across that we cannot save or who have already passed. There’s no points awarded for a placement in that book Tattsman so just let it be,” he stated, his voice now cold and expressionless.



I was later to find out that prior to my arrival only six names had been written in that book all of which had the same last name, however the significance of this would not dawn on me for a couple of years later. The night ended with a feast in my honor and the establishment of the green line which was now the tie between my room, the war room, the kitchen and the entrance hall.



Chapter 3: Tattsman's first points



It had been three weeks after my arrival when I finally got my name onto the board. The boys had established a unique system of one day on followed by one day off except for Sunday and Monday which, in the true theory of the Boomtown Rats, Mondays were hated by all and therefore should not be worked. I had grown up watching animation for most of my life and it had been my forte in the tattooing industry, it was because of this that once I saw the samurai sword lying in the corner of the kill less weapons, I knew that I was going to be the first to hang it on the wall.



Weapon in hand I had headed out with the boys to get an understanding of what they classified as "work". The theory was simple, starting from the mansion and working their way out they would check each house on every street boarding up the windows and doors as best as possible and killing all the undead that had the unfortunate luck of being present. The doors of the house, once raided of all items of importance, were locked and a green smiley face was spray painted on them to show that the house had been cleared and was now deemed safe.



I had personally come across five undead, in the three weeks leading up to that moment, that either had not been killed by Grim or that I was expected to deal with as the brothers watched on. Each time however I found that I would freeze up and would find the creation separating myself from the jaws of the beast. Grim's aggression and anger towards the undead proved to be the reason why he was leading in points, whilst his kills would generally only contribute a single point to his score, the sheer number of individuals that he killed made his score so large.



I remember the day as if it were yesterday; I had been talking to Sariel in the front seat of the jeep when Grim screamed from the back, "Hotty undead, 12 o'clock... Tattsman you and the toothpick are up," all the while pointing at the singular beast rotating in circles in the middle of the road. The jeep was drifted to a halt, a common means of stopping the vehicle when Sariel drove, and I got my first glimpse at the beast. My heart dropped as I caught a glimpse at her inner thigh. It had been my final piece prior to the invasion, the hot brunette that had blown me off.



"I know her," I had said without realizing it. "What do you mean you know her?" Sariel had shot back, his deepened glance more out of shock then anything else. “That tattoo on her thigh, that was my last piece I did before the infestation," I had continued, still not realizing the words escaping my mouth. "Did you hit that?" Grim’s voice now making itself involved in the conversation. "No, of coarse not!" I snapped back at him this time well aware of the words leaving my mouth. "Did you try?" "Well ya, but she shut me down," I responding to his question. "Well then no head for you means no head for her so get out there and chop it off," Grim stated much to the laughter of Sariel as he slouched back in his seat.



"You’re a dick Grim," I said as I left the vehicle. "And that's why you love me you giant fairy you," he retaliated from within the jeep. Laughing I made my way to where the beast was rotating. Her left foot was missing, the exposed bone now leaving a white circle around the constantly rotating corpse. Bite marks were all along her arms and dried blood surrounded her mouth. She stopped rotating as she caught a glimpse of me, locking her dead eyes in my direction. I psyched myself up as I approached the now hobbling creature. I gripped the handle of the blade with two hands and froze with my eyes facing the ground just in front of me.



I could sense her presence growing stronger as she approached me. "Shit he's frozen," I heard Grim say as he leaped from the vehicle. Knowing she was close I took one more glance at her tattoo and my final work. There in the middle of the tattoo lay three obscure healed scares, the bitch was a cutter. Before I knew it I was swinging at her. "You fucking bitch I spent 16 hours on that piece and you go and cut it for kicks," I screamed as portions of her body fell to the ground. "You fucking hore! Die and go to hell you fucking sadistic fuck!" I continued my rage now overwhelming.



"Fucking sadistic fuck? Nice choice of words Tattsman," Grim said over my shoulder. Before I knew it, I had swung at him. My blade hit the center of the creations handle. Grim had anticipated my swing as he stood behind his weapon with a grin from ear to ear. "Well have a look," he stated pointing to the mess behind me. Body parts lay spread out along the road, the only complete section was her inner thigh were I had somehow managed to avoid the tattoo completely.



"Okay so that's 5 points for your first kill, 15 points for first kill with that weapon and I'd say 5 points cus it was close range and you diced the fuck out of her," Grim laughed as he leaned over my shoulder and admired the mess at my feet. "What do you say Sariel, 25 points?" Grim yelled back at Sariel whom was now standing within the jeep. "Sounds about right, now common lets head back and drink to it," Sariel laughed as he started up the vehicle.



On entering the war room I was given a hammer, a box of nails and a black marker. After hanging the sword and labeling it, I was then told to write it in the red book under "S". I wrote my name and the date on a new page under the "S" section labeling the page as 'Samurai sword kills' and proudly wiped off the zero from the chalk board and replaced it with my 25 points. We drank heavily that night with the boys reenacting each bit of the conflict and mocking my choice of words.



Chapter 4: The plastic sword



When the world is all but in ruins simplicity becomes key. Therefore ideals of society before the outbreak are vastly different to those established after. For instance prior to the outbreak society’s main goal was to accumulate wealth, wealth in the form of money, however after the outbreak the significance of the little notes, that we once held so dear, had diminished entirely to the point that the brothers had started to use it as toilet paper ( a true commodity of wealth), however after finding the little plastic notes difficult to flush they soon found different uses for it.



Soon the $100 challenges came into play. It was a simple concept that the brothers had adapted from a previous version, then known as the $2 challenge. As I said previously the concept is rather simple, one would challenge another to do something with the promise of $100 if the person performs the task or completes it successfully. At first the boys were rather docile and simplistic with the challenges which ranged from eating a raw onion whole to putting ones head through a plaster wall, an event that almost knocked Sariel out.



But as I said this was docile for the boys and soon the challenges become rather daring and stupid in any sane persons eyes. It was Sariel that set the new standard for the challenges when he placed a challenge to Grim. The challenge was simple in theory, Grim was to wear a too-too covered in bells, then he was to run through a shopping centre unarmed until he got to the safety at which point he was allowed his weapons of choice. Grim laughed at the suggestion and within an instant the too-too was on him and he was jingling towards the jeep.



We dropped Grim off at one side of the shopping mall, the pink too-too jingling as he left the vehicle all the while wrapping his knuckles as if ready for a fist fight, we then proceeded to drive to the other-side of the centre where we waited for his approach. A couple of moments passed and then we heard the bells, their constant jingling muffled but roars of the undead. My entire body was on edge at that point with worries of the worst happening to Grim, the exact opposite could be said of Sariel, whom was in the front seat of the Jeep laughing his arse off.



When Grim emerged from the darkness of the corridor of the mall a horde of forty plus had gathered behind him. His knuckles wear covered in darkness and his teeth chomped down on a plastic sword as he sprinted at full speed towards the jeep. Without saying a word he reached the vehicle and grabbed ‘the creation’ and proceeded to head straight back at the horde head on. Grabbing my weapons for the day ( dual machetes) I joined him, Sariel however stayed in the front of the jeep still fighting his laughter for oxygen.



Grim and I fought our way through the horde until one remained, however it was at this point Grim insisted that we leave it and take refuge on top of some near by vending machines, a task rather difficult to translate with his teeth still clutching the victim of the plastic sword between themselves. Once on top of the vending machines grim placed ‘the creation’ at his side and, for the first time since leaving returning from the mall, freed the plastic sword from the clutches of his jaws.



“Counter challenge!” Grim yelled from the top of the vending machine with the plastic sword in his mouth. This stopped Sariels laughter almost instantly. “What is it?” Sariel said with a stern look on his face. “Well seeing as though Tattsman and I have done the majority of the work here, he thought we’d leave you one,” Grim responded all the while trying to catch his breathe. In an instant Sariel was out of the car and clutching at an axe. “Uh uh. Drop the axe you won’t be needing it,” Grim yelled as the axe came into view. “Okay then what am I to use then that plastic sword?” Sariel said his sarcasm over whelming the conversation. “Exactly!” Grim said a smirk spreading the length of his face.



“Piss off its a plastic friggen sword, its not going to kill it,” Sariel yelled as he approached us. “You made me wear this too-too and left me unarmed, the least you can do is fight this measly little bugger with this sword. Or are you going to be a little pussy and back out of the challenge like a little girl?” Grim said tauntingly. “Fine..” Sariel said as he began to psyche himself up for the fight ahead. “Well then here you go princess, hurry it up this little bugger is pissing me off,” Grim said throwing the sword at Sariel, all the while laughing at the zombies attempt at climbing the vending machine.



Plastic sword in hand Sariel flung a rock at the infested young male clambering at the vending machine. The rock hit its shoulder and in an instant it turned and sprinted at Sariel. Instinct took over and Sariel went for the kill strike, stepping to one side and placing the blade at the neck height of the beast, a strike that would decapitate anything with a real blade, however the plastic just bounced off the neck and the zombie turned and attacked from a closer range. A swift upper cut and the zombie was sent sprawling a few meters back. “Hey I said with the sword not bare knuckles!” Grim yelled from my side as we stopped laughing for a moment.



“I hate you!” Sariel yelled as he prepared for the next round. “Aw now don’t be like that we only do this because we love you isn’t that right Tattsman?” Grim said more in sarcasm then sincerity. “Screw you and your boyfriend, I am whipping both your asses after this Grim,” Sariel said all the while pointing at Grim and myself, his eyes however remained fixed on the zombie as it got back to it’s feet.



Running his hand along the blade Sariel found it’s sharpest point at its tip. Changing tactics now Sariel chose to jab instead of attempting a slice. The blade pierced the zombies throat. Pleased with his jab Sariel let go of the blade all the while raising his hands in the air. The plastic sword remained in the zombies throat as it waddled over to Sariel, a sight that saw Grim fall off the vending machine in laughter. With one swift palm palm to it’s base, the plastic tip of the sword pierced the back of the zombies neck and it collapsed to the ground much to our delight.



We returned back to the house and proceeded what had now formed into a ritual. Sitting in a circle around a fire with beers in hand we reminisced and reenacted the days events. “Where on earth did you get the sword from Grim?” I remember asking him. “Kmart, it was on sale,” he responded much to our laughter. Questions continued throughout the night with visual reenactments being only to common.



The sight of us sitting by the fire must have been a great source of amusement for whoever was watching because there we were outside the house Sariel swinging a bloody plastic sword in hand, Myself with bloodied machetes in hand and Grim air boxing in bloodied knuckles all the while wearing a pink jingling too-too.





Chapter 5: God in the house



Six months had past and we had checked and secured over 300 houses and had even liberated a super market or two, I can't recall exactly what had happened leading up to this point of my story to be honest. What I do know where the scores though. At that time Grim was smashing us with 243 points, Sariel was on 140 points and I was on 74 points. After seeing the tattoo on my first victims body the boys had been insistent on me getting some new gear as they had spent all their free time, since my arrival, designing tattoos that they wanted done. And so we set up the tattoo parlor within the house.



I placed quite a few pieces on the boys over the years however it was the first tattoo I placed on the boys that had intrigued me the most. It was a simple tattoo with the words "Chanting Graces," a slogan the boys seemed to hold dear to themselves. I placed it on the left pectoral muscle on both of them giving enough room for a picture underneath it. The picture under Sariel's was of an angel looking to the heavens, the one Grim chose was of a man crouched down and in flames. I had asked them numerous times as to what the symbolism of these figures was, but every time Grim would be the first to respond and tell me that it was not important.



Years later I would find out the true meaning. Sariel and I were drinking when I forced it out of him. During the infestations first breakout Grim had been at the university were it all started, ground zero if you will, the plague swept quickly through the students. Grim claimed to have killed 24 people with a wooded spike he found in a garden, all in order to escape with his life, but in his eyes Sariel could tell that it was a lot more then that. Sariel was the first person Grim called when he got to his car.



"He went out of his way to pick me up and get me away from the mess," Sariel had told me. By the time they got to their house they found the rest of their family had been converted. Grim had forced Sariel out of the house and had proceeded to ‘deal with the situation’ as Sariel had so sarcastically stated. "By the time he walked out of the house he was drenched in blood, two backpacks in one hand and two hockey sticks from the garage in another. He insisted that we find a new place to call home and that we should never go back there," Sariel stated.



"We changed our names that day to forget what Grim had to do. He took the reapers name and I took the role of the angel of death, something Grim insisted that I do in order to remember the dead," he had continued. They found the mansion that afternoon and, after helping Mr. and Mrs. Bell to their graves, they took up residency and began their revenge.



By the biblical references of the boys names one would think that the boys in turn would be religious. However out of the two it was only Sariel that favored the ‘good book’ with Grim being far from. In fact many an arguments would be based around the issue of religion. However within the house Grim did allow one passage to be painted along the arch way of the entrance hall. The passage was from Corinthians 15 22 and stated "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive".



A verse Grim had suggested much to the delight of Sariel. When I asked Grim in private as to what he meant by putting up that verse he laughed and stated, "It refers to God being the reason for the zombies." "What?" I asked more out of shock then out of curiosity. "Well think about it. It says in Adam all die, Adam equals man, therefore all men will die. And the second part, well that's pretty obvious, god will give life to the undead and allow them to feast on us," he said all the while smirking at his twisted translation of the verse.



The verse lasted for 2 years until a drunken night lead to Sariel finding out Grims translation of the text, needless to say the next morning saw the removal of the verse from the entrance hall and it's relocation to the wall opposite Grim's room, a statement he insisted on making as to his views on the matter and to his power in the house.



You see the hierarchy within the house was simple; the person with the highest score has the final say. This was Grim for a large portion of my time in the house; however Sariel was given the roll through forfeit; however I'll touch more on that later on.



Now I don't want you to get the wrong impression about Grim, you see he was never one to gloat about his position in the house, in fact it was rarely even mentioned. In fact it was always just assumed that he was, this was probably due to his character. Both the boys were very outgoing and extremely sarcastic, however Grim was the eldest of the two and had that protective nature over Sariel, myself and well this was definitely seen between him and Specs.





Chapter 6: The guest?



I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was a Tuesday and as such meant we had work to do. We had finished up 3 houses and on the fourth one we hit the jackpot. Grim entered the house first and found two of the beasts clawing at a cupboard, one slice of the creation and both their heads were playing hopscotch across the room. He opened the cupboard only to find clothes and as such left it at that. Sariel entered one of the rooms and needless to say his excitement could be heard a mile away.



The owners must have had a major fascination for optics for he owned every video surveillance devise known to man, everything from wireless button cams to the old school shopping mall relics. Needless to say we cleaned the place out. The backseat of the jeep was so full with electronics that Grim had to sit on the centre beam, with his feet hooked into our head rests for support. We did two trips to the house before we emptied the jeep and still none of us noticed her.



It was early evening and I was on watch duty, I was halfway through a chapter in the new book I had found when the doorbell rung. My heart dropped as I scrambled to find the rifle. Within seconds Grim was by my side with the creation in hand. "Is it a zombie?" I asked not knowing what to do in the situation. "Na mate, zombies don't ring doorbells," He said calmly looking down towards the gate. I cursed my stupidity under my breathe. "Shit it's a girl," he said dropping to my side.



"Shotty not!" Sariel screamed as he slid into view from the opening in the study. Puffing for breathe as he made his way towards us, "So who's the lucky man you get to see naked," he said sarcastically to Grim all the while taking a seat next to us. "It's not, it's a girl," Grim replied solemnly. "Shit it's a chick, is she hot? Cus if she is I take my shotty b..." "It's a young girl," Grim said quickly cutting Sariel off. "Well sucks to be you dude," Sariel said half in sarcasm and half in sincerity.



The door bell rang again. "I hear one pedophile joke and I kill you both," Grim said getting up and making his way off the roof and down to the gate. Sariel was struggling to resist temptation, but somehow managed to keep whatever was looming in the depths of his mind to himself.



Grim attempted to open the gate slowly only to find it fly back and the girl latch onto his hip. Shock overwhelmed Grim and for the first and only time I saw him freeze up. The creation fell to his side and he was unarmed. "Shit!" Sariel yelled getting ready to jump down to his brothers’ aide. A hand shot into the air as Grim encouraged his brother not to intervene. Confused Sariel returned to the hide and stood at my side dazed, the rifle now chattering at my side.



"Thank you," she said in her weak voice as she collapsed into Grims arms. Catching her and hoisting her into his arms he turned to gaze at us with confusion controlling every aspect on his face. "What the fuck do I do now?" he asked hoisting her body up to us.



"I don't know you're the one who's in charge," Sariel yelled from next to me. "Fuck it then, I'm taking her inside," Grim said making his way to the front doors. "But what if she turns?" Sariel stated following him along the rooftop. "She won't," Grim said trying to free a hand in an attempt to open the doors. "But if she does then what? You haven’t even checked...""I'll watch her!" Grim yelled over the top of Sariel. "Rules are rules Grim, nothing that hasn't been checked can get into the house. Those are your rules Grim!" Sariel yelled back. "I know they are and I am telling you know I will watch her myself. If she turns then I will kill her myself. But I am not striping her down whilst she is unconscious, we will wait and that is final!" Grim yelled finally opening the door and entering the house after stamping his authority on the matter.



"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittt!" Sariel screamed as he sprinted into the house. Instinct kicked in as my body soon followed suit, the rifle still clattering by my side as I sprinted down the corridors after him. By the time I got to the kitchen the girl had been placed into a lounge chair that Grim had dragged into the kitchen. A glass of water and an empty plate lay on the table in front of her. Grim was in the process of cutting up an apple, all the while arguing with Sariel as to Grims reasoning into the situation.



It was at that point that I noticed Specs properly for the first time. Specs had long straight dark hair and was rather slim, even though she always wore a baggy blouse. She was attractive and looked a lot older then one would assume. Something we always envied Grim for. For you see she would only truly associate with Grim and every time that we wanted something done it had to get approved by him before she would do it, no matter what and this point I feel I should truly emphasize.



"Tattsman what the fuck is up with the rifle?" Grim asked noticing my entrance into the room. "Great choice Tattsman we'll end this quickly, pass the gun here," Sariel now said reaching a hand out in my direction. An apple core ricocheted off of the back of Sariels head as Grim yelled, "Look I am sick of this shit, she still has a pulse and as long as it is still beating I don't want to hear another word about how we should or why we should kill her. Is that understood?" "But...""Is that understood Sariel!" Grim yelled as he ended Sariels words mid sentence. "Fine but the moment she wakes up you are dealing with it no matter what," Sariel compromised all the while walking into the kitchen and checking the fridge of its contents.



"Tattsman are you going to drop the gun or are we going to have a problem?" Grim now said all the while staring at the knife in his hand. Instinct kicked in and my hand let go of the rifle. The butt of the gun hit the ground and with it a bullet flew into the ceiling. "What the fuck Tattsman!" Grim yelled all the while attempting to regain his hearing. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to, it just went off by itself," I tried to explain to the boys as I joined them in the kitchen.



It had been two minutes before we noticed she had awoken; she had placed her empty glass on the table in front of Sariel, an act which sent him flying into the fridge in shock. "She lives...” Grim said staring dead straight into Sariels eyes. “So you feeling better?" he continued in a calm demeanor now calming his gaze as it fell on Specs. She raised her hands to her face in embarrassment all the while nodding.



"Hungry at all?" Grim asked offering the now filled plate of apple slices only to find a shaking head. "Not now anyway," she said finding her voice for the first time in the conversation. "Why's that?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. Her hands rose to show the dried blood on her palms. "I've seen what happens when you eat something after touching it. Actually do you mind if I use the shower?" she stated all the while staring at Grim. "Sure go for it," Grim said smirkingly as he helped himself to an apple slice. She made four attempts at standing before Grim spoke up. "Alright I'm going to help you this once, only because we need to discuss something serious," Grim said sternly as he hoisted her into his arms for the second time that day.



"Real subtle isn't he?" Sariel had said nudging me as Grim walked around the corner carrying the then unnamed Specs. "Is it just me or did Grim make her out to be a lot younger then she looks?" I had pointed out in response.