Bonus Chapter: (Forbidden Chapter) Writing

I returned with the video footage that Charlotte had created, connected my computer to a monitor, and sat back in my rocker. The chair, made to fit my spinal curves, gently hugged my weary head, back, hips, and calves.

I opened a bag of popcorn that I’d been saving for the occasion and popped a bottle of soda, rocking back and forth in my chair as I turned on the display.

Charlotte’s video filled the screen. The order it was shot in was excellent, and the editing was well-done.

She was careful not to give away too much, leaving the viewers hungry for more.

“...Ruthless as always.”

Charlotte was a merciless director.

She had no qualms about manipulating the cause of people’s deaths for the sake of dramatic effect.

The three survivors hugged amidst the remains of the zombies, smiling brilliantly despite being drenched in blood and surrounded by chunks of rotten flesh.

This would’ve made for a great ending, but Charlotte had other ideas.

I heard her clap her hands as she walked towards them.

“Astounding. I didn’t think you’d all make it out of there.”

I paused the video. Although the camera didn’t show Charlotte’s feet, I could see her right foot move unnaturally.

She seemed to have kicked something. What that was would soon become apparent.

“Looks like our plan worked. It was a pretty good idea, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Although, I thought you were crazy when you first mentioned it.”

Saburo and Charlotte were chatting on screen.

Where Shizuka and Hironobu stood behind them, I spotted something that hadn’t been there until now.

That “thing” at Hironobu’s feet was unmistakably the object that Charlotte had just kicked away. It was a goblin zombie’s head.

The zombie opened its jaws wide and slowly sunk its teeth into his leg.

“Shi, Shi, Shiz, Shizu, ka.”

“NO! Hironobu!”

The zombified Hironobu lunged at Shizuka, no longer showing any signs of recognition. 

“Oh, dear. What a shame.”

Charlotte didn’t sound the least bit upset.

“Seems like it wasn’t such a happy ending after all.”

Surely, it could have been a happy ending?

Charlotte wasn’t having any of that, though.

I sensed some sinister and indescribable turmoil swirling inside her.

Shizuka turned into a zombie, and the scene faded out.

I sighed and rocked my chair vigorously.

Although I wanted a moment to take it all in, I didn’t have much time left. I had to send this over to the Observers, pronto. 

I clicked the “send” button on the screen, and the usual error message appeared.

“The attachment size exceeds the allowable limit. Unable to send file.”

I thought so. Since I couldn’t send it as it was, I had to convert this footage into writing yet again.

Why wasn’t I able to send videos to the Observers, who had the technology to teleport people to other planets in the blink of an eye?

The only form of communication we had was through text.

I always made sure to doctor the Observers’ reviews before I gave them to Charlotte, namely, changing the word “read” to “watch.”

I wondered how she would feel if she knew that I was converting the videos she risked her life making into bland writing.

For all I know, she might have noticed already.

I began typing.

I’d never written anything like this. You could hardly call me a writer. But I had to do my best to tell our story if we were to remain on the list and avoid annihilation.

I set my jaw, fingers flying furiously over the keyboard.