Sunset Safari

"No! NO!!" yelled Jason as he sat up in bed. Without thinking, he shoved the blankets and mosquito netting aside, preparing to make his escape. But, of course, the danger did not exist; he was still in a hotel room in Turkey, enjoying an exotic vacation with his beautiful wife. Damn it, you've been watching too many zombie movies! He told himself. Sweat dripped from his forehead and landed on his naked legs that were still covered in gooseflesh. It was just a dream! Jason looked down at his still sleeping wife, Kirsty, and thanked his lucky stars he hadn't woken her. They were in a five-star resort, far from their home in the United States, trying to help her forget the twentieth anniversary of her school shooting. He had always been her hero, protecting Kirsty from the demons that stalked her nightmares, and he would not fail her. Brushing away a golden lock of her hair, Jason revealed a smile spread across her sleepy, sun-kissed face. This trip had proved to be the perfect medicine for her rattled nerves. So why was he the one who was afraid now? Why did he keep seeing murders, death, suffering…and zombies…in his dreams, in posters, on the internet, and everywhere he turned? Why was this happening to him? Staring out the window at the swaying palm trees and the party lights surrounding the Olympic-sized pool, he heard an odd animal call in the distance, something that sounded ancient, angry…and vengeful. A shiver raced up Jason's back and the strange, unnamed fear returned once more. What's wrong with me? There's no such thing as zombies! he thought, never suspecting the truth. For at this very moment, in the small, unassuming village right outside the resort gates, the Cult of Nymza prepared their sacrifices, and very soon, the dead will indeed rise…