Free The Village of Dead Souls: A Zombie Novel by Michael Wallace Page A

similar to the style of government that we used in Athens . It worked well then, it should operate with the same efficiency now , " Prometheus responded.
    "Truer words have not been spoken." Titus replied. "With the events of last night, I along with many others have ceded to the fact we will need a military force for our protection." He pointed to a duffle bag filled with 9mm handguns, Remington shotguns, and several boxes of ammunition. "The good John of Vegas and Vic of Chicago gathered these for us early this morning from an abandoned merchant who sold such devices. We are told they are modern weapons we can use in our defense against the living who intend us harm."
    Prometheus picked up a Glock and pointed it directly in his right eye to see inside the barrel. "How do such weapons operate? I see no sharp edges to cause damage to an enemy soldier."
    Vic reached over and gently pulled the gun down from the Greek's face. "Careful there , Socrates. You just put the business end up to your mug. If you had pulled back on this thing here, called a trigger, your head would be gone."
    Examining the weapon with it pointed into the warehouse, he pulled the trigger. The recoil caused the gun to jump out of his hand and land on the ground. The bullet hit a startled zombie across the room , causing nothing more than confusion , as to what just hit him in the chest.
    Pointing to the angry undead person, Vic said, "See , if you did that to the living, they would be one of us right now."
    With an open hand, palm up, Titus pointed to the Viking. "This leads us to the formation of a military. We have discussed the issue of a leader and consensus dictates that we choose the good Gunnar Benwa."
    Scanning the duffle bag, Gunnar said, "I don't understand these strange weapons , but the moderns insist they are effective. For me, give me a sword and mace , and I will fall any living , daring enough to challenge us."
    "The descendants outnumber us greatly. Will we truly have a chance to defend ourselves?" Prometheus asked.
    "I wondered the same." Titus responded. "Would we be a sufficient force to combat the descendants, or merely fodder for their next gladiator games? This brought to mind the mistake made by praetor Gaius Claudius Glaberus when he thought the rebellion would be an assault on disorganized slaves. Unknown to him, they had been trained in the military arts by the gladiators Crixus and Spartacus . Judging by the lack of knowledge the moderns have of our time, I feel the living are about to re-live this same error in judgment."
    Standing at the edge of the group, Jennifer spoke up. "It's settled then, we are to promote Gunnar to the rank of General, so he can lead our new army."
    Titus turned to the Viking and said, "All hail General Gunnar Benwa." Several zombies joined in the chant.
    Jennifer tapped Prometheus on the shoulder and said, "We should be making a video of this to document our rise to save humanity."
    Confused, he replied, "Video? What is this you speak of?"
    "Remember when I taught you about movies and television? It's the way we record the actors and events to be played back for others to see."
    "Can we use one of these videos to act out our message to the descendants?"
    Jennifer thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess we could. I didn't see any electronic stores in the abandoned parts of town. We would need to send some of our folks into the population. Once they see us, it might not go so well."
    Drew injected, "Yeah, the only electronics store within walking distance would be over on the mall, past the museum. There's a good size crowd there night and day."
    Walking over to the group, Constance offered her help. "I often assisted in many performances in our city playhouse. I do not mean to sound boastful , but I received high praise for my application of stage makeup and costumes. I can dress us up in a way that we won’t be discovered for who we are."
    "I say we take the charming Constance up on her offer for