The Piedmont Performance
The monster maker.
Final Act:
There are benches, fountains, kiosks, and food courts in the mall. You are tired and hungry, but you do not sit. It seems that you cannot interact with the people around you. The people look blurry, not quite solid. You have the sudden thought that they are extras. You don’t need to speak to them. You then see, on the wall, two eye-level cabinet-like doors. You open them.
You look out onto a clear field. It is the same plot of land as in Act One, but now you know immediately that it is a cemetery. At the far side of the cemetery is row after row of ancient gravestones. Beyond the gravestones, an army of raging revenants shuffles toward you. The undead moan and groan louder and louder as they approach in their once-fine suits and dresses.
At this time, someone rushes up behind you and shuts the doors. You can no longer see or hear the dead. Then a voice, probably the voice of the one who shut the doors, places something in your hand and says, “Sir, (or ma’am), they’re coming! We’ve got to get you out of here. For God’s sake! You must go back and stop them!”
“CUT!”
If a Volunteer makes it to this point, then he or she will return, alive, to the Piedmont Distribution Center. It took 12 volunteers to learn this basic information. No one knows how many unwilling civilians lost their lives here. It later emerged that those who returned with their garments shredded and flesh rent had most likely been the victims of the reanimated dead. Those who are taken, reappear, and then vanish again, very likely join the ranks of the zombies.
The Piedmont Distribution Center was quietly purchased by the U.S. government and is administered by the same. We must assume that they are still in the process of conducting research. We shall not intervene or become involved in any way unless directly asked to do so. The PDC is still under 24-hour surveillance. It is consistently patrolled by the Clarkston Police Department, especially from 3:00 to 4:00 AM.
I had the opportunity to speak with the Colonel before Mackenson’s services were no longer required. He admitted that they had discovered much and that there was much they still didn’t know. As far as the building itself, it seems to be some sort of “monster-making machine.” Nowadays, fortunately, most of the machine’s required ingredients (human beings) are lacking, for the police presence keeps almost everyone away.
When the Colonel asked for my opinion, I did not withhold it. The structure puts the citizens of Clarkston in danger. If I had to make a decision about the building, I would raze it to the ground.
Currently, the Piedmont Distribution Center is classified as “Structure, Dangerous.” It shall remain classified as Dangerous until its activity ceases. No staff member shall ever enter the building.
The End.
© 2023-2026 Ren Adama
