So, inspiration for "The Zombie Apocalypse" came from an incident at work when the power went out. There were only a handful of security lights on all around the hotel and it was down right creep-tastic. Several times during the two-hour span, I made the joke that it was the Zombie Apocalypse and for whatever reason, I started thinking about what I'd do if it actually was happening. Many of the scenes in the story came from those ruminations. The layout of the building that I follow is pretty much dead on, though I had to change some things. The building is actually quite secure, and you'll notice in the story that all the doors were unlocked (except the ones that I personally locked). That's not how it would've went down in real life. Ha! Real life. Some of the story is actually true (or as true as it can be). Kimberly, Melissa, and I were the last people left in my department after a while. There really was a coffee break (a beverage and snack station) that we took advantage of, but then gave to guests. We also really did use the LED candles for lighting. That was an ingenious part on Kimberly. There also really were brownies and we really did keep them. Haha! This story was written primarily for people who are in, have been in, or understand the banquet department. There are several references that only they would understand by just reading. For example, I refer to a few people who help run my department (Jessie, Ryan 'Nadeau', and Nauman). There's a few other gems in there, but I'll leave those a mystery for now. The premise for the story came from an email I sent to the staff with their schedule once the power came back on. The original bit didn't have any zombies; only me speculating an impending attack that consequently never happens. Here's the original bit from the email:
The power went out at work today. The following logs are slightly true accounts of how events unfolded.
Banquet Captain’s Log: 14:22 hrs – The power to the building has just gone out. Intelligence tells us that we’re not the only building out in the downtown Kalamazoo area. I’m gonna go ahead assume that this is the beginning of the zombie apocalypse and I should make plans to move to higher ground. Kimberly, Melissa, and I, the only remaining banqueters in the hotel, have commandeered a coffee break and some LED candles and are stationing out in the banquet office, which I’ve renamed “The Cave.” If zombies overwhelm us, I have plan to escape through the ceiling. I can see faint light through the air return. Banquet Captain’s Log: 15:18 hrs – The power has yet to return and we’ve been forced to give up our coffee break to make guests comfortable. They’ll all be zombies soon, but I’ve taken the Yes I Can oath and since they’ve asked for it, I did. Kimberly is starting to give Melissa and I that crazed look. She may be infected. On the bright side, we’ve found brownies. Banquet Captain’s Log: 16:09 hrs – The zombies have yet to come, which makes the suspense all the greater. Melissa has used a knife she found in Nadeau’s desk to whittle a baseball bat into a spear. I’ve tried to explain to her that that won’t kill a zombie, but she appears to have stopped listening to reason. I’m beginning to miss Pandora. Someone just knocked on the door. I fear it may be a trap set by the zombie overlords, or it may be SLP. I’m not taking any chances. Banquet Captain’s Log: 16:45 hrs – The power is back on, leaving me slightly disappointed by the false zombie apocalypse. I mean really, happen or don’t happen. Quit playing with my emotions!
So, I used the same kind of informal writing style in the original. After writing this in the email to my staff, I just had to expand it into a full short story. I was laughing so hard writing it that it had to continue, so thus it did.
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