Home > Fiction > FF – And They are Us

FF – And They are Us

Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Dale Rogerson.

Click on the froggy for other stories and to add your own.

Copyright Dale Rogerson

 

“Hey, they’ve switched on the floodlights! This is going straight on Twitter!”

“Um, this park doesn’t have any… argh!”

The mini-nuke had exploded high up in the atmosphere, producing a blinding light but very little damage. The resulting electromagnetic wave, however, fried every piece of electronics in the country.

People stood motionless, shocked, inner thoughts gone, minds disabled, spittle dribbling from slack mouths over blank screens.

Teens stood wide-eyed, unable to book an Uber, their homes an unreachable half mile away.

Unable to function. Brains frozen. Screens dead. Unplugged.

The zombie apocalypse has begun AND THEY ARE US.

 

  1. October 2, 2019 at 6:52 pm

    HAHAHA! I’ve been predicting this for years! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  2. October 2, 2019 at 7:05 pm

    Without modern electronic conveniences, this is too true a story..

    Like

  3. October 2, 2019 at 7:44 pm

    “an unreachable half mile away’ – depends what shoes you are wearing! 😉

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 11:30 am

      Ha, yes, I was thinking “trainers” but you’re absolutely right 🙂

      Like

  4. October 2, 2019 at 7:55 pm

    EMP magic. Bring it on, as long as I can still blog of course!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. bearmkwa
    October 2, 2019 at 7:56 pm

    Sadly, I can see that happening. Kids these days would be totally lost, as would most adults. Then, you’d all turn to us who know how to live without tech… us “Simples” would win in the end! YEAH! Great story!

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 11:31 am

      Yeah! Break out the Monopoly and the push-bikes!

      Liked by 1 person

      • bearmkwa
        October 3, 2019 at 1:01 pm

        Funny you should say Monopoly… Hubby and I played last night. I won… $10k + to his measely little $300. Next time, He’ll probably trounce me. We do enjoy it. Oh, and we’re about to buy new bicycles… Maybe we’re experiencing our elder childhood. LOL!

        Like

  6. October 2, 2019 at 8:17 pm

    At least the can opener still works. 😉

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 11:32 am

      Just my luck I’d probably have one of those electric ones 🙂

      Like

  7. October 2, 2019 at 8:30 pm

    I can’t wait for this to happen, that’ll teach those pesky kids.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Lyn
    October 2, 2019 at 10:14 pm

    Not all that far from the truth 😉

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 11:33 am

      Nope. Just see what happens when a social network goes down. It’s like the world has ended. I never even notice!

      Liked by 1 person

  9. October 2, 2019 at 10:58 pm

    The funny thing is that the ones who sent the nuke where our friends, not foe…. We do need an anti-digital wake up call like that.

    Like

  10. October 2, 2019 at 11:46 pm

    Safe nukes? Cool

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 11:35 am

      I’m sure some of those suddenly phoneless would rather have been atomised on the spot…

      Like

  11. October 3, 2019 at 2:25 am

    oh oh … I guess we’re writing these comments in an alternate universe … 😉

    Like

  12. October 3, 2019 at 3:44 am

    like they say, technology is a blessing and a curse.

    Like

  13. October 3, 2019 at 7:24 am

    I love this. It’s so deliciously creepy.

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 11:37 am

      There’s nothing worse than a phoneless teenager 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. October 3, 2019 at 7:37 am

    Haha… I knew it!
    Quite an inventive way to start the zombie virus 😀

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 11:38 am

      Much faster than all this “A bites B who bites C” nonsense 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  15. October 3, 2019 at 10:58 am

    Oh for a simpler life! A life where I don’t have to ask a 10-year-old to help me work my phone.

    Here’s my story.

    Like

  16. October 3, 2019 at 12:05 pm

    Dear Ali,

    I’m not so sure the Zombie Apocalypse didn’t begin with the introduction of smart phones. 😉 The descriptions are spot on and you made me laugh out loud…well maybe cry a little bit, too.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 6:01 pm

      Dear Rochelle,
      It is a pretty sad state of affairs. You hear of these stories where kids go on holiday to the country and fall into despair because there’s “no signal”…
      I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
      Ali

      Like

  17. October 3, 2019 at 1:04 pm

    Yes! An apocalypse I am actually prepared for! Me and about several thousand very old people will rule the world…

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 6:06 pm

      It will be ours bwahaha!
      I jest but today I received junk mail from from the business arm of the charity Age UK trying to sell senior citizen insurance products, and as of next Thursday, I qualify 😦

      Like

      • October 3, 2019 at 6:23 pm

        That sounds like the US’s version of AARP, which is a notoriously awful junk mailer… and who has been sending me crap to sign up since I was a teenager. I would assume the magic age is also 50. Uh oh, I hope you can still blog with a cane in one hand and an ear trumpet in the other…

        Like

        • October 3, 2019 at 6:41 pm

          What’s that you say? Speak up, young man! No, I joke, I can still hear you until next week…

          Age UK is actually a huge and very well respected charity. I think I’ll stick with my current provider for now, though. I don’t want to have to pay “stair lift premium” and all the rest.

          Like

  18. October 3, 2019 at 5:58 pm

    Wishful thinking…not of those youngsters though ..MOL 😀 Pawkisses for a Happy Thursday🐾😽💞

    Like

    • October 3, 2019 at 6:12 pm

      No, those youngsters aren’t think anything at all… 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  19. October 3, 2019 at 9:45 pm

    Funny and a bit weird!

    Like

    • October 4, 2019 at 11:33 am

      The same could be said of many of my stories!

      Like

  20. October 4, 2019 at 9:27 am

    Love this story Ali, it’s really gripping- a strong message – not a word wasted. The descriptions are like satire – slack mouths over blank screens. Well done.

    Like

    • October 5, 2019 at 4:47 am

      Thanks! This one took quite a lot of editing to get it right. I’m glad you liked the end result 🙂

      Like

  21. October 4, 2019 at 1:34 pm

    Thant’s scary, Ali. Great description. I’ve never before heard that as the source of the zombies but it would be a good reason. It would certainly put an end to Brexit. 😀 — Suzanne

    Like

    • October 5, 2019 at 4:49 am

      I’m afraid many people are so wired in they would be lost without “the connection”. Anything which finishes off this Brexit thing would be great 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  22. October 4, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    This is an apocalyptic situation, indeed.
    I’m thinking there are a few of us that would be happy if this occurred every time family time was planned…

    Like

  23. October 5, 2019 at 12:49 am

    Just like the day the power went down at the grocery store. No one knew what to do.

    Garry paid with cash.

    Like

    • October 5, 2019 at 4:54 am

      Many people I know don’t carry enough cash for anything these days. I always have an emergency supply.

      Like

  24. October 5, 2019 at 2:16 am

    Totally helpless is about right.

    Like

  25. October 5, 2019 at 5:21 pm

    This actually made me laugh! I’ve often thought that if all electronics were suddenly disabled, the whole world was just fold up and die—except maybe for those who live too remotely to have internet access. Their lives would continue as usual.

    Like

    • October 6, 2019 at 4:50 am

      Ha, and those people who are “off the grid” probably wouldn’t realise anything had happened either 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  26. October 6, 2019 at 10:48 am

    That’s it then, end of life as we know it. Now for something a little better…

    Like

  27. October 6, 2019 at 7:44 pm

    “…their homes an unreachable half mile away.” Oh, the horror!
    So THAT’S how the zombie apocalypse will start. 😀

    Like

  28. October 9, 2019 at 3:04 am

    LOL….so realistic!
    Good job.

    Like

  29. October 17, 2019 at 7:54 pm

    Scary but true – this will happen if the phones stop working…

    Like

  30. October 27, 2019 at 5:31 pm

    Thanks for following my site; you are very kind.

    Like

  31. October 30, 2019 at 12:50 pm

    Or maybe it was the other way around… the bomb saved us from the zombie apocalypse called “now”.

    Like

    • October 31, 2019 at 2:00 pm

      Yeah. I’ve always hoped for “Apocalypse Later” (the never-made sequel).

      Liked by 1 person

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