Why, might you ask, does Kit have his own page, well not only has he drawn loads of amazing pictures from Zombie Fest 2007, but he has also written his experiences down... So light your pipe, sit down, relax and enjoy... Dr Early Morningwood... Hero or Coward, you decide....

 

There were many stories that day. Here is just one of them…

Willard Valley, ill fated but an area of extreme beauty, the lush forests the ancient nunnery, it's difficult to pick up a book of country walks without at least one photo of the remote and enclosed area.

It wasn't country walks that brought Dr. Early Morningwood to this spot but the promise of the Ford Torino, surprisingly being offered by the village council.

Early had been in hiding now for several years, once a highly paid hitman and backstreet surgeon for The Krays, he was now almost destitute as a backstreet abortionist with only the occasional felon seeking him out, for a no questions asked medical procedure.

Things had come good though, the Sun newspaper had tracked him down and exposed him, bringing the full weight of the law onto his shoulders. A far cry from what he had wanted, but surprise upon surprise, the corrupt bastards wanted a pathologist. Early had the chance to go straight he just had to give a few names and he was in the clear, his luck was in. So when he saw the price of that great little Torino he was packing his medical bags (and pistol, because old habits die hard) and crossed the new bridge into Willard valley.

This wasn't a fete however it was a freak show. Early hadn't seen such a collection of misfits since The Kray's dear old mum turned 50. Anyway casting his eye over the crowd he was happy to see a couple of other obvious doctors amongst the rabble so he could at least discuss what was new in the city on the medical front.

The usual small village pleasantries out of the way and the fete started with a glass raised to the Queens silver jubilee, god bless her.

Damn there were a lot of police types in the crowd, it made early uneasy and soon had him falling in with the old kind of crowd. Rag tag guys out for a fast buck looking to avoid the man. Hank Solo and his dreadlocked mechanic were in town, so to speak looking for a drop of point. Early found the talk easy as they pointed out supposed undercover cops amongst the men and women of the fete, when his eyes alighted on a doctor amongst the crowd administering an injection to a panicked looking hippie girl. She was stunning and in that geeky way medical students he had studied with had and he couldn't help wandering over to make small talk.

Dr Velma Velour was happy to tell about the young girl with her, a flighty, green protestor, who had lost her husband beneath the wheels of a construction engine. The poor girl kept babbling about the end of the world and Early humoured her hoping to catch her doctors attention. That's when it happened first Early momentarily looked skyward as a large army chopper passed over head then an explosion ripped the air. People started to scream and run as the helicopter smashed into the bridge. The whir as the blades cracked and died leaving the Chopper perched dangerously over the deep gorge. Two soldiers dragged themselves quickly from the wreckage and raced into the trees after who knows what and soon a man in lab wear burst from the undergrowth a rocket launcher in hand and raced away, leaving the people stunned.

The Military men were soon on hand ordering everyone into tight confinement. Everyone was keenly aware the village fete was only being held courtesy of the local medical facility. A group recently ordered to close down operations so they had buildings to spare for the nuns to raise money.

The Soldiers however didn't care about orphans right now they were bleeding from the crash and wanted answers and a locked door seemed to provide just that.

CRASH! “anyone with firearm training follow us” he bellowed but the room remained still apart from one of the undercover set who sprang forward.

10 years in hiding makes a man curious about his surroundings and before he knew what he was doing Early had offered up his medical services, just in case. The discovery of a skinned cadaver defiantly proved he was needed. The rest became a blur.

Early knew dodgy surgery probably better than anyone and this reeked of the stuff of every coppers nightmare.

Not wanting to touch to much. He pulled on gloves and started reading the many lab notes. God damn these people. They were experimenting with cannibalism and its effects. No that wasn't it at all. It was a virus that caused the cannibalistic effect and they were perfecting in. He read more and the horror truly struck home. The virus was a reanimate bringing the dead to life they were planning on a big experiment to see how fast the virus would spread if released. Lucky they'd been thwarted this stuff would be lethal. Early new enough to know you'd have an army of the undead feasting across the countryside in hours.

Amongst the papers he uncovered a refund slip for the Torino. It made little sense at first then the screams started. Followed by the military dragging in one of their dead followed by a nun, a reporter, some retard and his aunt and then good old Hank and his Mech. “Read these. look for anything out of the ordinary” commands early handing over the lab notes and tell me what all the screaming about.

“it's the military” says the aunt “they're under attack.” Early glances at the commander, “Are we in trouble?”

“Not yet we're doing great, just keep reading and tell me what's happening?”

“your needed doctor, someone's been bitten” says a young guy, fresh faced but panicked

Early wanders outside watching more people covered with blood lead in, it doesn't take a genius to know virus spreads fast and the moment these guys died from blood loss they were getting back up to feed, then she walk in, Velour with her little hippie. “she was bitten by a nun.” Early just took her arm “don't worry we'll get someone for her, follow me.” thinking fast he dragged the doctor with him and ordered the soldier to guard the door with his life. “we found a case, it may help” Velour and Early looked into the room to see the fresh faced man opening a case with a severed arm handcuffed to it. The man jumped back the case was covered inside, with blood from a vial marked biohazard.

Still gloved early reached in and removed the documents and spread them out. All three began to read.

 

A few minutes later they were running, having slipped from a window. “Nerve gas, why would anyone arrange to nerve gas a valley” shouted a soldier as they ran “they've got test subjects here. 50 of them. It said so in the notes the helicopter crash sealed them in with us. There's a cure but it's in the saint Willard burial site wherever that is.”

“I know.” shouted a running girl dressed for tennis, they all stopped

“Where?”

“Follow me. “ she said excitedly, happy to be doing her bit.

The now sizable group crested a hill guns bristling towards any movement. Before them lay the dig site of Saint Willard's final resting place. “he was a great man.” started Velour “sacrificed himself to save his people, let them live when everyone thought they would starve.”

“Okay, but why is he an antidote and why will he help us” scattered people were gathering to the site drawn by the guns and the crowd. “what's going on ?“shouted one. Everyone looked at Early.

Okay this was a first, saving people. Well it was what he'd originally trained for.

“Okay everyone listen up, the valley is infected with a virus, if you get bitten by a carrier you will die, in all but body, which will keep moving and trying to spread the condition. The valley has 50 test subj….” the penny dropped “roughly how many people attended that fete?”

“About 50” said the gunman beside early “the names Chad Zandra.”

“Doctor Early Morningwood” that shook hands a moment of clarity whilst early ran through the images in his head, a gathering of different test subjects, lured to an in escapable valley which was going to be nerve gassed so the test subject could be gathered and studied. “Okay people, we have a problem were the experiment. We need to find a way out and we need it fast”

Early looked at the faces nearest him Velour (radiant even in fear) Hank, Chad, the Mechanic, The fresh faced lad and a guy called Randy (who lived with his mum and collected guns and porn)

“there's a hell of a big lure with this many people and those zombies about” everyone cringed at the Z word “Cant we just take what we know and run, just us, we might be better off” everyone looked at each other and the escape began and just in time the clearing started to fill with moans

Several hours later and Early looked about he was drenched in sweat and mud, the heavens had opened earlier and things had got messy. Now they were in a room with a safe (containing antidote) Hank, the Mech, The fresh faced lad, Randy, the tennis girl and a guy they were calling bob and a soldier. They'd seen a little too much and had haunted looks about them all. The whole place was surrounded by moaning and bashing.

Velour was gone, Early had finished her off himself with a crowbar, Chad had done the noble thing after being bitten defending Early and had run, Knife in hand to his certain doom. Now they were trapped paranoid about the wails for help from outside from fellow survivors, then it hit them. The mother superiors cross. It was their safe and the best place to hide a combination. She had been at the window her pale eyes staring. They just had to get it some how. So they pushed into the crowd throwing out a stick of hank's dynamite hoping to down the chief Nun. But all it had done was scattered them and taken out the windows in a hail of glass and their last defence.

Early had pushed the window, not thinking about the consequences and a priest had bitten him hard on the arm. He knew he wasn't long for this world. He'd done so much harm in his life and now he would destroy these people too.

“Guys. I've been bitten” Guns were cocked in his direction “Let me get the cross, then you may have a chance, if I don't make it, you've lost nothing”

Everyone looked solemn as early rushed from the room, the door closing behind him.

He approached the wailing mass of zombies, rain lashing down soaking his mud stained clothes. A rag tag bunch of nuns and villagers, early thought he saw Chad amongst them but they were more content on the group inside. Missing the loan man behind them. Early slid his gun into his hand not being able to see any Nun that stood out as the top dog

“Okay which one of you Bitches, is the Mother superior?” he shouted

The mob turned at the sound of fresh meat and the fading light shone from a cross in the midst of the hoard . Early screamed and ran forward teeth tore at him as he reached blindly his fingers wrapping around cold metal and he pulled. The chain snapped and he tore away from the group blood gushing from so many wounds he staggered to the door and pushed it open onto a scene of carnage, Zombies had entered through the ruined windows but the group, swelled now by other survivors were falling back to a new room the door closing. Early hurled the cross and watched as a hand grabbed it from the air and it disappeared with the survivors into safety, then he felt arms around him and the blinding white light of pain as he was torn apart by the hoard.

There were indeed, many stories that day, but only one had a happy ending.

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