Tom's grey sat in the graveyard, a thin rain misting his hooded face. Behind him, the

local part lay for lawn and abandoned, devoid of any noise except the lonely creek of a

rusting swing. The world had fallen into ruin, the laughter of children long since disappeared.

The children of this new world were taught from an early age the danger of wild laughter

and joyous exuberance, but Thomas didn't mind. The world had been a noisy chaotic place

before the Lazarus virus had swept across it, devastating nation after nation. The hungry

dead had sworn to multiply it. Their terrible hunger consuming all in their path until only

the last vestige of mankind survived. Always on the run, chased by a relentless enemy

that groaned and slouched its way through, both day and night, hordes of the dead in your

city, your town and eventually at your door. Some said it was an act of God. God's punishment

for the sins of mankind. If that were true, then Thomas had surely had it coming. He tried

to push away the memories of that night, but they invaded his thoughts, images flashed

through his tired mind, the lonely heath, a rope, a shovel, blood on his beloved hands,

his latest victim groaning back to life. Jess, he whispered into the rain. Her name had

been Jess. He had met the girl online at Lonely Hearts dating site. There was a brave new

world no need to go out hunting anymore. Now the victims could be chosen in the comfort

of his own home. Even their likes and dislikes were at his fingertips. It was like shooting

fish in a barrel. A couple of weeks of mindless chatter, sometimes even less than a meeting

was arranged. Always in a public place, usually at dinner date. Their Thomas would use his

good looks and charms to lull his victims into a false sense of security. Sometimes they

would leave the venue with him, other times they would not. Funnily enough, it was the

ones that left with him on those first dates that usually survived. There was no fun,

...