Waiting for Zombies at Stardust

Terry told me about Zombietoberfest in the Audubon Garden District. I was working at Full Sail that Saturday so I drove to Stardust Video and Coffee straight from work. I arrived early. The sun was still in the sky. I spotted a female zombie in the beauty parlor next to Stardust but as I ordered a pumpkin beer, there were no zombies in sight. I sat in a small booth next to the bar. A child’s portrait grinned at me from behind. A few people sat stating at their laptops. Perhaps they were laptop zombies roaming the earth staring at screen after screen.

I watched the bar maid as she coached a new recruit. Then she sat at the bar and did paperwork in her blood red dress. I sketched her quickly. I savored my pumpkin beer which was stronger than I remembered. Terry was going to meet me here but she was running errands. When the bar maid got off the bar stool, a female zombie took her place. From behind she looked perfectly normal in her black dress suit. Her face however was bruised and bloodied. She ordered a red drink, perhaps brain juice.

Two college girls were having a lively conversation. When they left, a group of women zombies took their place. One woman had blood flowing from her mouth and staining her white shirt. When my sketch was finished, hoards of zombies began to crowd in. I met Terry in the parking lot and we decided to get some Italian food across the street…