Puritan John Winthrop famously declared that the newly founded colonies on the east coast of North American should be like 'a city upon a hill', a model country that would be as beacon of light to other nations. The Star-Spangled Zombie takes you into the dark backalleys and stinking sewers of the city upon a hill with a congress of short horror stories taking as their collective theme the concept of corrupted patriotism, the shadow cast by the fluttering flags, the predatory hunger behind the pledge of allegiance.
My contribution, "The Tax Man Cometh", deals with a theme that already inspires dread in a great many people: taxes. But our protoganist, Chasm City resident and tax accountant Kenneth Bolten, discovers that there's something even more sinister than reams of paperwork and IRS audits lurking behind those numbered forms. He flees to the Idaho Freemen Compound, a closed community of well-armed "freedom fighters", the most hardcore veterans of the right-wing militia movement of the 90s, living in constant anticipation of an apocalyptic battle with a corrupt and oppressive government. It isn't long before the Compound is besieged by a ring of government forces and the stage is set for a bloody conflict between two groups convinced that they are the true patriots, and willing to kill to preserve their country as they conceive of it.
The Star-Spangled Zombie was released on the fourth of July to coincide with the Independance Day holiday. It can be purchased at Lulu.com here. |
