Short Fiction Friday: Chapter Six

Chapter Six by Stephen Graham Jones
 
"Chapter Six", by Stephen Graham Jones, is an anthropological zombie story about Crain, a grad student, who has a theory of mankind’s evolution. As he and his former professor scavenge on bone marrow left behind by the local zombie horde, he makes his well-reasoned argument.

I was really in the mood for some scary fiction, browsing to my reading list for something in those lines and came across Chapter Six by Stephen Graham Jones,  I was really taken by the idea of something antropological. I have read plenty of stories and watched movies where you have a high focus on a zombie invasion but I felt that this story might just give me more. And it did. Very much.

The story of Chapter Six picks up with Crain who is out and about with his professor Dr. Ormon. Yes his professor, Crain is a grad student who is doing research on zombies. It is still possible after an apocalytpic event. Crain and Dr. Ormon are out in the field gathering data about the zombies which will help Crain to write his thesis. Now this might sound like something more in a funny direction but the tone of the story is very serious and when Crain and Dr. Ormon are discussing several things, amongst others Chapter two of Crain thesis some serious subject do pass the review and where both make noteowrhty arguments that will put you to thinking about them yourself.The discussion even go back as far as out own humanity and thus you can quite imagine that the subject is provocative. Now in the end of the story Stephen Graham Jones does the unthinkable. 

It comes down to this:

Crain pinched his pants up at the thighs to squat down, say it right to Dr. Ormon: “We’re not bone suckers, doctor. We’re persistence hunters. I think you’ll come to agree with me here shortly.

I am very taken by the unsetteling dark undertone of this story. But in a good way. This is my first antropological story that adressess some aspects of zombies and will make you see them in the future are more than just mindless creature. 

Give this story a try!


Read the full story here