Robbie Zombie's Arc

Chapter 5 of 6

Robbie stood at his kitchen counter with his new spices spread out in front of him. He opened the first tin and smelled the sharp, earthy scent. His hands moved fast as he seasoned a fresh brain sample, adding just enough to make it pop. The sizzle in the pan sounded perfect. He plated the dish and took a bite. The flavor hit strong and clean, better than anything he had made before. His practice was paying off. Each dish he cooked brought him closer to opening his restaurant. He needed someone to taste his food who knew what they were doing. Robbie packed three of his best dishes into containers and headed out. The weathered gray apartment complex stood a few blocks away, its old walls showing years of wear. He climbed the stairs to the third floor and knocked on a door. A zombie opened it and looked at Robbie's containers. This zombie had written about food in Deadville for years. Robbie held out the first dish. The zombie took a bite, chewed slowly, and nodded. "Good balance. Strong finish." Robbie's chest filled with pride. He got real feedback from someone who knew restaurants. The zombie tried the other two dishes and gave notes on each one. Robbie wrote everything down in his notebook. Walking back through town, Robbie spotted something new near the library. A stone podium stood solid and clean, holding a crystal-clear box on top. Inside the box sat a beautiful recipe book, its pages visible through the glass. He stopped and stared at it. This was the kind of thing restaurants displayed when they won awards or hit big goals. Someday his restaurant would have something like this outside, showing everyone what he had built. He touched the stone base and felt how real it was. Success in Deadville could be seen and touched. A few steps away, a fountain caught his eye. Water poured from a cauldron held by a zombie chef statue, complete with a chef's hat and apron. Robbie walked closer and watched the water splash into the basin below. Someone had built this to celebrate cooking, to show that chefs mattered in this town. He sat on the fountain's edge and pulled out his notebook. The good review, the showcase display, the chef fountain—everything told him his restaurant dream was possible. Other zombies had succeeded here, and now he had the skills and supplies to do the same. Robbie stood and headed home, ready to cook more dishes and keep moving forward.