Undead Drive-Thru

by Rebecca Besser

A Very Gruesome Restaurant, Indeed!

Two young women that are anxious to begin an adult life and wanting to leave their hometown for better horizons apply for employment at a new restaurant.  They discover that the owner and her nephew harbor an ugly secret that threatens everything that the young women are working hard for.

This story has several strong points and an interesting premise. One of the strongest parts is a psychotic proprietor of the eating establishment mentioned in the title. Aunt B is one of the best developed characters of the novella. The thing that adds a little "oomph" to her character is that she has a zombie husband in her basement and she is in no hurry to get rid of it. She's batty and bad all at the same time. Readers will both love and hate her. The zombie gets loose fairly often in the story and generates some very good mayhem. The other character in the story John, Aunt B's nephew is another great character. The reason that John is an exceptionally good is that he is deeply conflicted at being an accessory to his aunt's criminal behavior. Two of the characters stumble upon the secret in the basement and Aunt B imprisons them in a cage next to the zombie. John tries several times to do the right thing only to have his aunt pop up and thwart his attempts. Aunt B has something to hold over John. Where the book really gets good is the climax. It's very gory and has a few things happen that are unexpected turns in the story. It has a small flaw, though. It could be a little longer and could have been expanded in one area in particular. "Undead Drive-thru" has the chance to be epic, especially with the concept of a restaurant being the epicenter of a zombie outbreak. This is, however, a very good story with a rapid pace and very much worth reading. "Undead Drive-Thru" has the potential to be something special.