D. Walker - The Snacking Dead

serves 6

6 hot dogs

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (about 8 ounces)

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons poppy seeds (optional)

2 tablespoons finely chopped bread and butter pickles

2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickles

Mustard, for serving

Ketchup, for serving

1 Poke hot dogs several times with the tip of a knife.

2 On a lightly floured work surface, roll the puff pastry into a 15-by-11-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into three 5-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip in half crosswise so you have 6 pieces of puff.

3 In a small bowl, beat together the egg and water. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Place a hot dog on the narrow end of one piece of pastry. Roll to enclose, brushing with some of the beaten egg to adhere; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process with remaining hot dogs and pastry. Brush the tops of puff pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds if using. Transfer to refrigerator and let chill for 15 minutes.

4 Preheat oven to 450°F. Bake the hot dogs until the pastry is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.

5 In a small bowl combine the bread and butter pickles and the dill pickles. Carefully split the puff pastry along one side of each of the pigs in blankets and top with the pickle relish. Serve with mustard and ketchup.

These classic tidbits need not be boring or staid—a bright splatter of ketchup can make an eye-opening presentation.

M aybe there was hope for the living,but it sure as hell wasn’t inside this shack.

The tracks had led him more or less west, toward home. If this particular biter was headed for his friends, he had to stop it.

Its reckless spoor was typical enough. Besides the lumbering footprints and the mangled undergrowth, rags of flesh still clung to the trees where the dead thing had passed.

He found an old shovel, like what they use for pizzas. He’d be sure to keep an eye out for a biter with mustachios, an apron, and a big chef hat. Next to the shovel lay an unlucky woodchuck, picked cleaner than he could have done himself, let alone a sloppy biter.

Daryl had always wolfed down his food, like he thought it was going to run off. Pam used to laugh and tell him to slow down. Let yourself taste it, she’d say. He never knew how to repay those embarrassing kindnesses. She had really wanted to know how to butcher her own food. He’d never met a girl who liked hunting and killing so much.

He’d wrapped his trembling hand over Pam’s on the hatchet handle. First you chop the head…

When he found the shack even the birds were quiet. The door was locked and the window was busted inward. So far, a pretty typical walker kill zone. But inside was another story.

“Fussy carnage,” was the only way he could think of to describe the scene. Usually biters left a bloody mess splattered around the place like spin-art.

This biter had picked some parts clean and left others. What it didn’t eat was stacked neatly in the corner. It clearly didn’t care for elbows or knees. Even the blood looked like it had been sopped.

Biters getting picky—this was not a good sign. They were evolving.

serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for pan

1 onion, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef

Coarse kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

2 cups water

1½ cups whole milk

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon cumin

2 cups (½ pound) elbow noodles

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

½ cup Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

1 Preheat the oven to 425°F. Heat a large skillet set over medium-high heat, then add the oil. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes.

2 Drain off the excess fat and add the tomatoes, water, milk, Worcestershire, sugar, paprika, and cumin and stir to combine. Add the pasta, cover the pan, and bring to a boil. Simmer until the pasta is almost tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the Cheddar cheese and season with salt and pepper.

3 Pour the mixture into an oiled, shallow casserole dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake until the pasta is cooked through and the cheese melts, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Great for leftovers the following night, assuming you’re feeling optimistic about the future.

N othing could quench the fire of craving in her gut,nor the dull, ceaseless fury it ignited. She couldn’t do this alone.

Other bodies shambled nearby, but they didn’t smell good. Living snacks had the sharp, sour aroma of fear. But these bodies moved slowly and smelled of nothing but shadows and hunger—just like her.

Her hunger never rested and neither did she. She followed the retreating scent of food until it grew stronger again. Soon, many famished bodies were following the same scent.

Her black hunger merged with theirs until she was just part of a blundering, ruinous swarm of biting mouths. The swarm needed snacks. She made a slurping sigh of resignation: she’d have to share.

At last the good smell was close. The inexhaustible pain she felt was the snacks’ fault, for not being in her belly. She wanted to scream, but made only a choked rasp with her hardening throat.

The swarm surrounded the snacks. Lots of snacks, pointing sticks and making loud sounds. She dove at the noisy buffet, jostled by her fellow diners. A few of them fell and seemed to lose their appetite forever. Most just fed and fed.

She caught flesh in her teeth. It kept wrenching itself out of her mouth, but she pulled it back to her with delight. Other mouths came for her snack too. She tried to make sure she got the delicious bits. She could tell the others didn’t really give a damn.

The swarm fed and moved on. She moved with it automatically, but her heart wasn’t in it. Something in her body, like a memory embedded in her muscles, wasn’t satisfied just to feed fast and dash off.

Meat was good. It just needed—something.

serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

Coarse kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard