Dead Men Walking: a Novelette

by Duncan Ralston

At Alamosa County Prison's Death Row, Corrections Officer George Palomino tells the new hire a horror story about the time an execution went terribly wrong, ending in a fellow guard's murder.
In Cell Block C, known around Alamo as "Z Block," everyone's a dead man just waiting to make it official. Even the guards.

Genres: Horror, Ebooks, Short Stories

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2014

About the author

**CVLT: Lonely Motel Book 3 out now!!!**

**Sequel to the hit novel PUZZLE HOUSE coming Winter 2026**

Author of the cult smash-hit Woom and Ghostland and more than 15 other books that aren't the cult smash-hit Woom or Ghostland. His debut collection was blurbed positively by the legendary Jack Ketchum. His vampire novel, Pedo Island Bloodbath, was nominated for a 2024 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel. His horror-thriller Ghostland will soon be a board game from Crystal Lake Publishing.

For 10 FREE dark fiction short stories/novellas including the prequel to GHOSTLAND, "The Moving House," signed copies of Woom, bookplates and merch, please visit www.duncanralston.com.

Photo © Josh Silver 2015

Reviews

[Shadow Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a special kind of person to work here on Death Row. Yeah, that’s why they call it that – Z Block.
Dead men walkin’, just like zombies

Full review posted on BBB

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told from the perspective of a prison guard in the fictional county of Alamosa, in Florida, "Dead Men Walking" is a tale of a botched prison execution that sent me googling capital punishment statistics shortly afterwards. If you're not squeamish about death scenes, this one's a good read.

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enter the world of I believe George Pal-of-mine. I say this because the narrator is never properly introduced. I enjoyed the story being told in first person. The book is written as a narrative. Very refreshing.

Pal-of-mine is breaking in a new rookie officer to Cell Block C or as it is affectionately referred to by those who work it, Z. The story will have you thinking of the Green Mile as George describes an execution gone horribly wrong.

The amount of detail in this short story is perfect. Mr. Ralston puts you in the prison for the last grisly execution George witnessed. The gore is just right without going over the top as inmate, Vasquez is strapped down and given the lethal injection. What happens next will have your skin crawl. Apparently, someone forgot to tell Vasquez’s body he’s dead!

No real cons other than a few missing words and a bit of punctuation issues.

Other than that, if you’re a fan of horror, this short is right up your alley.

Four stars.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

The men about the die and the men who watch and make them die. The prison system and the death penalty and all the ways it can and does go so very wrong. As told by a senior security officer to a newbie through one long, barely interrupted monologue. This is more like it for Ralston, who I find performs much nicer when dealing with the natural as oppose to supernatural terrors. It seems he prefers the latter, but it is the former that actually showcases his writing talents to their proper extent. The rest are ghosts and guts and gore and has been done (pun alert) to death. But this novellete isn’t merely original, it’s also surprisingly effective, the realism highlights the violence and vice versa and makes for a brutal yet compelling read. Very quick read and was grabbed as a freebie, so definitely worth checking out. Recommended.

[Paddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought by mistake, not realising it was a short story. As usual it was a story that seemed to have so much potential in becoming an awesome read, and then it ended. They are just not for me I'm afraid

[Christina McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Alamosa County Prison

So entertaining, I smiled through much of this just imagining the 'speaker' and enjoying his story. Very entertaining & easy read with some horror and psychological thrills along the way. Recommend to fans of modern horror!

[Nick Vallina (MisterGhostReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story told on your first day of work at the Alamosa County Prison about the time one execution lead to an inmate catching on fire...and the other time when one of them reanimated instead.

A fun grisly short novella about a casual prison zombie.

[Sea Caummisar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book, then went to check the reviews, and I'm seeing reviews for other books by this author. My GR must be acting up, so to clarify: my review is for Dead Men Walking. It's a creepy tale of a prison employee telling a new employee ( possibly me? Lol) stories of past executions. It's short and actually made a few valid points about death row. I felt like I had an old friend telling me a story. It's pretty neat

[Leah Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love his SS!!


“Dead Man Walking”, “Bus Driver Man”, “How to Kill a Celebrity”

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had read the new version of this story in the collection Video Nasties, and only realized after that the standalone version of this story that I had on my kindle was a different version. So, after loving the new version, I read this version to check out the differences and yikes. This story is a good example of why sometimes it’s a good thing when an author goes back to revise and republish some of their writing. I’ve done it before with some of my old reviews, now that I’m a far better writer.

The bones of the story is great, especially if you go in blind like I did originally. I had no idea what direction the execution would take, making it a genuinely scary scenario that I ate up. The synopsis for this standalone version actually gives everything away, which is less ideal for such a short story.

I’m actually really glad that this story has been cleaned up and re-written. This version of the story uses second person narration to involve the reader in the story, a style that is not always easy to pull off. The story is still guided along by Palomino, but this version of him was an obnoxious character throwing out slang and racist language left and right. Friedkin is supposed to be the most unlikeable guy in his shift, but Palomino’s narration made him just as bad, if not worse.

I love me an unlikeable main character, I do. I guess I was just spoiled having read the newer version of the story first. I really liked the new Palomino’s quieter narrative, focusing more on his disillusionment with the job, with the events of the story being the last straw. It was perfection. Sometimes a change in narration can make all the difference.

In short, read Video Nasties. It's an awesome collection and contains a far superior version of this same story.

[boofykins · Rating 4 out of 5]

You ever seen the movie Waiting...? Yeah, I know that movie has aged horribly but that's not the point. Remember how Ryan Reynolds' character was training that freak and/or geek from Freaks and Geeks throughout the whole movie but wouldn't the the trainee get a word in edgewise? Well that dynamic is on full display in this short story, except it's set a couple of death row prison guards in Z Block at Alamosa County Prison, aka "Alamo." I'm not sure who is getting punished here, the prisoners or this poor trainee! I jest... kinda. I took him as one of those lovable blowhards. The kind that you interact with exclusively at work but wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with outside of work.

Anyways, during his ramblings, the trainer guy (I don't think he ever said his name to his trainee) recites a gruesome story from a failed execution. Chaos, pandemonium, blood, and guts, all that. Fun stuff! You really feel like this chatterbox is showing you the ropes.

Interlaced with all the fun and games of an unglamorous profession and botched execution, the story is actually a pretty poignant meditation on the ethics and mortality of the death penalty.

[Thomas Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet, with a tang of thrill!

If Shawshank Redemption went HORRIBLY wrong, this would be its story. In Duncan Ralston's short here, we are treated to a veteran C.O.'s most harrowing tale of an execution gone awry in a way that few other stories like this do. One thing I MUST give Duncan credit for here is the portrayal of humanity in the narrator here, a prison guard who just does what he needs to so he can go home again.

Rating: 💀💀💀💀/💀💀💀💀💀

[Aaqilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a gem of a novelette that turned gory towards the end BUT not disgusting, not gag inducing, the end it was building up to was very vivid that I could see it play out.

There was splatter but it was written really well.

The character narrating reminded me of a character from The Shining, and the writing style is so unique because it’s two guys having a conversation but it’s just one doing the talking/narrating.

I also liked the pop culture references thrown in here and there.

[SeveredTherapy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightfully Average

Not much about this stuck out to me. The narrator is much like some of my co-workers who adore listening to themselves talk, taking 20 minutes to tell an "all right" story.

It wasnt bad. Just...not good. Perhaps its supposed to be a look into the sanctity of life or how we're supposed to make the most of every day?

Firm 2.5 out of 5. Perfectly average.

[Janelle Halstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short 45 page ebook. The narrator is a prison guard speaking with a new rookie that comes on the job in his cell block. He tells him of his last execution that he witnessed. Vasquez is given a lethal injection and all hell breaks loose. Very detailed descriptions of the gore that follows.

[Nelli Lakatos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story!
Highly recommend this if you want a short creepy book.

[mark feenan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great short story.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrated in a very unique prospective. No wasted words. Highly recommend as a quick read!

[ThatBookMoth · Rating 5 out of 5]

O.O

You are essentially a newb starting your first shift at a prison and get told a horror story told to you by your coworker.I
I work retail and can confirm, work can be scary.

[Tammy Riner · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’m goin: ‘Stay dead, bitch!’ Nah, not really. That’d be pretty cool if I did though, right? Really, I’m like- ‘GAH!’”

Fun short story. I love when horror makes me laugh.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Google Play Books ebook version of the story.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s no such thing as a Navy “Colonel”.

[Sharon Leung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different

This this was a good read, it has its moments but was different too. A story being told as though you were heading it from a colleague, is a great idea and you enjoy listening. It wasn't a favourite of mine and I have read better from this author. Still a good read that will pass an hour. So I'd recommend to anyone whom enjoys a good little story.

[Lois Welsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can I like this book that gave me goose bumps or chicken skin?

You have to read it to find out.

I felt like I was the person that was walking to the execution table.

Nice twist at the end.