Reboot

When the zombies came, the city streets erupted; teams were formed with strongholds selected and reinforced. Weapons were amassed; sh*t went predictably and spectacularly down. Casualties were high on the living side, due to its belief that Hollywood had accurately portrayed and instructed heroism ... leading it straight into all kinds of doomed encounters. A few four-leggers stayed to rescue their people, dragged into the fray to no good end (because common sense was the first thing to go by Wave #3). These were remembered by the others for their loyalty and sacrifice as the animal kingdom split and migrated steadily north or south - far enough enough in both directions that horde movement would either freeze or desiccate to motionless and life could continue. When the last living lair had fallen, the aliens landed to do a sweep and return the whole sorry business to its original form as clean carbon. They did a surface restore, filtered and patched the atmosphere, and rebooted a number of extinct lines. The quadrupeds had flourished and that was notable; they were kept for the next experiment. But not the monkeys, though - no, not again so soon; "too dimwitted and dangerous" a Vlurbz analyst had written in the draft of the final report. "LOL," a counterpart had added (in Vlurxx) with something like a smiley face.