A New Death (Savannah's Only Zombie Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

out.
    The white sheet on the gurney stirred. The paramedics,
unaware, did not notice the corpse sit up, the sheet falling off to reveal a
gruesome torso wound from the accident. Something was lodged deep in the man’s
ribs. The medics must have deemed it a fatal wound. And normally, it would have
been. But “normal” was different now. “Normal” did not mean the same thing it
meant only a few hours ago.
    Jeremy watched in horror as the zombie with the torso wound
shambled over to the paramedics, sinking its teeth into one’s neck. The victim
they were trying to resuscitate revived, but not how they were used to. It
quickly grabbed hold of the second paramedic and began to rip at her. The
bystanders, who stopped to help, turned and saw what was happening. One froze,
while the other two ran to help the medics. The one who froze began to vomit
uncontrollably.
    Panic. At this point, everyone else stuck in traffic saw
what was happening. Cars began to bump into each other, trying to push their
way out. One finally jumped a curb and pulled straight into the intersection.
The driver struggled to regain control of the vehicle but instead drove
straight into the helpful bystanders. More panic.
    Jeremy tore his eyes away and began to peddle feverishly.
There was nothing he could do. There was part of him that wanted to stay and
help somehow, to help those people but a stronger urge to stay alive kicked in.
Shame began to set in as well, but he just as quickly pushed it away. There was
no time for shame. He had to stay alive. His father’s house was on Dutch
Island, which by boat would have been maybe a five minute journey. But he
didn’t have a boat, he had a bicycle. So, good old fashioned roads it was then.
And it was getting dark. Fast.

Chapter Four
     
    Huge, majestic Live Oak trees were something Savannah was
well known for. Their trunks could easily be the width of a full grown man and wider.
The branches themselves could be trees in their own right. These trees were
hundreds of years old, scattered throughout the low country. The same trees
that welcomed settlers in from The Old World and that young Native American
children would have played under. Spanish moss hanging from almost every inch,
gently swaying in the salty breeze coming in off the marsh.
    But right now , Jeremy thought. Right now, they’re
blocking what little light I have left.
    It was true. The last tiny bit of light that was left as the
sun finished its dip into the west was now hidden behind the massive trees.
Street lights were kicking on up and down the streets.
    At least there’s still power.
    With the rate things had been going, Jeremy almost half
expected the power to go out after he said that. It didn’t. He reminded himself
that while it might seem like he was in some horror movie, this was
unfortunately real life. And much like real life, Victory Drive was slam packed
with cars.
    He decided to cut through the surrounding neighborhoods and
try to avoid the more main roads. Turning off Victory, he passed the gas
station where every day after school he would stop with his friends and get a
69 cent fountain drink. The pumps were packed, people trying to fill up on gas
and get out of town. Another advantage of the bike was not having to worry
about fuel. The thought almost brought a smile to Jeremy’s face, except he
would need a certain type of “fuel” soon. Food.
    Continuing down the road, he passed his old high school,
Johnson High. He slowed down, taking in the school for what could be the last
time. Jeremy didn’t really like or dislike his high school experience. He was
not one of those people who looked back on the “glory days,” but at the same
time there was a small part of him that missed the simplicity of life then.
Graduating for Jeremy meant growing up quickly. While most of his friends went
off to a distant college or other adventures, Jeremy was stuck in Savannah
working. All of that was long gone now.
    “Cutting through