As the World Dies Read Online Free PDF Page B

help him…"
        
        Pepe twisted around in Eric's grasp trying to see toward the window and growling viscously.
        
        The humane thing to do, he thought, was to go outside and try and calm down the solider. But if he was infected with whatever was making people violent, maybe he was contagious. And considering the solider was banging his head as hard as he could against the base of the window, Eric was guessing he was infected with whatever was making people insane.
        
        "Need to check the TV," he decided and started back up the stairs.
        
        As he passed the window, he heard the solider hissing and growling. He carefully pulled back the curtain an inch to see the man still banging his forehead against the base of the window. It was set high, so without arms, it was all the solider could really do to try and break in. The terribly wounded man saw him and began to howl, his twisted mouth opening so a gush of blood could froth out.
        
        Eric let the curtain fall back and staggered back up the stairs. Holding Pepe tightly, he turned and ran back to his room.
        
        

Chapter Six
    Battling Death
        
         None of this makes sense , Eric thought as he watched the TV.
        
        The news was now filled with scenes of burning cities, horribly mutilated people filling city streets, even more disturbing scenes of the "infected" apparently eating other people, and clips from a CDC press conference where a very pale woman said, "the dead are returning to life and attacking the living."
        
        Pepe growled and clawed at the bottom of the bedroom door as the banging continued downstairs.
        
        Eric flipped the channel and an Asian scientist was in mid-sentence. "…unknown contagion is reanimating the corpses of those attacked by the infected."
        
        Another man seated next to the scientist scoffed at this. "That is ludicrous. It is obvious that this is a biological attack of terrifying proportions and whatever agent is being used is provoking people to acts of insanity."
        
        "Have you seen the footage," the scientist answered angrily. "Have you seen them eating each people? Have you seen the people with missing limbs, organs falling out of their bodies, walking down the streets? Have you? Because how can you not see that obviously-"
        
        The sound of glass shattering made Eric jump and he immediately turned off the TV. Tossing the remote onto the bed, he grabbed up the poker he had carried upstairs earlier. Pepe was in a snarling and growling fit now. His tiny body was bouncing all around as he prepared to do battle.
        
        "Okay, so, basically, that guy is dead and wants to eat us," Eric informed Pepe.
        
        The dog threw him a dark look as if to say, "d'oh" and continued barking.
        
        With a shaking hand, Eric reached out and turned the doorknob. He could still hear the pounding continuing downstairs. A low snarl echoed up toward him and he gulped hard. The shotgun Mrs. Waskom had for protection was down on the top shelf of the pantry in the kitchen. If he had been thinking straight and not about Brandy leaving him, he would have brought it up with him. Now he had to get himself down the stairs and get the gun before anymore of the living dead arrived.
        
        "Zombies," he said to himself. "Who would have thought it."
        
        He pulled the door open and Pepe rushed down the stairs again.
        
        "Dammit, Pepe," Eric exclaimed and hurried after the dog. If anything happened to his little companion, it would devastate him. But Pepe was fearless and that terrified him. He would have to keep a leash on him at all times.
        
        Pepe had stopped on a step above the window and was barking down at the dead solider still systematically banging its head against the now broken window. The pane had