British Zombie Breakout: Part Two Read Online Free PDF Page A

it became Academy Row, where it turned past the school and
then on into the town half a mile further on. At the second
screech, a dozen shots were fired. Alex saw flame shoot from the
end of a gun and ducked in terror with the others. Bullets could be
heard slamming into the castle wall somewhere below.
    'That soldier's a maniac,' Bill said in a hushed voice. He had
ducked down as soon as the creature flew up and surprised
them.
    The soldier's radio carried clearly through the darkness,
which was cut in two by the beam of the searchlight playing over
the castle walls. There was some indistinct shouting and a truck
engine started up somewhere further off.
    ' Michaels, is that
you? '
    'Here sarge,' sounded the voice of the soldier Bill and Graham
had so narrowly escaped from earlier in the evening.
    ' I hope you didn't hit that
thing? '
    'What thing sarge, the flying zombie?'
    ' Flying zombie my backside! That was
a barn owl and it's a protected species. '
    'But you said to shoot first and ask questions afterwards and
it screamed just like you said.'
    ' Screeched. I'm patrolling the
marketplace, so I heard it myself.'
    'Can't have been an owl it was white and really big. Right
over the top of me it was.'
    ' Screech owl some people call 'em.
That noise they make is on the telly in all those
murder-mysteries. '
    'Don't watch 'em.'
    ' Never mind, stop firing off random
rounds. Bert's coming up to relieve you in half an hour. Think you
can behave yourself 'til then? '
    'Yeah sarge,' The soldier replied in a weary voice.
     

Chapter 9: Texts
    'What was all that shooting about?' Karen said, her face
looking white and drawn. She reached out a trembling hand and
pulled Bill in through the door to the keep.
    'An owl flew over and gave us all a fright,' Janet said,
'including the soldier who likes to shoot at everything. We heard
him talking to his sergeant on the radio.'
    'He told his sergeant it was a flying zombie!' Bill said.
'Real city boy, that one.'
    It looked like Janet's plan for an early night was going to
founder again because before she could open her mouth, Maisy's
phone chimed. And before Maisie could say the word 'text', Alex's
and Rita's phone each produced their chosen text melodies. There
had been such a succession of events, everyone had forgotten the
cell tower was operating once more.
    'It's my mum, and she's OK,' Maisie said, waving her phone
like a flag.
    Within five minutes every phone had received at least one text
and there were tears all round as they realised mums and dads and
other close relatives were safe. Most were in Buntinton, Samuel had
sent his text from a hotel in Colesford forty miles away, and Bill
and Karen's daughter had sent a worried-sounding text from her home
in the north of England.
    Funny how they came through all together,' Alex said almost
beside herself with joy at a text she'd received from her mother on
her father's phone.
    'Well,' Graham said, 'it makes me suspicious.'
    'What do you mean by that?' Bill said.
    'Yes,' Sarah said, 'how can it be suspicious?'
    'The cell tower has been working since around the time we left
the school when the rocket blew the klaxon off the clock
tower.'
    'Yes, so?'
    'Well, everyone we know must have been worrying about us and
sent texts hours ago.'
    'And…'
    'And so they didn't get through because the authorities didn't
allow the networks to relay the messages until they knew we were
all missing.'
    Alex began thumbing in a reply to her mother, saying where
they were but Steve leapt forward and cancelled the text just as
she was about to send it.
    Alex, close to the end of her tether, barely contained herself
from screaming. 'Why did you do that?'
    'Graham's right, isn't he?' Steve said. 'This is what they
want. If we reply, it'll give away our position.'
    'It's lucky there's only one cell tower in range,' Graham
said, 'otherwise they might be able to work out where we are by
what other towers our phones log into. As it is, they may work out
we're still in