Crowded Yet Desolate: A Zombie Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

Deborah.
    Cam spoke up. “Wait, so that’s the plan? Just run for it. Stick together. Hopefully you won’t get your head ripped off!”
    Joe put a finger to his lips to silence him. “Do you have a better one?”
    Cam’s eyes shifted nervously over the ground, searching for an answer he would not find. His silence decided it.
    Joe looked at Ryan, eyebrows raised. Ryan nodded, despite not feeling ready at all. In fact, the only reason Ryan didn’t break down was the prospect of being armed and safe in that apartment. Maybe he could finally get some of his questions answered too. Looking at their faces, listening to the way they talked, he could not help but feel as if he were the only one who did not know what was going on.
    “All right everyone.” Roe pointed at Ryan. “You and me will take the front. Kid, you stay right behind us. And Joe, you bring up the rear.”
    “Okay,” Joe said. “On the count of three, we run. No heroes here.”
    The thought of being a hero was laughable. Ryan had seen enough carnage for one day–for a lifetime for that matter. He took his position next to Roe and brought his bat to a ready position as the others fell in to their places.
    “One . . .Two . . . Three!”
    They sped off around the corner in a sprint and hopped the white fence that ran along the building’s front yard. The group was three lanes deep before the first sign of trouble. Hearing a growl, Ryan turned to see a monster only a few feet away. He had no time to determine if the monster was threatening him. He brought the bat down against its skull, issuing a loud crack and causing an echo to reverberate between the buildings. This noise seemed to alert the other monsters of their presence. Screams filled the street as the once-human creatures woke from their mindless dazes.
    Ryan’s last swing had knocked him off balance, tripping him and bringing him to a complete stop. Just then, another monster approached Ryan, and this time there was no uncertainty; he could see the threat in the monster’s blood shot eyes. Ryan raised the bat, terrified. The monster would reach him before he could swing. Then suddenly its head burst open with a spray of red. Ryan blinked rapidly in surprise and felt warm blood soaking his shirt.
    Joe grabbed Ryan by the neck and pushed him forward. “Keep moving!” Just as Ryan reached his spot again, he heard Joe crack the skull of another monster, like the sound of wood splitting. They sprinted ahead. All around them monsters were swarming in, but the team was small, and they managed to weave in and out, avoiding unnecessary violence. Ryan preferred it this way. The situation somehow seemed safer, although safety was a relative term now. Nothing was truly safe out here.
    They reached the turning lane. Monsters filled the space between them and the door. Ryan turned to look behind. The monsters, two rotting walls of these creatures, surrounded them. Ryan wanted to flee, thought the path behind was just as crowded. But the twins pushed forward, quickening their pace, and Ryan had no choice but to follow. There was a tight group of monsters in front of the door. Roe ran at them, reaching them before the rest of the group. He swiftly swung his crowbar and nailed the temple of the first beast. It plopped lifeless to the ground. Another monster attempted to grab him with flailing arms, but Roe ducked under, spun around in a complete circle, and used the momentum from the spin to crash the crowbar against the monster’s knee. As it fell to the ground, he brought the crowbar back down against the monsters head, cracking its skull before it landed.
    When the others reached the battle, Ryan saved Roe from the advance of an unseen monster, while Joe managed to dispose of two others.
    No matter how many they killed, more appeared.
    On the ground Cam slid underneath the legs of two to get to the door. One of them grabbed his leg, but Ryan hit it with the bat, allowing Cam to get safely under. Cam