DEAD RAIN: A Tale of the Zombie Apocalypse Read Online Free PDF Page B

collapsed to half its size. Russell kicked him over, dropped the lamp, then scooped up Emma and carried her the last ten yards to the car. He helped her into the passenger seat and hurried around to the driver’s side.
    A zombie lurched out of the darkness but Russell kicked it away and jumped into the car and slammed the door. Emma breathed a sigh of relief as the Ford’s V-8 roared to life and they peeled out around the idling Honda.
    “Jesus!” Russell exclaimed. He cut the wheel sharply to avoid running into a throng of reanimated corpses lumbering towards them. The Ford swerved off the road, clipping a few tombstones before Russell jerked the wheel and got it back on the road, mowing down a handful of ghouls at the back of the pack.
    Emma sobbed hysterically as the horrors of the night collided with a wave of relief. Her muscles were finally loosening, her strength slowly returning.
    “This road must lead out up ahead there,” Russell murmured, half to himself. He switched on his high beams. The bright lights revealed several more zombies plodding through the graveyard and beyond them, another gate. “Yeah, baby. We’re good to go.”
    As they sped towards the gate he saw that it was locked with a massive chain. “Get down!”
    When Emma didn’t promptly obey he grabbed her head and shoved her down in her seat. Shielding his face he floored the gas. The sturdy steel car blasted through the fence with no problem—the chain snapped and the iron gates flew open.
    The secluded clearing where the cemetery sat gave way to a scraggly forest, bisected by a long neglected road that seemed to be equal parts dirt and loose gravel.
    Russell drove slowly down the twisting, fog-choked road. Only one headlight had survived the crash and the trees drooping over the road blocked all but a ribbon of moonlight. After driving a quarter-mile he eased off the gas and coasted to a halt. Emma sat hunched beside him, weeping uncontrollably.
    “Hey,” Russell whispered, his usually gruff voice now soft and soothing. “We’re safe now, babe . We’re safe. Are you alright?”
    Emma didn’t look up. Gently he cupped her chin and turned her face towards his. “You okay?” he asked again. “You didn’t get bit, did you?”
    Emma looked suddenly alarmed. She reached for the rearview mirror and angled it towards her face, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw her nose intact. Unbitten.
    “You look beautiful, baby,” Russell said with a wistful smile. “You always look beautiful.”
    Emma finally began accepting that she was safe and physically unharmed. Burying her face against Russell’s shoulder she sobbed quietly, shoulders twitching, letting the tension out.
    Russell stroked her hair tenderly, and gently raised her face up. “Let’s get you to a hospital,” he said, his voice an anemic whisper. “Just to be on the safe side.” He reached for the shifter, but winced and doubled over.
    “Russ?” Emma finally spoke, in a voice that was barely a peep. Then she noticed the fresh blood on his clothes, and realized he’d been bitten. More than once.
    “Oh my God, Russell. You’re hurt.”
    “I’ll… be…” but he couldn’t finish the sentence. He grimaced hard, choking out a garbled cry as a spasm racked his body, cramping every muscle in hellish pain.
    “You can’t drive,” Emma said calmly, forced to rally as she realized Russell had gotten them as far as he could, and it was up to her to get them to final safety. “Let me.”
    Russell clutched his ringing ears. He could hear her words but they sounded distant, as if they were spoken through a long thin tunnel. He heard a car door open and then another, and felt th e cool night air waft over him.
    “Russell, please.” Emma’s voice sounded tinny, a mile away. “Come on. Let me drive. We have to get you to a doctor.”
    She took his arm and eased him from the car. His body felt chilly. Ice cold sweat dripped from his feverish brow. He moved jerkily, his