Flesh of the Zombie Read Online Free PDF Page A

soon.”
    Suddenly one of the zombies who had found himself on the wrong end of Resus’s racquet spun round and grabbed Luke’s shoulder, digging its nails in deep.
    Luke yelled in pain. “What did you do that f—” He staggered as a familiar feeling began to wash over him. “Cleo …” he managed to croak before his mind was wrapped in darkness.
    “Resus,” called the mummy. “Luke’s transforming!”
    The bones in Luke’s arms cracked noisily as they stretched, muscles growing and wrapping themselves around the stronger limbs. Long yellow talons burst from the ends of his fingers.
    This was one of the many partial transformations Luke had experienced since moving to Scream Street, where only one part of his body changed into that of a werewolf. He was often not fully in control over what would change: this time his arms rippled with brown fur and ended in powerful claws.
    The werewolf inside Luke glared up at the zombie still gripping his shoulder. Lashing out with his paws, he sliced at the creature’s chest, sending it crashing to the ground.
    Having seen one of their own injured, the other zombies around the part-werewolf pounced. Luke punched out again and again, desperate to keep his attackers at bay. Resus thrust the racquetback into his cloak and pulled out the flaming torch.
    “Get away from him!” he shouted, jabbing it into the crowd as Brain Drain’s music continued to pound across the square.
    The zombies stepped back, spooked by the flame. Cleo and Tee hurried to Resus’s side as he twisted from left to right, trying to keep the monsters back, and the group found itself in a circle of angry, snarling zombies.
    “OK,” said Cleo slowly. “Any idea what we do now?”
    “Chewing on you, you’re tasting good
,
    Gnawing your bones and—”
    Suddenly a piercing scream rang out through the sound system and all eyes turned towards the stage. Vein’s feet were wrapped in a swirling green mist which quickly rose up his body until, with a flash, the singer disappeared.
    “What on earth …?” Resus asked, amazed.
    As the audience watched, another cloud of green gas appeared and wrapped around Jazpants, her instrument clattering to the floor as she vanished.
    The bass guitarist was next to be swallowedup by the vapour. Porridge gave a gurgled yell as the mist enveloped him.
    Twonk, the only member of Brain Drain left on the stage, stopped playing as the gas began to hiss around his feet. The drummer jumped up and leapt from the stage in an effort to escape, but the green cloud was around him within seconds; he disappeared before he hit the ground.
    The zombie crowd stared in silence as a figure strode out onto the stage where their heroes had so recently stood. A large man puffed hard on a noxious cigar.
    “I have two things to say,” Sir Otto Sneer roared into the microphone. “One: never,
ever
mess with me. And two: meet the composer of Brain Drain’s latest hit!”
    Fool Spectre materialized beside the landlord. “
You
wrote ‘Zombie Feasting Time’?”
    “Not bad for a first try, is it?” grinned Sir Otto. “I had a bit of a problem finding a rhyme for kidney, but I got there in the end.”
    “What happened to the band?” demanded Spectre.
    “Let’s just say there was magic in the music,” crowed Sir Otto as a zombie with lank ginger hairclimbed onto the stage and stood beside him.

    “That’s the zombie who raided the emporium,” hissed Resus.
    The red-haired zombie’s skin began to ripple and clear of its scabs as his body twisted back to its original shape. Fully transformed, the thin figure waved cheerily to the crowd from his uncle’s side. “Coo-ee!”
    “It’s Dixon!” said Cleo. “He shapeshifted into a zombie to break into Everwell’s!” Beside her, Luke groaned as his claws transformed back into human hands.
    All across the square, zombies began to complain. “Brain Drain!” shouted one of the creatures. Those around it joined in with the chant. “Brain