Life Among The Dead Read Online Free PDF Page A

The knock to his head throbs with the beat of his heart. Faster and faster. He doesn’t know if Becka has gotten clear of Stevie or not. He heard movement, but it could have been him. Derek futilely scans the darkness as he holds his hands out for defense. Below he hears the dead moaning louder in response to his screaming.
    “ I am not a zombie.” Stevie states.
    “ Yes, you are.” Derek retorts without thinking.
    “ Do they talk you dick?”
    “ Sometimes.” Derek knows he is acting foolish. He sheepishly returns to his compatriots.
    “ Why are we up here?” Stevie asks. “I thought your room locked.”
    “ You have seen enough movies to know that higher ground is the safest place.” Derek defends.
    “ Finally, your dorkiness pays off.” Becka teases.
    “ Hey!”
    “ I say it with love.” Becka lies back in the soft cloud. This is just what they needed at a time like this she thinks to herself.
    “ Sorry if I scared you guys.” Stevie apologizes. “This really hurts.”
    “ What hurts?” Inquires Becka.
    “ My ankle. I think I caught it on a nail on the way up.” Stevie touches the wound in the dark. He makes a hissing sound through his teeth as his blind inspection causes the gash to sting. “I was holding pressure on it, but it just won’t stop bleeding.”
    “ Are you sure it was a nail?” Derek tries to say without suspicion, but fails.
    “ Yeah, I’m sure. What else could it be...? Don’t even say it.” Stevie shakes his head. He can see where Derek is going with his question.
    “ What now?” Becka is lost.
    “ He thinks one of them bit me.”
    Derek is already treading through the foam again, away from his peers in the furrow he had plowed before.
    “ We need to be sure.” The frightened boy says in a high pitched and panicked voice.
    “ I am not going to become a zombie.” Stevie defensively states.
    “ You might. Was it a nail or not?” Derek is screaming.
    “ Yes!”
    The dead below are moaning louder again. Becka needs to calm her friends.
    “ Guys.” She says patiently. “Please. Let’s just…”
    “ I promise I won’t become one.” Stevie says. Though he can’t be seen, Becka can hear in his voice that he is on the verge of tears.
    “ Get out!” Derek bellows.
    “ What?” The wounded boy’s question comes out as a wet sob.
    “ Derek,” Becka tries. “Be reasonable.”
    “ No! Fuck reason! It’s my house and I want him out.” Derek ignores the fact that his breathing is becoming labored. He pushes past the warning signs of an impending asthma attack. He wants to cast his friend out of the crawl space.
    “ Derek, please.” Becka is miserably failing as mediator.
    “ I want him out! Out! Out!” The adamant youth stomps the boards below him with every word to punctuate his point.
    Becka faces her friend in the dark. She is about to speak to where his voice flies from but is blinded by a sudden flash of light that glares off the insulation like snow on a sunny day. A loud crack had accompanied the light. As she regains her sight she notices the light is emanating from the ground. Her restored vision also shows her that Derek is gone.
     

 
    7
     
     
    The growling is getting louder. The yard is enclosed like the last house, as he presumes most of them are in the neighborhood. Narrow alleys flank the beige dwelling on either side. He can see the passage he is near is blocked at the middle by a wrought iron gate. He is unable to see the far alley, where he suspects the sound is coming from.
    The soldier remains crouched on a lawn that needs mowing. The owners had probably given up the chore for the season. Among the over grown grass Dan can see spots that are dug up, and piles of dog poop. Other than that the yard is bare, just a plain of grass, no trees or flowers.
    Dan holds out his weapon with its single bullet loaded in the breach. He walks sideways towards the next fence keeping his eyes on the blind alley. Inch by inch he traverses the yard.
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