Medora: A Zombie Novel Read Online Free PDF

movements. Keith slowly realized the horror that the smell was actually coming from a human being.
    Temp orarily recovering, he answered, “Yes, I'm ready to go. I've got some good ideas for them... it should…” he let out a cough, overcome by the noxious air. He stared up at her and noticed a yellow tinge in her face that seemed to be originating from her chest and back. Her hair was damp with moisture and clung to her temples and cheeks. She stood with her mouth open, breathing much more heavily than she usually did. He noticed her white fingers grasping the edge of his desk, her arm almost imperceptibly rattling back and forth to sustain her balance.
    He looked up at her oval, leaky nostrils. “ Hey, are you okay? You look... sick.”
    She paused in momentary disbelief. “Keith , I won't take this from you! I'm not going to be subject to your delusions.” She wasn't screaming but speaking loudly enough for people down the hall to notice.
    “What? I'm sorry, but you don't look well.”
    “Just get to the meeting,” she barked and attempted to exit the room much faster than her physique would allow, stumbling over her high heels. She left a viscous residue on the table where her palm had been. Keith quickly and methodically opened the window to his office and squirted hand sanitizer on his desk. He had an overwhelming desire to tell the world his story.
    In the meeting sat three men with one identical facial expression of annoyance. Janice sat opposite them with Keith at a reasonable enough distance from her that it wouldn't be noticeable that he was intentionally distancing himself from her. Keith began to explain his various proposals on a projector, which cast filaments of dancing light onto the wall. After he droned on in a monotonous tone for a while, he began to realize how boring he must sound.
    Before he could worry any more about the presentation, he noticed a slight gurgling sound being generated from Janice's throat. The three men also noticed. She sat, wide eyed, staring past the heads of the three men. Keith halted the presentation and looked over at her. Intermittent snoring perforated the gurgling sound, while the entire room sat watching and waiting in momentary disbelief.
    Keith held his breath and leaned over to her. “Janice... what's going on?”
    She didn't respond, but the snoring stopped. Her eyes stared vacantly at the wall. The room was completely silent for a moment except for the faint whirring of the overhead projector.
    One of the men leaned forward, “I think we'd better call an ambulance.” He paused and with an alerted voice added, “I think she needs an ambulance.”
    Keith nodded, relieved that the man was being sympathetic of the situation. He began to look around the office to summon some help but people were only paying attention to dimly lit computer screens. The smell that was issuing from Janice was now palpable to the three businessmen silently watching the scene. One of the men had his suit sleeve cupped over the front of his face.
    Keith leaned in closer to Janice and shook her shoulder. Nothing in her body stirred except a few momentary jiggles of fat in her face. He brought his ear closer to her face, certain she was not breathing. There was no movement of air coming from her.
    One of the men across the table notice d the alarm in Keith's face and made an inept attempt at being useful. “Maybe you should put a mirror under her nose to see if she's breathing.”
    “I'm going to go get some help.” Keith turned to the door but stopped abruptly when he heard Janice say in a silent, dull voice, “No, no, I'm fine.”
    He spun around and saw her looking up at him, her deeply set eyes squinting. Keith could only stare back at her, feeling perspiration building on his forehead. In what seemed to be an insurmountable challenge, even for a heavyset person, Janice then proceeded to get up from her chair. She was having trouble with the basic act of rising from a chair; not