Roads Less Traveled Read Online Free PDF Page A

always been a klutz in chemistry lab; no way was she getting her hands on anything explosive.
    He tossed lighters to the three of them and handed one to Ben. “Don’t stay too close behind me. Let me clear the doorway before you come out, then light yours and throw it to the left. Mike, you’re gonna throw yours to the right. Zack and Kyra, hold on to yours ‘til we get closer to my Jeep or I tell you to toss ‘em, okay?”
    “What do I do?” Sarah said. Ben thought that if mice could speak, that’s what they would sound like.
    “Stay behind Zack and don’t get blown up,” Jake said before stepping up to the door. He looked around at the others, who had edged away from him, then gripped the ax tightly in his right hand and kicked the door open.
     
    * * *
     
    The first zombie fell on Jake before he had a chance to get the ax up. He planted a foot against the thing’s chest to hold it back, successfully pinning himself against the doorjamb in the process. The zombie’s teeth gnashed together, its fingers clawing at Jake’s jean-clad leg. He raised the ax high and brought it down hard on the zombie’s head. Its skull cracked, then gave way as the blade buried itself deep within its brain. The zombie immediately went limp and Jake kicked back on its chest, pulling his ax free as the dead bastard fell to the ground. Not wasting any time, he bolted out the door, swinging wide and landing a hit on a small Asian student who had come up on his left. Before she even hit the ground Jake was turning and lopping the head off his Organic Chemistry instructor.
    Ben watched as Jake kept moving, going from one to another, taking them down with relative ease. Granted, they moved slowly (you were right Mr. Romero), but he couldn’t get over how simple and straightforward it seemed. Jake had progressed about twenty yards before looking back and waving them forward. They started out at a jog, Ben lighting his bottle of Ethanol and throwing it as far as he could to the left. It exploded as soon as it hit the pavement, lighting up several nearby deadheads and sending glass shards flying through the air. They all ducked behind a Buick, covering their heads and swearing.
    “C’mon, let’s move. Jake’s getting too far ahead,” Ben said after the tinkling of brown glass had finally stopped. They started again, running this time, and after about fifteen feet Mike lit his and threw it. They dove behind a Civic, expecting the rain of glass this time, and kept their eyes ahead on Jake. He had made it to his Jeep and was swinging the ax left and right as a swarm of zombies were threatening to overtake him.
    “Shit,” Ben muttered and took off running. The others quickly followed suit, ducking and dodging the staggering heaps of burning flesh. They reached Jake just as a campus security guard, or what was left of him, had grabbed Jake’s collar and was about to tear his throat open. Zack was on him first and slammed the zombie’s head into the Jeep’s door so hard it splattered gray matter all over the glass. He grabbed its wrist and yanked the guard away from Jake before finally letting it fall to the ground.
    Mike had already kicked another guard in the back of the knees before landing another kick to its head, sending it sprawling. Ben and Kyra were stabbing at another pair of zombies with car antennas they had ripped off a Hummer, piercing them in the eyes and forcing the pathetic weapons into their brains. Jake, now free to rejoin the tumble, took down the remaining zombies with a few well-placed swings of the ax.
    “Keys! Keys!” Ben yelled as he pushed Kyra towards the Jeep. Jake dug in his pocket, jerked out the keys, and hit the unlock button as he ran to the driver’s side. Zack climbed in the passenger’s seat next to Jake, with Ben, Kyra, and Mike scrambling into the back. After all the doors had slammed shut and the engine had roared to life, Zack sat upright and looked outside.
    “Oh my God, where’s