Stay Dead: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

could it be?” His father said with a halfhearted smile.
    “Guess we’ll find out,” Jeff said, picking up
a big sheet of plywood.
     
    They had most of the house boarded up. The
upstairs windows were left alone except the two windows near the
big tree, neither Jeff, or his father wanted to risk having those
things climbing in. Jeff thought it would be a good idea to gather
all the alcohol upstairs in case they needed to make Molotovs, and
throw them from the upstairs windows. Walter agreed. He also
thought it was a good idea to come up with an escape plan should
they need to leave in a hurry. They had the family van stocked up
and ready to go near the side of the house. Inside the van Jeff
placed a map, water, food, clothes, and even a blanket.
    Walter’s spouse, Laura had been in the
kitchen making lunch for everyone. She wanted to use up what food
she could without having it go to waste. The town lost power two
days ago and the freezer was as cold as tepid water. The food would
go bad soon without the electricity. There was also a big freezer
in the basement and it hadn’t been opened since the power went out.
They hoped to keep the food cold inside for as long as possible.
Laura hoped the power would be back on before they would have to
deal with that problem, which was tiny when compared to the problem
of the walking dead, but still one that warranted attention. It may
have been her son’s home, but that didn’t matter: his messes might
as well have been her messes. She hated messes and she hated waste;
she was just raised that way. And if she ever had anything negative
to say about the youth of today it was that they were just too darn
wasteful. Laura wouldn’t abide it, no matter whose home it was.
    Jeff’s wife, Maria, had done major shopping
before the state of emergency was declared. Their family was a
large one. Jeff and Maria Caulfield had three children; Little
Wally, Sandra, and Tommy. Jeff also had a sister, Barbara, who was
staying with them as was his parents. She planned for the extra
company and got as much food as she could afford. The house was
large enough to accommodate them all, and larger than Walter’s. It
was also a bit more isolated. They had a radio with plenty of
batteries, and two old lanterns from when Walter would take them
camping. They had plenty of candles, and a fireplace, which they
planned to light soon. It was starting to get chilly, which was odd
for this time of year, and dark.
     
    “Lunch is ready!” Laura yelled out the door,
not knowing they were only a few feet away.
    “What took you so long ma? I’m starving,”
Jeff said sarcastically but meant every word.
    “Has the news come on yet?” She asked,
looking downright depressed.
    “Not yet. They’re still playing music though,
so I’m sure it’ll be on soon enough,” Walter tried to reassure her,
but wasn’t all too sure of it himself.
     
    They gathered in the family room. It was a
large room with two couches, a coffee table, and a framed painting
of a shed in the woods that would’ve impressed Bob Ross himself.
There were plants on end tables, an entertainment center that
wasn’t entertaining anyone, and a boarded up window that allowed
almost no light inside.
    Laura lit the fireplace.
     
    ***
     
    What remained of the New Haven Police
department had gathered at Mourningside Cemetery. News reports
never stated anything about the buried dead coming back to life and
digging their way out, but they weren’t taking any chances. The
police gathered friends and pretty much anyone else with a gun to
survey the area. It wasn’t a large cemetery, but it was big enough.
It was the town’s only cemetery and if you weren’t catholic you
were buried somewhere else outside of town. They walked in rows,
following the rigid grid set forth by the headstones like a search
party. They checked for unearthed caskets, or any sign of something
trying to come up from the ground. They moved slowly, working their
way towards