The Afflicted: A Zombie Novel Read Online Free PDF

over to the door and listened. He couldn’t hear anything. Maybe they were alone. Maybe all those things, those creatures, had left! He put his hand on the lock and prepared to bring the deadbolt back so he could venture outside, maybe see if that car worked. As he did so, a hand grabbed his shoulder and his heart skipped a beat. Evan whirled around.
    “Steady on , mate,” whispered Joe, “I wouldn’t do that. It sounds quiet, but you don’t know what’s out there. They could be waiting.”
    “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you ,” said Evan, relieved. They spoke in hushed voices like naughty schoolboys. “How long was I out?”
    “Si x or seven hours or so I think. It’s just past midnight now. Seriously, trust me. It’s not safe out there. You feeling any better?”
    “A little. Where are the others?”
    “ They took the penthouse suite,” said Joe, nodding over to the jet. “Their own private jet. I’ve been inside it once. I got the grand tour when they bought it a couple of years ago. Decked out with everything you need for a life of luxury I tell you. Reclining leather chairs, mini-bar, wall-to-wall carpet, even a champagne bar. Oh, don’t worry about them, mate, they’ll be sleeping ‘til the sun comes up.”
    “Look , I’m sorry about before. Things were a bit crazy.” Evan offered his hand and the two men shook.
    “No worries. Look, Evan, I’m beat. I’ll fill you in with what’s going on in the morning , but, right now, I’ve a nice little spot reserved on a concrete floor. If you ask me, you should get some rest too. I know you said you need to get to your family, but you won’t get six feet if you go outside now. You can’t see for shit. Wait till morning and we can figure this out, okay?”
    Evan decided Joe was right. He didn’t even know where he was going. His family might be on that boat, but where was it? He didn’t even know where he was right now.
    “Sure, thanks. Don’t suppose there’s any more blankets, are there?”
    “Yeah, here you go,” said Joe, grabbing a fire blanket that was lying beside the door. He brushed it down and handed it to Evan. Joe went back to his makeshift bed, suit jacket and blanket spread out on the ground.
    “Hey , Joe,” said Evan, “where are we?”
    Joe smiled.
    “Coffee capital of the world, mate: Melbourne.”
       Evan watched Jo e lay down and then did the same, spreading the blanket out on the floor, using his tatty jacket as a makeshift pillow. It was difficult trying to sleep, but he knew his best hope of finding his son and his family was in the morning, fully rested. He didn’t intend to stop for anything, or anyone. He was itching to get on the road already but his whole body still hurt from the crash and subsequent escape earlier. Despite what his mind was telling him, his body was telling him to take a break. His brain just wouldn’t shut down so easily. He kept replaying in his head those last frightened words he had heard Charlie say.
    “I’m scared . I’m scared.”
    Evan kept imagining the worst case scenarios. He was sure that Anna was his daughter, though it was just a gut feeling rather than any certain knowledge. What if his children were alone on the boat, out at sea? He couldn’t remember his son much, but he was pretty sure he couldn’t steer a yacht. What was it his son had said: that they were trapped? What if they were down in the cabin, locked in, unable to get out? Evan concentrated on picturing his children. He tried to let their images come to him. He envisaged them on the boat, and to where they might have sailed. Vague memories began to come to him. He remembered lying on the deck in the sunshine whilst his son fished over the side. He saw the outline of a woman beside him. His wife? Where was she? He wished he could feel something, but this woman was no more than a blurry memory to him at the moment. Was his wife alive or dead? Were they even married anymore? He consciously ran his fingers over