The Creeping Dead: A Zombie Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

on the beach and the boardwalk. “So how are you supposed to get to know her if you’re in a group? Doesn’t that get kind of confusing?”
    Vinnie reached across the table and put a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “Mike, you’re a great guy, but you’re a dinosaur. I gotta get back to work.” He stood up and left Mike with his two slices and unsweetened iced tea.
    “I’m not a dinosaur,” he shouted after Vinnie, “but I used to ride one to school.”
    Vinnie waved back at him and took his place toiling by the ovens.
    Mike took a bite of his pizza and wondered if this generation was the end of the human race as he knew it.
     
    ***
     
    Billy Blake was leaning on the counter by his cash register as he licentiously eyed two teenage girls. He watched them as they fingered through the short shorts rack, giggling wickedly at the messages inscribed across the rumps like ‘Like My Ass?’ and ‘Delicious.’
    They weren’t aware of his leering eyes, which was okay by him. One girl was in cut off denim shorts and a hot pink bikini top. As she bent over to look at a lower rack, he admired her tramp stamp on her sun kissed skin. His eyes traced her body down to her flip flops and her hot pink toe nails.
    The other girl wore a neon green bikini top and bottom, and flip flops as well. For a second she glanced over at him, their eyes meeting. But the girl, naïve and every year of sixteen, only smiled at him, not recognizing him for the old letch that he was.
    That’s what he loved about the teenage girls…that and the small gap that they had between their legs, that women his age didn’t have, where their thighs didn’t touch.
    “Can I help you ladies with anything?”
    Both girls, slightly startled, although they didn’t know why, looked up at him.
    “Just looking,” said the one in the hot pink.
    Me too , thought Billy.
    He pushed himself off of the countertop and strolled over to the two girls. The one in the pink held up a pair of shorts that read ‘SLUT’ on the backside.
    “Is your boyfriend okay with you wearing that?” asked Billy playfully.
    “He doesn’t care. He likes it.”
    Billy flashed her friend a Can you believe her? look. Her friend shrugged.
    “How ’bout you, sweetness?”
    “Oh, she doesn’t have a boyfriend,” said the one in pink. Her friend blushed a bit. Billy tried to control the beginnings of a big, shit-eating grin.
    “Oh, and why’s that?”
    “He dumped her ass the end of school,” answered the one in pink again.
    “Well, I’ll tell you what,” said Billy rubbing his hands together. “I’ll cut you and your friend a deal here, seeing as I like you gals…”
    They both perked up, eyes wide.
    “If you gals buy two pairs of those shorts, I’ll throw in two tank tops. All you have to do is pay for the print.”
    They looked at each other, standing on their toes, giddy at the offer and the flirty attention this man was paying them. They were not unfamiliar with flirting for free things.
    “Okay. Deal.”
    Billy grinned wider, looking like a used car salesman. But they didn’t know what a used car salesman looked like, so they took it for sincerity.
    “Come right this way, ladies, over to the counter, and you can pick out your prints.”
    He stepped behind the counter, which was raised above the store floor, and the two girls stepped right up to have a look at the wide variety of iron-on prints behind him.
    While they were looking up and over his shoulders, he took the opportunity to stare at their cleavage. “So, which college you gals go to?”
    They looked at each other again and giggled. “We’re in still high school,” said the one in pink.
    “But we’re going to be juniors in September,” added the one in the green bikini.
    “Well, you ladies are certainly mature for your age.” They were putty in his hands. It was too easy.
    By the end of the transaction, Billy had sold them two pairs of shorts for thirty dollars and two prints at ten dollars each, more