Time of Death Book 2: Asylum (A Zombie Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page B

its ankles like rolled down tube socks. The
zombie saw us as we approached and struggled to free itself,
causing the skin to slide down even further.
    Meg gagged at the sight, but Jake wasted no
time and rushed forward to plunge the screwdriver into the back of
its skull in one swift arc. I gave the unmoving corpse a wide berth
as we passed, doing my best not to look at it. Like the undead the
day before, the odor of rot was overwhelming, and I took shallow
breaths through my mouth until I felt we'd put enough distance
between us.
    Jake turned. "The house is across the street.
I don't see anyone through the windows." He looked between me and
Meg and asked, "You guys doing okay? We can go back still if you
need to."
    "We're fine," I replied, looking to Meg for
confirmation, "right?"
    She nodded her head in agreement, but I could
see the fear etched into her face and gave her hand a quick
squeeze.
    "Okay, then," Jake continued, "I think our
best option is through the garage. I don't see any broken windows
or open doors, but the garage door is up, so I think it's a good
bet the interior door is unlocked."
    I agreed. Our door at home didn't even have a
lock. He took another long look at the house and its surroundings,
and readied himself. "Let's move. Stay quiet and stay low. If you
see any zees, keep going. We'll deal with it when we get to the
garage. I don't want to spend any more time in the open than
absolutely necessary."
    In less than a minute we were moving up the
driveway. Lying on its side, just outside the garage, was a
ten-speed bicycle. The slight breeze caused the back tire to spin
lazily, and I could see a few remaining droplets of old blood under
the handlebars. If there had been more blood, it would have been
washed away by rain. The droplets continued once we were a few feet
into the two-car garage, and I noticed a rust-colored smear on the
door handle.
    Vinny noticed it, too, and motioned to Jake.
"What do you think?" he whispered.
    "I think we need to stay frosty."
    "Who says that?" I blurted.
    "Focus," snapped Jake.
    "Sorry, inside voice."
    "Em, you and Meg watch our backs. Vin and I
will go in first and clear the immediate area. Keep an eye on the
driveway and make sure nothing sneaks up on our six. Once we
determine it's safe, come in and stay behind us. Make sure you shut
the door right after you enter, and don't make a sound. Vin, on
three. I've got right; you take left."
    He counted down on his fingers,
three…two…one, and opened the door with his screwdriver at the
ready. The two disappeared into the darkness and after only a few
seconds Vinny stuck his head out.
    "Let's go."
    As I closed the door behind us, we were
swallowed in darkness. I heard Meg's shallow breathing beside me,
and could feel my heart pounding against my chest wall so hard that
I thought the others would hear the sound echo in the small space
like a bass drum.
    We were in a laundry room. On our right were
the washing machine, dryer, and large sink. Above the appliances
was a row of cabinets. To our left was a large pantry. The bi-fold
doors were slightly open and revealed shelves of pans, Tupperware,
and canned food. Mental note: take the food. We were running
dangerously low. I hoped there was some bottled water in there,
too.
    Directly in front of us was a hallway, still
dark, but not as dark as the windowless utility room. Somewhere to
the left was a light source. The boys nodded to each other and
trudged forward. Jake disappeared to the right and Vinny to the
left. Meg and I inched forward to the door's threshold and held our
breaths waiting for something to happen. A hand appeared in the
opening and waved us forward as Jake passed by. I looked both ways
into the hallway; to the right was a dark office. Slivers of light
coming through the hurricane shutters made patterns across the
carpet, and I saw little dust particles floating in the air when it
passed through the light.
    To our left, the hallway opened into the
great room.