Undead (9780545473460) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Breaker-break?”
    I look at him questioningly. He shrugs.
    â€œSaw it in a movie,” he mutters. “Try twisting that knob and changing the channel.”
    As I turn the knob, the red numbers click up to read 15, then 16, then 17. Still nothing but static. Then 18, 19 . . .
    â€œStop!” Smitty shouts. “I can hear someone.”
    There are voices — quiet and distorted, but voices all the same. I hardly dare breathe.
    â€œWhat are they saying? Can you speak to them?” Alice shouts.
    â€œMayday, Mayday,” says Smitty.
    The voices continue, as if unhearing.
    â€œHelp us, somebody!” Alice shouts.
    â€œYou have to press the button, Malice,” Smitty sneers. He demonstrates. “Is there anybody there? We need help. Repeat, we need help urgently! Come on, people! This is no joke!”
    We listen hard. The voices keep talking, undecipherable.
    â€œAttention!” shouts Smitty.
“Au secours! Au secours!”
    I shoot him a look. “What, we’re in France suddenly?”
    â€œAnything’s worth a try,” he says, clicking the button on the mouthpiece over and over. “I think I can do Morse code for SOS, but then again I might be ordering takeout.”
    I crack a smile. “I’ll skip the pavement pizza.”
    He grins back.
    â€œLook,” says Alice, leaning in, “I’m sorry to break up your special weirdo bonding moment, but we need to get help.” She dangles the driver’s phone between her finger and thumb. “The only thing on this phone is the driver’s ear cheese, and Einstein here can’t even figure out how to use the radio.” She bats her eyelashes at Smitty. “We should find a landline and call the police or the army, or something. Get them to come and rescue us.
Très
quick.”
    Smitty gestures to the door. “Be my guest and lead the way, Malice. I’ll be right behind you.”
    â€œLoser,” spits Alice.
    Smitty puckers his lips. “Ooh, call me another name. I love it.”
    Alice hurls the driver’s phone at Smitty, who ducks and drops the radio mouthpiece. Both phone and radio smash against the window, and the voices coming from the receiver stop.
    â€œGreat job, guys!” I delve for the radio and try to make it come to life again. A crack now runs down the length of the mouthpiece, and a blue wire is sticking out.
Shit.
I thrust it into Smitty’s hands. “You’re a boy, aren’t you? Go on and fix it.”
    Alice is right. Action is needed. I head down the aisle, picking the binoculars off the floor where one of my feckless pseudo-buddies has thoughtfully thrown them. Climbing up to the hatch, I hoist myself up to the roof as Smitty did. My arms burn with the effort, but I’m not going to let them see me struggle. The snow is holding off, but it won’t be too long before the light starts to go. Scrambling up onto the slippery surface and standing carefully, I look all around the parking lot and peer through the binoculars into the café.
    I can just make out the shadows of people slumped across tables.
    My breath shortens. One thing to hear Alice tell it; quite another to see it myself. I scan for any signs of life — and spot a building, lights shining through a line of trees to the left of the café.
    Bingo.
    I shout down, “There’s a gas station — they’ll have a phone! We just need to make a run for it.” I lower myself back into the bus and struggle to close the hatch.
    Alice is slumped in a seat looking bored, and Smitty is fiddling with the radio.
    â€œTime to move.” I get my coat from the rack above my seat. “We need a phone.”
    Smitty looks up. “Yeah, and who knows if Mr. T has any dribbling friends out there, eh?”
    â€œWe don’t know that. Everybody else is still doing dead in the diner.”
    â€œHah!” Alice sits bolt upright. “But for how long? Do you