Voodoo Plague - 01 Read Online Free PDF Page B

you.  Any idea what the hell is wrong with them?  Why are they trying
to kill us?”
    She relaxed and
moved over to stand next to me, looking down at the body of the young man.  “I
was hoping you would know.  All I know is New York got nuked last night.  The
owner of the club where I work wouldn’t close, and a few hours ago these things
started attacking people in the club.”
    I looked back
over at the dead Trooper, then out across the swamp.  A couple of hundred yards
away there were four figures wading through the water in our direction.  Uh
Oh.  I scanned the parking lot and found no threats, but out on the perimeter
road that came from my company’s office building there was a small group of
figures walking towards us.  I slowly raised my arm and waved at them, Rachel
turning to see who I was waving at, but they didn’t wave back or acknowledge me
in any way.  Oh, shit.
    “We’ve got to
get out of here.  Now!” I said. 
    I took her hand
in mine as if it was the most natural thing to do and broke into a trot across
the parking lot to where my rental SUV was parked.  Half way there I skidded to
a stop and slapped my pants pockets with a feeling of dread.  No keys.  They
were in my room on the fifth floor of the hotel.  There was no way I could
climb the stairs, get my keys and get back before the approaching threat cut
off our escape.
    “What’s wrong?” 
She asked me, not letting go of my hand.
    “No keys. 
They’re up on the fifth floor in my room.  I don’t suppose you know how to hot
wire a car, do you?”
    I didn’t expect an affirmative
answer, and I didn’t get one.  The look of horror on her face told me what I
needed to know.  We were on foot, multiple threats approaching from at least
two directions, and she was already exhausted from fighting her way through the
swamp.  Exhausted or not we didn’t have a choice.  We had to run.
     
     
     
     
     
     

6
     
     
    We ran across
the parking lot, her slightly behind me and to my left, holding my hand as we
ran.  My right was my shooting hand and I was keeping it free and available to
draw the pistol if I needed it.  Considering these things, alright I guess I’m
ready to call them zombies even though they weren’t actually reanimated dead,
apparently hunted by sound and smell I didn’t want to have to fire off the
weapon and attract every one of them within hearing distance.  I suspected they
used sound for finding their prey at a distance, then sound and smell when they
closed in.
    Cutting the
corner on the parking lot we made it to the road with about a hundred yards of
clearance from each group of Zombies – infected? - but turned left towards the
ones in the swamp.  The water would slow their progress and let us get by
them.  I settled into a fast jog, the woman staying with me and maintaining a
death grip on my hand.  I was impressed.  As freaked out as she had to be, as I
was, she was staying with me and not slowing me down or complaining.
    We didn’t make
much noise, just the sound of my running shoes and her bare feet on the asphalt
and our heavier breathing, but the infected in the swamp detected us and
changed direction to pursue.  I glanced over my shoulder and saw the group
behind us speed walking after us, not that much slower than we were moving.  My
instinct was to push harder and open up some distance, but I was worried about
tiring.  I had slept most of the night and was relatively refreshed and
strong.  I was pretty sure she had been up a long time, certainly all night,
and was already tired from her run through the swamp.
    Ahead the road
curved slightly, then straightened as it approached a large intersection with
shopping on each corner.  Several cars were piled into each other in the
intersection and I hoped we would find one of them drivable with the keys still
in the ignition.  My hopes were dashed when figures appeared from behind the
cars as we approached and started coming towards