Wake the Dead Read Online Free PDF Page A

later, rather abruptly, to the sounds of a skirmish not far off. He also heard the distinct sound of an animal snarling. At first, he thought it was a dog being attacked, and so he fished out a flashlight from his pack and found the source of the quarrel in the distance. To the best of his knowledge, it looked to be a pup facing off against a wounded zombie. The zombie’s leg had been partially torn, and the mutt was snapping at the thing, attempting to hold it off as best it could, though it looked as though it were about to lose the battle.
     Alex wasn’t even sure if the wounds on the zombie were from this whelp, as it appeared to be too tiny to do that kind of damage. The pup appeared more than a bit emaciated and, despite holding its own so far, was in need of assistance.
    And so, Alex did just that.
    A minute later, as Alex yanked the arrow from the zombie’s head, the hound disappeared.
    A short time later though, it returned as Alex heard the movement to his right in the distance. By that time, he had built a small fire to stay warm, gathering fallen branches along the ground, and the pup, which was as dark as the night itself, did not approach, though remained near. The only hint of it in the darkness was the firelight flickering against its eyes. That was when Alex had realized it was not a dog, but a wolf instead.
    After tossing the wolf some tuna scraps, the wolf disappeared again and Alex nodded off once more, succumbing to the fatigue. But, in the ensuing dawn, Alex found that the wolf had returned yet again, lying passively nearby. It made not a single aggressive move toward him.
    It appeared to Alex, in an odd way, as though it was protecting him as he slept, though the notion did seem more than a bit absurd. As Alex packed his things, he opened another can of tuna fish, one of his two remaining, ate a handful himself, and tossed it to the wolf, which it gobbled up voraciously. Alex made off and the wolf followed, all the way up the hill to the cabin. It was a long journey up that hill, Alex recalled, motivated by curiosity and hope. He looked back to the wolf and shushed it with a laugh, thinking how absurd that might look to someone else. He wanted to approach in silence though, as he was not sure if whoever lived there was alive, dead, or worse.
    The cabin was small, but comfortable for at least two people, judging from the outside, and it appeared well built, too. He got to the side of the cabin and peeked inside. He saw nothing and moved to the front door.
    A lone zombie inside the cabin rushed to attack him, but met with the tip of the sharpened stick he’d carved with his hunting knife the night prior. He was relieved that it was only one zombie, as it took everything he had to shove the point of the stick through its head. He had avoided packs of zombies for a long time, carefully circumventing them by hiding or outdistancing them on the bike whenever possible, which wasn’t often.
    They were goddamn fast! Alex admitted as he tugged the stick free from the zombie’s head. He looked about and did not see the wolf again as he dragged the body out of the cabin.
    As he scoured the area, he was delighted to see that it had a well with water and an old-fashioned hand water pump, and solar powered panels, though it did not seem to provide any electricity. It might have at one point, but he had no idea how to repair them, knowing nothing much about solar panels. Though, he did have all the time in the world to figure it out, he thought with a chuckle. It did have a wood burning stove, and the cupboards were stocked with canned goods. Alex was elated after those discoveries.
    He knew there were a few shopping centers north along highway 322, including a ‘SuperMart’. If it hadn’t been ransacked, it would have plenty of supplies. It was a huge risk, and without a vehicle, it would take him a week to get there. Right now, he had everything he needed, he supposed, as he scratched the thickening