Year of the Zombie (Book 8): Scratch Read Online Free PDF Page B

more
deformed than before. Its forehead was becoming flattened: brain and bone being
mushed together.
    ‘Are they going to be
able to get in?’ Gary asked.
    ‘They won’t, will they?’
said Ben, panicking.
    ‘Depends how long that
one’s head lasts,’ Jody answered from a position of zero authority.
    ‘We have to do
something,’ Charlie said.
    ‘Like what?’ Gary asked.
    ‘Like get rid of them.’
    ‘She’s right,’ Jody
said. ‘It’s our only choice. We can’t risk the kids’ safety.’
    ‘Jesus, what about our
safety?’ Gary said.
    Jody lowered her voice
to a whisper. ‘That goes without saying. They’re screwed if we are.’
    She wasn’t waiting
around. She left the room. Charlie and Gary exchanged glances then followed her
out. They found her turfing through the coats hanging up in the hall. She found
a long leather ladies coat and put it on and zipped it up. It looked expensive.
It was really nice. She hoped Charlie had bought it herself because Gary had
never bought her anything like this in the eleven years they were together.
    ‘What the hell are you
doing?’ Gary demanded, though the answer was obvious.
    ‘You going to help me or
just stand there looking useless?’
    Gary glared at her. ‘Do
you really think this is a good idea?’
    ‘No, but I think it’s
the only idea I’ve got.’
    ‘We need to think very
carefully about this. If we go out there we could end up—’
    His words were truncated
by more noise from the room they’d just left. The kids screamed. Was the door
becoming loose? Was the glass weakening? Was it about to shatter? He checked on
the children and saw that the infected thing’s head had popped like a balloon,
but it was still attacking like it hadn’t even noticed. It continued to smack
its bloody neck-stump against the glass again and again and again.
    Out in the hall, Charlie
grabbed another coat from the rack, keen to help. ‘What are you planning?’
    ‘Don’t know,’ Jody
admitted. ‘If I think about it too hard I don’t reckon I’ll be able to go out
there.’ She rummaged through a drawer and found a pair of gloves and a hat,
then found a scarf and wrapped it around the lower part of her face. ‘Make sure
they can’t get to your skin,’ she explained, voice muffled.
    Gary returned. Shamed
into action, he put on his own coat and gloves. ‘You stay here and look after
the kids, Charlie. I’ll go.’
    He marched to the back
door, muttering under his breath. Jody wormed her way in front of him,
preventing him from getting out until she’d given him his orders. ‘It’s like
they said on TV, okay? They don’t want to kill you, they want to infect you.
Make sure you stay covered.’
    She went out and he
followed.
    Outside it was cold and
windy. The sounds of distant fighting were carried on the breeze. The smell of
burning. Far off sirens and screams.
    Gary tried and failed
miserably to play down his nervousness. There was nowhere to hide out here.
Real and present danger. ‘Can’t believe this is happening,’ he said.
    ‘Well it is. Deal with
it.’
    ‘So how do we get rid of
them.’
    ‘We ask them to leave.’
    ‘Really?’
    ‘No, you fucking idiot,
not really.’
    ‘What then?’
    ‘Incapacitate them.’
    ‘How?’
    ‘Break their legs. Cut
them up.’
    ‘What is this, the
fucking Evil Dead?’
    ‘As close as we’re ever
going to get to it, yes.’
    ‘What about fire? We
could burn them.’
    ‘Good shout. Got
anything flammable?’
    ‘Stuff for the
barbecue.’
    ‘Where is it?’
    ‘What, the barbecue?’
    ‘No, you arsehole, the
lighter fuel.’
    ‘Everything’s in the
shed.’
    ‘Great. Where’s the
shed?’
    ‘Bottom of the garden.’
    Jody peered down and
could just about make out the edge of the shed in the bottom right corner of
the garden. It was less than fifty metres away but it felt like miles. ‘Is it
locked?’
    ‘Nope.’
    ‘Good.’
    Jody pulled the scarf
back up over her mouth. She started to jog