A Little Undead Read Free Page A

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power than our entire hometown. Many of the women wore bright
flowing silks that made me feel suddenly under-dressed in my blue
jeans and T-shirt. People everywhere were talking into slim
cellphones and some even carried slim computers... laptops, I
remembered after a moment.
    I grabbed Holly's hand as we
moved into the main flow of the crowd, not wanting to get separated.
Every casual bump and brush frayed my nerves further until I was
spending more time avoiding everyone else than actually looking where
I was going. I wasn't sure if we had been walking for five minutes
or thirty when Holly pulled us out of the current. “Well this
is a letdown,” said Holly.
    “ Maybe it's better on the
inside?” It wasn't. Either the college was remodeled from an
asylum or it was a precautionary measure for students that grew fed
up with the line at the Registrar's Office. Every door looked like
it could withstand days of battering from the infected and the
stern-faced guards at every corner were more of a stifling presence
than a comforting one.
    “ You can go, I can handle
this,” said Holly.
My observation of the dwindling sun
through the six-inch-wide windows must have been more noticeable than
I thought. “I'll be fine. The sun sets late this time of
year.”
    Holly gently grabbed my
shoulders and turned me around. “Don't worry, I'm a college
girl now. Just because Mom and Dad aren't around right now doesn't
mean you have to baby me.”
    “ Alright,” I said
reluctantly. It was probably safer here with the army than in a
frontier town like Haven anyways. What was there to worry about?
“Just make sure you don't leave the campus alone, and call me
if you need anything. You remember the number for the police station
and my apartment?” I nearly giggled at her sour face. Of
course she remembered the number, sixteen-year-old physics genius
that she was. Sometimes I wondered if there were more numbers than
words floating around in her head. “Okay then, I'll see you on
my first day off from work. Good luck.”
    A quick hug later I was out the
door. Without Holly to guide me the streets were even worse. I
could feel them watching me like some sort of carnival show
attraction, the little girl with the giant backpack. The strangeness
of my surroundings and the falling sun had me edgy to begin with, and
I didn't do well with crowds in the best of circumstances. Still, I
was wary of running within sight of the droves of policemen. As I
was starting as a cop myself in a couple days I knew well enough the
attention that trying to run would bring. Instead I settled for a
brisk walk until I exited the inner city gates. There was no time to
waste however, and so with a grim smile I grabbed the straps of my
backpack to keep them from bruising my shoulders and broke into an
easy lope. Catching a second wind as the shadows covered the
sidewalk I sped up my pace, cool spring air brushing my cheeks as I
sped past suddenly sinister alleyways. It hadn't occurred to me
while studying the map, but the apartment I had reserved was far
enough from the main roads that the sense of life that so inspired me
in the rest of the city was all but absent here.
    I gave two soft knocks on the
landlady's door. The shadows deepened even as I watched, raising the
heat in my cheeks to a fever pitch as the fear of the dark that had
been drilled into me for years took hold. I beat the door twice
more, shaking the door with the force. Just as I contemplated
seeking refuge at a stranger's house or even taking my chances on a
roof the door opened, but only a crack. A steel chain stretched
across, keeping it from opening further. The woman, Cassandra, stood
well back from the door. Any errant zombie hand grasping at her
throat would be swiftly and mercilessly crushed, I was sure. “State
your business, girl.”
    “ Umm, I'm Julie, Julie
Fisher. I reserved an apartment with you.”
    “ Ah.” Cassandra
puttered off, red slippers rustling against the carpet.