City of the Dead Read Free

knuckles in the dark. His arthritis was acting up and he doubted he'd find any medicine lying around for it soon.
    "Stop fidgeting."
    "Sorry."
    Random Bible verses ran through his head and Martin focused on them so that he would not have to wonder what was going on inside the house. Blessed are the peacemakers ... Jesus saves ... For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life ... And on the third day, he arose from the dead ...
    9
    Martin glanced back at the house again, fighting the urge to get out of the Humvee and run toward it. He thought of the father and son who had saved them from cannibals in Virginia. The father had been mortally wounded and before he could turn into a zombie, the son shot him and then turned the gun on himself.
    He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life ... And on the third day, he arose from the dead ...
    ... His only begotten son ... he arose from the dead ...
    . . . His only son ... arose from the dead ...
    Martin froze.
    "Frankie, I-"
    A gunshot suddenly rang out, shattering the stillness. It was followed by a scream. Silence returned and then a second gunshot followed.
    Both had come from inside the house.
    "Frankie, that was Jim screaming!"
    "Are you sure? It didn't sound human to me."
    "It was him! I'm sure of it."
    "What do we do now?"
    "I don't know. I don't know!"
    Martin's mind whirled.
    He shot Danny and then himself! He got in there, and Danny was a zombie. His only begotten son arose from the dead!
    Frankie shook him.
    "Fuck this shit! Come on, Reverend!"
    They jumped out of the Humvee, weapons at the ready, as the first cries of the undead drifted to them on the night wind. The zombies appeared at the end of the street and the doors to the houses began to open at the same time. The undead poured forth.
    10
    Martin's voice cracked. "It-it was a trap. L-look at all of them ..."
    "Shit."
    Frankie raised the M-16, aimed and fired three shots in quick succession. One corpse dropped and five more took its place. With a horrendous cry, the zombies charged.
    Martin turned back to the Humvee, but Frankie grabbed his arm.
    "Move your ass, preacher-man!"
    They ran toward the house, to see what had become of their friend. More gunshots echoed from inside as they approached.
    Above them, the newly risen moon shined down upon the world, staring at a mirror image of its cold, dead self.
    11 TWO
    The house was silent.
    "Danny?"
    Jim crept forward, his heart still pounding in his chest. The floorboards creaked under his feet, and he held his breath. The living room was empty. Danny's movies were stacked neatly on a shelf, next to a row of video games. A thin layer of dust covered the coffee table and end tables. One of the sofa cushions had a crusty, reddish-brown stain in the middle and flies crawled over it.
    "Danny! It's Daddy! Where are you?"
    He walked into the kitchen and the smell hit him. Whatever was inside the garbage can was long since spoiled. Flies swarmed over its surface. They crawled on the refrigerator, trying to get inside the airtight appliance as well. The incessant buzzing seemed loud in the silence. Jim gagged. Holding his hand over his nose and mouth, he backed out of the room and into the hallway.
    He tilted his head from side to side and listened.
    12
    There was a sound above him, like something being dragged across the floor.
    He went to the stairs.
    "Danny? Are you there? Come on out, son! It's me!"
    Only a week before (though it now seemed like a year), Jim had had a particularly vivid nightmare about this moment. In the dream, he'd reached the top of the stairs, and limped toward Danny's room. The bedroom door creaked open and his son stepped out to greet him. A zombie.
    At that point, Jim had screamed himself awake.
    He wouldn't be able to do that this time.
    If ...
    The top of the stairs lay hidden in shadows. The noise was