Die Dead Enough Read Free Page B

front of his shirt. He reopened the door and shoved the thing out, where it collapsed in the gutter.
    "You guys, come on!" Conor screamed as Aiden slammed into the group of zombies that had cornered Klaus. He held the microphone stand across his body and used it to shove the six or so monsters back as Klaus pulled his wife around them and lumbered toward Conor's van.
    Aiden had knocked the zombies from their feet, but they had pulled the microphone stand from his hands. He quickly turned and fled, passing Klaus as he made for Conor and Gibby.
    "Come on, dude," he said, pulling Klaus by the elbow. "Shit's getting hot out here..."
    "No kidding," Klaus replied, his breathing rapid and hoarse from the exertion. "We just have to make it to the van, Diane. You can do this."
    "I can't breathe, honey," she gasped, literally hanging from his shirt. "and my leg hurts bad."
    "It's just a few more steps," Aiden said, grabbing her by the arm and helping Klaus carry her forward. To their right an elderly couple fell beneath a biting cluster of zombies, the old man's cane snapping as they took he and his wife to the ground. Just up the street two cars crashed into one another, their drivers now in dire straits, their vehicles swarmed by the zombies.
    Gunshots.
    Flames bursting from windows.
    The growls of the undead and the screams of the soon to be.
    It was a madhouse, the senses assaulted from every direction at once.
    "Klaus! Get in, man!" Conor shouted, waving his arms. In his peripheral vision he caught sight of a large mob of zombies running down the sidewalk toward them. Klaus, Diane and Aiden had to hurry or they would be cut off. "Aiden, get them in here!"
    At that time, Aiden also took notice of the approaching monsters and literally shoved Diane from behind, both hands in her back. She lurched ahead, lost her footing and fell at the edge of the sidewalk. Klaus turned to help her up, only about eight feet away from the open van door.
    "Grab her, come on!" Conor screamed, his voice cracking as he jumped from the van and grabbed one of Diane's arms, throwing it over her shoulder. "Aiden, get in the van! Take the driver's seat!"
    The thundering of the zombies' feet on the pavement grew in volume and intensity as they closed the gap. Klaus and Conor pulled Diane to her feet, completely supporting her weight between them and dragged her to the van. Conor jumped inside, helping Klaus as he helped Diane into the door.
    Klaus was not fast enough.
    Decomposing fingers wrapped around one of Diane's outstretched legs and began to pull. Immediately the single zombie was joined by others, also latching on to the lower half of her body.
    "No!" Klaus cried out, jerking Diane backward with all his strength. "Conor, help me! They've got her!"
    Conor jumped to his side, wrapping his hands around Diane's arm and kicking out with his boot, catching a zombie square in the face. It did not phase the thing. Even together, Klaus and Conor were far outnumbered. The resistance was too great.
    "Fuck!" Conor shouted as he nearly lost his grip. The zombies were crazed, having fresh meat within their grasp and they began to tear at her legs and bite with their bloody teeth. She screamed so loud that Conor's ears rang even after a night of performing. Diane slid farther out of the van, the tug-of-war shifting heavily into the zombies' favor.
    "God, no..." Klaus moaned as the strain became to much for his arms. "Please...Diane!"
    She was thrashing in pain and terror, knowing what fate had befallen her. She turned and caught their eyes and they could see her pure fright as her shoes came free and teeth sank into her feet, blood squirting into the night air.
    There was no way to save her.
    The zombies were crawling up her body toward the van, ripping her clothing and flesh as they sought out more meat.
    "We gotta let her go, Klaus..." Conor said, kicking at the zombies that began to move closer. "It's too late."
    "No. I can't!" Klaus screamed, his arms bulging with