Epidemic of the Undead: A Zombie Novel Read Free Page A

number to his parent’s place, he pressed send. The noise that Mark had described hearing repeated in his ear. The signal was being jammed or interfered with. He put his phone away, defeated. He hoped like hell that his parents were alright. The man on TV had said something about it being Nationwide. He swallowed hard hoping things were too bad in Tennessee. If not, his dad was smart. He could handle things.     
    A brash, booming sound erupted at the door as a skinny fist pounded on the windowpane. The hand smeared red fluid on the glass. Several other attackers quickly followed suit. Two turned into six, which quickly turned into fifteen. In a simultaneous fit and concerted effort, the unimaginable creatures fought to break in.  
    Again the report of gunfire picked up outside, sounding further away.
    As the storefront became even more crowded with bodies, Chris wondered where they had all come from. It had only been an hour, maybe two at the most, since they first arrived, and at that time, the area was nearly deserted. Maybe the looters and rioters have been hitting street after street and are finally reaching us , he thought. Or what if the TV is right and those people really are dead?
    “Please tell me you have a key to lock this place up?” Just as those words came out of Chris Commons’ mouth, the glass that separated them from the dead broke through.
    Shattering glass fell to the wood floor, followed by the thud of falling bodies. Staggering to its feet, the first of several ghouls stood and began its lurch forward. More followed, climbing through the opening. Not at all concerned with the splintering glass, they dragged themselves through the window, cutting up their faces and arms. It was a horridly morbid sight.
    The cashier screamed.
    “Oh shit! Oh shit!” Mark said, not knowing which way to run, and then he made his way toward the back of the building. “They are dead! Just like that TV guy said. Those people are fucking dead!”
    The closest one shuffled forward with its arms raised and it moaned a guttural unnatural sound. Blood covered its hands and feet and its sneering mouth exposed crimson stained teeth. The zombie’s torn shirt revealed splintered ribs. A white bone protruded from its midsection like a toothpick tearing through paper. Blood poured from the open wounds soaking into the creature’s jeans. The slap of its bare feet rang hollow in the air between hissing moans. Reddish brown footprints stained the wood floor in its wake. Behind, three other creatures struggled to stand. The arms that reached in from outside were still growing in number. They wanted in.
    “You got a back door to this place?” Chris frantically asked, shoving the blonde toward the back of the coffee shop. The crash of falling chairs and tables echoed, as the growing mob of undead closed in on the living.
    “Yeah. I’m parked around back,” the cashier said.
    He shoved her forward, meeting up with Mark and Steve by the back door. “Well, what the hell’s the hold up?”
    Mark stood at the door with it cracked just enough to peek out, a bat tightly gripped in one hand at his side. “I can’t see anything.”
    “What the fuck, dude? What the hell is going on?” Steve cried, starting to panic. He looked back, seeing the intruders slowly closing in. “What the hell is their problem?”
    “You heard the TV, man. They're dead!” Something behind them collided with the floor. The loud clang reverberated off the wood floor and brick walls making Chris turn around. The things were getting closer. “I don’t think there’s much time for debate, Mark. Just move!”
    The door swung open to an empty back lot. A light pink Hyundai Accent sat parked at one side. On the opposite side, a large dumpster, wafting odors of spoiled milk, had one door flap kicked open. The coast was clear. Mark and Steve darted out first, followed by Chris and the cashier. Exiting last, Chris kicked the door closed with one foot. It