Love & the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1, Zombie Apocalypse Trilogy) Read Free Page B

floor. Her hand slid from her neck and fell limply to the side.
    “Valerie?”  Rachel peered into the kitchen.
    “Rachel!”  Erik screamed.  “Hit him!”
    Erik had his forearm pinned under the man’s chin.  The crazed man’s fingers raked across Erik’s chest, shredding his shirt and leaving bloody scratches over his skin. 
    Valerie’s body twitched.
    Rachel froze. Wait.  Was Valerie still alive?  How was that possible?
    “Rachel!” 
    She ran toward Erik.  Ice blue eyes flickered to her and the man unhinged his jaw.  She choked up on the handle and swung.  The aluminum bat connected with the man’s torso with the satisfying crunch of breaking ribs.  The blow knocked the man into the recliner, toppling it over backward. 
    Erik rolled to his feet.  His shirt was ripped to shreds.  Deep scratches covered his chest and arms.  “Nice swing, Rach.”  Erik’s eyes roamed over her shoulder.  “Mom!” 
    Blood stained Valerie’s neck and chest.  Her eyes had transformed from muddy brown to frosty blue.  Valerie’s normally leathery tanned skin was now a light shade of gray.  Her body twitched as if electricity pumped through her nervous system. 
    “What’s wrong with her?  Is she having a seizure?”  Erik asked.
    Rachel caught him by the arm.  “Wait.”
    “Wait for what? She’s still alive,” Erik said.  “We need to get her to the hospital.”
    T hen, as if Valerie hadn’t just bled out on the kitchen floor, she rose to her feet. Her stride was erratic, but efficient.  She stumbled into the living room.
    “Mom?”  Erik cautiously stepped forward.  “Are you okay?  Your neck it’s…. We have to get you to the hospital.”
    “ Erik, I don’t think we should get any closer.” Rachel’s heartbeat pounded in her ears.  “Look at her eyes.”
    “Mom?”  Erik bent to his mother’s eye level. 
    “ Erik, watch out!”  Rachel screamed.
    T he man slid across the carpet on his stomach like a snake, but Erik couldn’t pull his eyes away from his mother.  The crazed man, still on his belly, lunged and wrapped his arms around Erik’s leg.  He reared his head back and bit Erik’s calf.
    Erik screamed.
    She ran to help him, but Valerie charged.  Rachel ducked and Erik tackled his mother to the ground with the man attached to his leg.  “Run, Rachel!” 
    Erik held his mother down on the carpet while the man gnawed on his leg.  Valerie sank her teeth into Erik’s arm. He screamed. “RUN!” 
    Oh God.
    Rachel trampled over the broken screen door.  Zombies.  The man was a zombie - he bit Valerie, she died and then reanimated .  How was that possible?  This couldn’t be happening. 
    She ran down the porch and onto the front lawn.  Everything about the neighborhood looked wrong.  A man and woman struggled in front of the Anderson’s house.  Another woman screamed from across the street.  Rachel turned in a circle.  Was this really happening? Was Flint going up in smoke? 
    Morgan.
    Rachel was so amped up by the attack that she’d momentarily forgotten that her little sister was away at camp.  She had to get to Morgan. 
    Erik ’s car was parked in the driveway.  Rachel yanked the handle with enough force to pull the door off, but it was locked.  She’d given the keys back to Erik this morning.  She couldn’t go back inside.  Not with that man and Valerie in there.  Would Erik turn into one of them, too?
    She needed a car.  Fast.  Gene was at the Wooden Barrel, which wasn’t that far away – maybe three miles.  She could run there, get his Jimmy and drive to Ann Arbor.  She could be with Morgan at the University of Michigan in two hours. 
    Valerie’s mangled face poked out of the broken doorway.  Fresh blood – Erik’s blood – dripped from her chin and stained her shirt.  She scanned the lawn until her eyes landed squarely on Rachel.
    Rachel sprinted down McKeighan Street and turned right onto Red Arrow Road.  It was awkward