Omega Virus (Book 1): Beta Hour Read Free

the courtyard
fountain. From there it flipped and careened into a brick wall.
    The destroyed wall opened to the
city streets, where scores of the undead lumbered.
    Jeff pulled Tiffany and Dave up, as
the sounds of chaos reigned. Car horns blared, sirens rang out, and loud
popping gunfire filled the morning air.
    I tried to remember. In zombie
movies, how did they survive?
    They usually didn’t.
    What about games? I tried so hard to
think, but Jessie screeched as a hand grabbed her ankle from behind a bush. I’d
never moved so fast. I stomped and shattered the zombie’s wrist.
    I waved the Gamer’s Guild along. “This
way!”
    We ran off-campus, searching for
safety. Some place had to be defendable. As we made it to the main streets, the
full devastation became known.
    We turned in full circles, staring
at the smoke and fire plumes. Wrecked cars were all over. Some had zombies
stuck inside, trying to get out; others had people inside, zombies trying to
get in. A city lost to the undead.
    An engine revved a few streets over,
followed by more popping sounds. Could it be the cops? Were they organizing an
evacuation? If we could get to them, they could help.
    I led everyone to an alley across a
street blocked off by wrecked cars, but halfway down, a horde of zombies
appeared, blocking our path.
    “Go back!” I said.
    “W-we can’t!” Dave whined.
    We were trapped. More zombies were
filling the alley from behind.
    “You’ve gotten us killed already,
dumbass,” Tiffany said.
    “But it’s not his fault!” Jessie
said. “Zach’s an expert on this!”
    Whoever's fault, we had no way out.
In front, were zombies. To the left
a building; to the right, the same, and behind us another horde. My
leadership had doomed us; I just sucked that bad at life.
    Jessie, grabbed my arm again, and
smiled through her tears. “What grade did you get on that report?”
    I swallowed hard. “I got a C.”
    Hearing her pity upset me; it made
me more upset than the looming certainty of zombies ripping us apart.
    I couldn’t give up. I had to get us
out. Only one other direction remained! The rooftops.
    Spinning to Jeff, I said, “Let’s
boost everyone up!”
    Jeff cocked a brow. “Dude, what
about us?”
    “They can pull us up!”
    “We don’t have time to--”
    “Just hurry!”
    Jeff cupped his hands, and Tiffany
jumped. With the added boost, she grabbed the lip of the roof and pulled
herself up. She reached back for Jessie, and then Dave followed. It took both
girls to lift him.
    The zombies groaned, having come
with a few yards on each side.
    Jeff regarded me, and I shrugged. “Jump!”
    The envelope of fate sealed with me
between two zombie walls, but one had to be thinner.
    “No, Zach!” Jessie cried. “We can’t
leave him!”
    “He made his choice.” Jeff argued.
    I didn’t look up. I couldn’t bear to
see any more tears.
    Dave called down, “Don’t be a wuss ! Fight!”
    “Right, fight,” I muttered.
    The moment of
truth.
    Zombie's hands grabbed for me. With
a deep breath, I shoulder rushed the thinner group. I connected with the first,
and it toppled, creating a zombified domino effect. I kicked off the face of an
undead woman, clearing the last of the horde. I landed in the street beyond.
    My brilliant plan reached its end; I
stood on a blocked off street.
    I backed into a pileup of cars and
watched as zombies came from both alleys. From above, the Gamer's Guild watched
my every step.
    I tore my gaze away and swallowed
hard. For all my gaming and planning, I'd lasted all of ten minutes in a real
zombie attack. I always thought I would be ready, but then what did I have to
lose?
    Go figure. Achievement unlocked;
‘Gain Some Friends’. And then die.
    If only I could manipulate the
world, and save myself.
    A revving engine came from nearby. I
turned, and a motorcycle ramped into the air, soaring above. My mouth fell
open. The glare of the sun blocked out the rider, but I could see he held two
rounded objects. He