The Demented Z (Book 1):The Demented Read Free

out of the aftermath of a Hollywood
blockbuster. The immediate intersection was jammed up with wrecked cars, one
of them flipped over on top of a broken fire hydrant, water jetting in all
directions. farther down the street, the back of a red ladder truck stuck out
of a hardware store, bricks tumbling down its sides, spilling across the
sidewalk. Like the hotel next to him, fires crackled in the windows and smoke
poured out into the street.
    On
both sides of the street several separate groups of people were in massive
fights. Some people were on the ground underneath attackers, others were being
drug to the ground, while many around them lay alone, unmoving. There were people
on fire, oblivious to the flames, chasing after others. The chaos was nearly
overwhelming.
    Tom
forced himself to focus on the task at hand. They had to get out of here.
    Steering
the car over to the far left side of the road, he hoped to avoid both the
burning hotel and most of the crazed people. At the sound of the rumbling
engine, several people turned toward them, eyes demented and filled with rage.
Those that were not already preoccupied with unleashing havoc on their downed
victims, began racing toward them.
    The
blonde let out an ear piercing scream just before one of them slammed into the
passenger side window. His face pressed up to the glass, blood and spit dotted
the view. Tom quickly hit the power door lock, not knowing if the rage monster
would take the time to use the door handle or not. As the blonde leaned toward
Tom trying to gain distance from the window, there was another loud thump as
someone hit the back window on the driver’s side.
    Everything
was too much for the boy. He sat dead center in the back seat, with his legs
curled up, knees covering his face, motionless.
    The
car lurched forward as Tom stomped on the gas. Veering to the right, he aimed
the car for a gap between the mess of cars in the intersection and the corner
of the hotel. With a jolt, the car bounced up over the curb and squeezed
through the narrow gap, only losing the driver side mirror in the process.
    Turning
the corner, Tom was glad to see that this less busy side street did not have
nearly the same level of chaos. There were people several blocks down, but too
distant to make out what they were doing.
    Keeping
on the accelerator, he sped down the street looking left and right at each
intersection. Each street told the same story. The city was coming unglued.
    The
blonde sat quietly staring out the window. Whether it was shock, despair, or
just detailed observation, Tom did not know. The boy still sat in an upright
fetal position.
    With
the once distant figures now coming into sight, Tom could see it was more of the
same, and not a path he wanted to take. If they kept driving sooner or later
their luck would run out. He scanned both sides of the street, looking for an
opportunity, and midway down the next block he found what might be their best
hope…a bookstore.
    The
Bookworm was a small mom and pop type store wedged between a trendy clothing
store and a jewelry store. The buildings were constructed of large cement
blocks, looking like a fortress. Tom was drawn to the bookstore. Sunlight
shown on books in the small display windows, but did not penetrate into the
dark interior.
    Pulling
the car over to the curb, Tom was surprised when the blonde immediately popped
open her door, and climbed out…apparently she had been just observing earlier. Shutting
the car off, he left the keys in the ignition in case of the need for a quick
getaway. The blonde already had the back door open and was coaxing the kid out
as Tom came around the car.
    The
trio quickly made their way over to the bookstore. Despite the closed sign, the
doorknob turned freely. Tom was unsure if he should be worried or glad.
Looking left and right down the street to make sure none of the rage monsters
were barreling down on them, he pushed the door inward. He nearly jumped out of
his pants when