White Ash on Bone: A Zombie Novel Read Free

fired shot after shot into the mob only to find gnashing teeth tearing at them.  Screams filled the air, and people were ripped apart.
    There is a funny thing about people when they watch disasters in person.  When people are in danger, they will run only as far as they can turn around and watch whatever crisis is unfolding. To the undead, this acts only to create an ever-expanding wave of carnage following their prey. 
    The mob of undead filtered into the stopped traffic.  They smashed their way into cars still occupied by their drivers.  Window after window popped to the sound of breaking glass. 
    One shocked woman walked up to the mob in a dazed state. “Why are you doing this?” she asked. 
    They answered her question by knocking her over the hood of a blue sub-compact.  She screamed for help, but the undead clawed at her.  Her arms flailed and beat at her attackers. 
    She screamed in agony; everyone watching viewed the woman’s detached leg hoisted into the air by the dead.  Dozens of hands momentarily pawed at the flesh until they realized it was no longer part of the living.
    A new reality dawned upon the watching crowd.  They ran in horror, leaving their own wake of carnage and devastation in their bid for survival.
    Donna ran two blocks North, then down a side street.  There were two men fighting in front of an open car door.  The vehicle sat at the edge of traffic and looked like it could make it out to the open street behind it.  The men were fighting for the car.
    Thinking she might also be trying to take the car, one of the men turned on Donna and punched her hard in the face.  She fell to the ground.  Blackness filled her vision.
    The other man pulled a knife on Donna’s attacker and stabbed him repeatedly in the chest.  He jumped in the car and drove off. 
    A nearby couple had seen Donna get attacked and went to her aid. Donna’s eyes rolled, semi-conscious.  They picked her up and carried her half a block where they found people piling into a red pickup.  The couple managed to pass her off to the people in the bed of the truck.
    On the corner behind the couple, the undead emerged.  The driver of the pickup truck hit the gas before the couple had a chance to get in.  They couple ran for their lives trying to catch up.  “Wait you bastards,” the man screamed at the truck.
    Inside the truck, the driver asked the other passengers, “Do you think she could be one of those fucking crazy people?”  No one answered.  They had all seen people who appeared injured attacking other people.
    The driver slammed on the breaks bringing the truck to a stop. They placed Donna next to a dumpster along the sidewalk.  They sped off, leaving Donna knocked out. The dark held no peace for her.  She dreamed of a naked Deputy Rodgers, blood smeared across his chest, coming after her.
    More than an hour passed while Donna lay there.  She heard a voice asking the same question again and again.  It slowly brought her back to reality.
A pair of dark eyes asked her, “Did they bite you?”  
“I, ahhh, no they didn’t,” she heard her own voice mumble.
    Donna’s vision blurred again, and darkness threatened to overtake her.  She felt sore all over and tasted the tinge of blood in her mouth. 
    “Do you know what is going on?” the man asked. 
    Donna’s head spun while the man tried to keep her awake by talking to her.  She noticed wetness from what must be tears falling down her face.  Her mouth felt dry.  “I was at the court house and had just returned from my lunch break…,” Donna told him her story.
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    Jack listened to her; he could see her regain some of her composure.  Each word seemed to help her back from the abyss of a confused mind.  When she finished talking, he offered his hand.  "I'm Jack Cotta.  What's your name?" 
    "Donna Greco," she said.  "Where am I?"
    "I was driving back from the YMCA and saw some women attacking an old man,” Jack said.  “I