White Ash on Bone: A Zombie Novel Read Free Page B

there was the pain from the bruises, scrapes, and general abuse that her body had undergone.
    "It’s clearing up out there,” Jack said. “We should go."
    Donna felt fear surge in her, she felt like she was going to vomit where she stood.  Jack grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out the door. 
    Each step sent a jolt of pain through her legs and feet as they approached Jack’s car.  Under normal conditions, Donna's injuries would have slowed her down, but fear and adrenaline drove her on. 
    As they reached the car, the bartender came around the corner.  The side of his entire face was chewed off as well as a large section of his right arm.  Bone showed through in many places, and a low moan emanated from him as he lurched forward toward his prey. 
    Jack kicked the bartender square in the chest and sent him sprawling backwards. 
    Donna managed to open the door just in time for Jack to shove her unceremoniously inside.  Not wasting time to go for the other side, Jack jumped in behind her and climbed over to the driver seat.
    His key stabbed at the ignition a couple of times before plunging into the hole. Jack fired the ignition.  Donna saw the bartender get up as Jack dropped the vehicle into drive. 
    The bartender managed to get his face right next to Donna's window before Jack pealed tire and launched the vehicle away from the creature.
    After six blocks and a few turns, they arrived at Jack’s house.  He owned a three story brick home on a corner lot; it had a fenced-in back yard along a side alley. 
    Faced with the turmoil of events, the area was quiet and free of activity.  Jack led her inside and locked the door behind them.  "Here’s the plan,” he said.  “Those things might try and smash through a window.  My house has a few weak spots on the ground floor, but I don’t think they have the coordination to climb up to the second story. I have some wood in the basement, and we can utilize some closet doors from upstairs to cover the windows."
    Jack reached into a kitchen cabinet and produced a pistol, "Just in case we have guests." 
    After he loaded the weapon and secured it to his hip, he redirected his attention to Donna.  "Listen, I need you to try the phones, TV, anything; but don’t make too much noise, or open the blinds."  He raced down the steps to the basement leaving Donna alone.
    She tried the phone first.  The line was dead.  The TV was working, and there was news on a Pittsburgh station; but it only said that some kind of incident was going on in Butler, and news crews were en route.
    Jack emerged from the basement carrying boards, "Did you find out anything?"
    "No," she said, "just that they have news choppers on the way."
    "Check the internet," he said. "I have a computer up on the third floor."
    It took less than twenty minutes for Jack to produce five doors from closets and bedrooms on the upper floors.  He quietly placed each in position near a window or door.  It took another half hour for him to bolt the doors over the three windows from the inside and reinforce the doors.
    By that time, the television was broadcasting images from a news chopper over Butler.  It showed pictures of complete carnage in the streets.  Mostly the footage showed groups of people surrounding cars or trucks stuck in gridlock. People were slowly pounding their way into the vehicles.  They watched people being pulled out of cars or trucks and torn to pieces.
    “This is news chopper 10 reporting over the City of Butler, North of Pittsburgh.  Earlier, there were reports of some type of civil unrest in the downtown area of Butler.  From what we can see, there appears to be some kind of rioting taking place in the streets.  It looks as if traffic has come to a standstill in many areas.  In fact, there appears to be multiple car wrecks throughout the city.  For those of you watching this footage, I have no explanation for what might be causing such turmoil in the- my god did you see