Life After The Undead (Book 1) (11 page)

Mom
gunned
the
ATV
and
headed
into
the
complex.
Just
inside
the
gate,
she
stopped
and
took
off
her
helmet. She
swung
her leg
over
the
ATV,
placing
the
helmet
on
the
handlebars. She
glanced
at
the
bodies
closest
to
her
before calling
loudly.

“Charlie!”
she
yelled.
She
stepped
deeper
into
the
complex
and
examined
a
few
more
bodies.
“Charlie!”
 
Desperation
entered
her
voice
and
she
spun
around,
calling
his
name.

I
remained
at
the
four wheeler
and
removed
my
helmet.
I
stood
on
the
seat,
scanning
the
area,
the
rifle
ready
to
fire.
My
stomach
was
in
knots,
and
my
palms
were
sweating.
Mom had
ventured
even
farther
into
the
complex,
still
calling
Dad’s
name.

I
wanted
to
call
her
back,
make
her
leave,
but
a
voice
at
the
back
of
my
brain
told
me it
was
pointless. She
had
to
see
for
herself,
figure
it out
on
her
own,
that
Dad
wasn
’t
coming
back.
Movement
caught
the
corner
of
my
eye,
and
I
turned
to
the
building
on
my
right.
I
stared
into
the
blackness
and
strained
my
ears.
Nothing, but
I
couldn
’t
shake
the
feeling
that
something
was
there,
that
something watched
me.
I
was
about
to
turn
away
when
a
pinpoint
of
light
caught
my
attention.
My
breath
caught.
I
brought
the
rifle
up
to
my
shoulder
and
lined
up
the
sights.
The
light
moved,
first
to
the
right,
then
straight
for me.
A
soft
hissing
sound
that
turned
into
a
low
moan
echoed
from
the
blackness.
My
breathing
came in rasps
and
all
the
muscles
in
my
body
stiffened.

When
the
zombie
stepped
into
the
sun,
I
almost
fell
off
the
four wheeler.
I
squeezed
the
trigger
on
the
rifle,
but
the
shot
sailed
into
the
air.
I
jumped
down
and
steadied myself
on
the
ground,
raising
my
weapon.
The
bullet
caught
the
zombie
in
the
midsection,
but
it
didn
’t
fall.
I
climbed
onto
the
four
wheeler
and
turned
it
on.
I
scanned
the
area
for
Mom
and
found
her a
hundred
yards
to
my
left.
How
did
she
get
so
far
so
fast?
She
gazed
into
a
burned
-
out
building,
still
calling
Dad’s
name.
I
was
about
to
accelerate
toward
her
when
she
staggered
away.
She
tried
to
raise
her
rifle,
but
she
didn
’t
make
it in
time.
She
fell
to
the
ground
as
three
half-
charred
zombies
limped
out
of
the
doorway.

“Mom!”
I
pushed
the
throttle.

Mom
scuttled away
from
the
undead
and
then
got
to
her
feet.
She
turned
to
meet
me,
but
five
more
zombies
stepped
out
from another
building and
encircled
her,
slowly
closing
the
ranks. She
fired
a few
shots at
the
menace,
and
a
couple
went
down,
but
now
close to
twenty
were
closing
on her
position.
One
of
them
grabbed
her hair
from behind,
and
she
was
lucky
enough
to
duck
out
of
the
way
before
getting
bitten,
but
the
creature
was
too
close
to
shoot.
She
swung
the
butt
of
the
gun
around
and
knocked
off
the
man
’s
lower
jaw.
Blood
and
teeth
sprayed
into
her
face,
temporarily
blinding
her
and
allowing
the
undead
to
get
closer.
Mom
blinked
and
wiped
her
eyes.
Several
others
were
now
within
an
arm
’s
length.
She
couldn
’t
get
away.
The
creature
closest
to
her
sunk its
top
teeth
into
her
forearm.
She
yelped
and
pushed
him
away.

“Go!” she
yelled.
“Get
out
of
here!”

“Mom!
I
won
’t
leave
you.”
I
was
close,
very
close,
and
several
zombies
knew
it.
They
turned
and
headed
toward
me.

A
zombie
grabbed
the
back
of
Mom
’s
hair
and
chomped
down
on
her
shoulder. She
screamed
in
pain
and
tried
to
wiggle
out
of
the
creatu
re’s
grasp.
Another
grabbed
her
leg
and
took
a bite
out
of
her
thigh.
I
stopped
the
four wheeler
and
raised
my
gun.
I
fired
several
shots,
but
they
all
missed
their
targets.
A
creature
with
missing
legs
that
pulled
itself
along
the
ground
grabbed
my
shoe. I
screamed
and
aimed
the
gun.
The
thing
’s
head
exploded,
covering
my face in
brain
matter.
I
glanced
up
and
noticed
another
one
directly
in front
of
me,
its arms
extended
and
mouth
snapping open
and
shut.
I
aimed
and
pulled
the
trigger.
The
gun
clicked
empty.
I threw
the
rifle
onto
the
ground
and
glanced
back
at
Mom.
Five
zombies
had
a
hold
of
her
and
pulled
her
down. She
struggled
and
fought
against
them,
but
it
was
a
losing
battle.