Read Online Epidemic of the Undead: A Zombie Novel by P. A. Douglas - Free Book Online

was one of the last ones on the block.   
    Stephanie killed the engine and started to get out. The door latch clicked, breaking the silence. “Wait, wait a second.” Chris reached up and pulled her back into the seat by the shoulder.
    “What?” She looked around in the night for possible threats, but saw nothing.
    “I don’t know if you noticed, but those things are attracted to sound,” he said.
    “Yeah, so? We just need to be extra quiet,” Steve said, picking up the bat from the floorboard.
    “No, you don’t get it. Any noise at all could attract attention for blocks. You guys saw what happened at the gas station. When we went in the store, the streets were mostly clear. It wasn’t until those stupid rednecks showed up that things got crowded.”
    “So, what? Note to self, don’t go shouting and shooting,” Stephanie said, as she started to get out again.
    “Look, that’s not what I’m saying at all here. I’m talking about the car,” Chris continued. Steve and Stephanie just looked back at him trying to understand the point. “I would just feel better about staying here tonight if nothing, not anyone, dead or alive knew that we were in there.” Chris pointed across the front seats at the dark house. “I just think it would be a smart idea to park the car somewhere else. The sound of the engine and your headlights could have already given us away.”
    Stephanie looked in her side mirrors, hoping that wasn’t the case. She didn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything there. “Well, how far are we talking then?”
    “I don’t know. Two blocks at best. If they really are attracted to sound, I say we give ‘em a show. Possibly draw them away from the house. Then, God willing, we sneak away unnoticed. Any attention we would be getting would be blocks away.”
    “Dude, that’s freaking brilliant. I knew I was keeping you around for something,” Steve said.
    “I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell would feel better about things,” Chris smiled. “And no, you’ve been keeping me around because I’m the one who gets us shows, remember?”   
    “This is true,” Steve agreed.
    “All right, then. Let’s get this show on the road. I’m driving!” Chris got out of the car. It wasn’t until he stood to his feet that he remembered his throbbing head. The pain shot from his knees and up his back, like a swift kick to the face, and he almost fell.
    “You all right?” Stephanie asked, while getting out of the car, the keys still in the ignition.
    “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just stood up too fast,” he said while swapping places. “My head still hurts pretty bad.”
    Steve looked at Stephanie with a raised brow. “He had it coming.”
    She smirked.
    The engine cranked to life and its high beams lit up the house in front of them. Chris turned the car around, laid on the horn, and slowly cruised down the street. It took less than a minute for the zombies to start trickling out from behind houses, bushes, and backyards. The car’s light showed their grotesque and mutilated features, burning the images forever in the back of Chris’ mind.
    “What the hell are you waiting for, man. Let’s jet!” Steve shouted.
    Chris’ grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Just give it a second.”
    As soon as he said that, a zombie reached out and slapped the hood of the car. It was a female wearing a white nightgown now stained with dirt and ash. She snarled wide showing missing teeth. One eye had burst from its socket and was hanging limp at the cheek by rancid tissue. The other eye was missing. The nightgown had a bone jutting out the back and a trail of blood ran down her legs. As she pounded relentlessly to get inside the car, her fingers twisted and broke.
    Chris noticed her hands. He was amazed how relentless she was in her pursuit of fresh meat. Without the sense of pain, she would scratch at the metal until all her fingers broke off. It made him feel sick to the