Read Online Pandora: A Novel of the Zombie Apocalypse by Richard McCrohan - Free Book Online Page A

military personnel, and bombed the infected who were enclosed within. In most cases, many, many zombies were annihilated this way, but others were now free to travel the countryside, as their prison had been destroyed.
    In many areas of the world, zombies roamed freely. Certain zones were losing all communication with the rest of civilization. Television, telephones, and the Internet still functioned as usual, except in a number of poor third-world countries.
    Jack was sitting despondently in one of the leather easy chairs. Unable to reach Nicole in New York City and very worried about her, he was curled up and halfheartedly munching on an apple. Suddenly his cell phone rang. Scrambling to his feet, he raised it rapidly to his ear. “Nicky?” he asked anxiously.
    “No, it’s me…Tommy,” a male voice roughly responded.
    “Holy shit! Tommy?” Jack shouted happily. “Oh, man, it’s so good to hear your voice.”
    “Likewise, bro.”
    “Are you still in the ’Stan?” Jack asked.
    “Yeah, Jack,” his younger brother answered. “Listen to me. The president is recalling all troops from overseas deployment and bringing us all back to the States. I think they intend to reverse the Posse Comitatus Act and use the forces to augment and then replace the National Guard…at least temporarily.” Tommy paused for a few moments then continued. “We’ve been starting to have firefights with not only insurgents but now with bunches of zombies as well. With the world governments having trouble keeping control, the president is worried that our troops may become trapped at their stations.”
    “Wow,” Jack exclaimed, “but that’s good news. You’ll be back in the States finally.”
    “Right you are,” responded Tommy warmly. “I hear they’re transferring my company to Eglin Air Force Base on the Gulf Coast of Florida to help act as protection for the fighters and bombers there. It’ll be nice to be back in our home state again, bro.”
    “Awesome,” declared his brother. “You’re close to home.”
    “Roger that. Hey, the transports are here. I’ve got to run. I’ll call you again when we get stateside, Doc. Love you, big brother.”
    “You too, little brother.”
    As their brief call ended, Jack sat back, smiling.
Well
, he thought,
finally some good news
.

9
    S ean stood staring agape at the dark stain. His brain couldn’t grasp the fact that his dead father’s body wasn’t where it was supposed to be. He looked around numbly but didn’t see the corpse anywhere.
    “Dad?” he meekly asked.
    Sean wandered into his parents’ dining room. His father was standing on the other side of the big cherry table, facing the window.
    “Dad?” he squeaked.
    His father turned around to face him. Blood from his torn-open throat drenched his polo shirt. With milky-white eyes glaring at his son, he snarled and stepped forward, smacking into the table. The former John Sullivan put his hands on the tabletop and leaned in closer with a vicious, wet, gurgling growl. Blood mixed with saliva hung in long strands from his unshaven chin. He moved sideways and then, toppling a chair, started after his son.
    This woke Sean up from his stupor. He turned and ran back into the living room. There his mother was waiting for him. Lips curled up in what he wasn’t sure was a sneer or a smile, she made a guttural sound deep within her throat. With her intestines hanging down in bloody, purple ropes to her feet, she also came after him. Sean screamed and, dodging around her, ran across the living room and into the kitchen area. He came to an abrupt halt, turned, and spun the kitchen table around, pushing it into the doorway he had just come through. It slammed intothe doorjamb just as both of his parents appeared. Snarling fiercely, his father tried ferociously to push the table away. Sean used this time to turn and run to the dining room. Still hearing his father’s frustrated growls, he ran into the living room, heading for the