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Authors: C. Dulaney
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retired nurse and had tended to both their injuries after the fight. Ben was still amazed at how quickly she was recovering. She had even made it through the burial without a hitch. He was beginning to see where Jake got his personality from.
“Ok, I better get out there and make sure they’re playing nicely.” He set his coffee cup in the sink and was headed for the door.
“Yes, Ben, thank you. And tell them breakfast is ready. By the time you get back, it’ll be on the table,” Nancy said. She turned to Kyra as Ben shut the door. “I’ll make a cook out of you yet, girl.” She grinned and patted Kyra on the shoulder as the younger woman dumped the eggs into the skillet.
“Oh, you will try,” Kyra grinned back and bumped Nancy with her hip. The kitchen filled with laughter as the two carried on, shoving their fear to the back burner.
* * *
Ben stood in the front yard trying to see through the thick fog that blanketed the valley. The grass was wet from the early morning dew and the temperature had dropped sharply. He thought about going back inside for a jacket, and then decided against it. He wanted to find the others. He glanced at Bill’s truck as he passed by, chuckling at the way the tarp resembled a giant blue marshmallow. Before calling Kasey the night before, he had helped the others load everything they might need for the road trip into the back of the truck, then helped cover it with a tarp and secure it with bungee cords.
He strained his eyes trying to find the guys through the dense mist. He knew he couldn’t call out to them (any sound might alert any nasties nearby), so he walked on. He didn’t like not being able to see, but he could hear just fine. And what he heard was nothing. He stopped at the bottom of the sloping bank behind the house. He guessed the guys would have gone this way since it led to the closest neighbor. He tilted his head and listened again. No birds, but in the distance there was what he thought sounded like a low humming.
Puzzled, he continued up the rolling landscape. He slipped a couple of times in the wet grass and had to bite his lip to keep from swearing. He couldn’t see any farther than a few feet ahead of him and nearly tromped on Zack’s feet when he neared the crest of the hill.
He dropped to his knees and felt a leg, then a hand closed around his wrist and pulled him to the ground.
“Shh,” Jake whispered urgently into his ear. Ben turned his head and could see his friend clearly, lying on his belly beside him. Next to Jake was Mike, and on Ben’s other side was Zack. They were all staring ahead, their eyes focused on something at the bottom of the hill. The sun had started to burn off the fog on this side, and the view of the valley was beautiful. Ben’s eyes slowly lowered until he saw what the others were looking at. It was decidedly not beautiful. In fact, it was terrifying. He inhaled sharply and grabbed Jake’s arm, nearly causing him to drop the binoculars he was using. Jake made a face and narrowed his eyes at Ben before turning his attention back to the neighbor’s house.
The low humming Ben had heard was the sound of tens of dozens of zombies, all moaning in unison as they converged around the double-wide trailer below. He noticed they were trickling in from the direction of the highway, and he was suddenly struck with panic. If they could surround that house so quickly, what was stopping them from finding Nancy’s?
They watched as the undead broke through windows and stumbled inside, some tripping over their own intestines. The occupants began screaming as they were torn apart and eaten alive. Finally the door gave in and a pile of zombies fell inside, with more tumbling in over them. Ben shut his eyes but couldn’t drown out the moans and screams.
Jake tapped his shoulder and motioned for them to move back. Just as the four had begun wiggling their way backwards down the hill, Mike sneezed. Not a prissy little sneeze either,
“Ok, I better get out there and make sure they’re playing nicely.” He set his coffee cup in the sink and was headed for the door.
“Yes, Ben, thank you. And tell them breakfast is ready. By the time you get back, it’ll be on the table,” Nancy said. She turned to Kyra as Ben shut the door. “I’ll make a cook out of you yet, girl.” She grinned and patted Kyra on the shoulder as the younger woman dumped the eggs into the skillet.
“Oh, you will try,” Kyra grinned back and bumped Nancy with her hip. The kitchen filled with laughter as the two carried on, shoving their fear to the back burner.
* * *
Ben stood in the front yard trying to see through the thick fog that blanketed the valley. The grass was wet from the early morning dew and the temperature had dropped sharply. He thought about going back inside for a jacket, and then decided against it. He wanted to find the others. He glanced at Bill’s truck as he passed by, chuckling at the way the tarp resembled a giant blue marshmallow. Before calling Kasey the night before, he had helped the others load everything they might need for the road trip into the back of the truck, then helped cover it with a tarp and secure it with bungee cords.
He strained his eyes trying to find the guys through the dense mist. He knew he couldn’t call out to them (any sound might alert any nasties nearby), so he walked on. He didn’t like not being able to see, but he could hear just fine. And what he heard was nothing. He stopped at the bottom of the sloping bank behind the house. He guessed the guys would have gone this way since it led to the closest neighbor. He tilted his head and listened again. No birds, but in the distance there was what he thought sounded like a low humming.
Puzzled, he continued up the rolling landscape. He slipped a couple of times in the wet grass and had to bite his lip to keep from swearing. He couldn’t see any farther than a few feet ahead of him and nearly tromped on Zack’s feet when he neared the crest of the hill.
He dropped to his knees and felt a leg, then a hand closed around his wrist and pulled him to the ground.
“Shh,” Jake whispered urgently into his ear. Ben turned his head and could see his friend clearly, lying on his belly beside him. Next to Jake was Mike, and on Ben’s other side was Zack. They were all staring ahead, their eyes focused on something at the bottom of the hill. The sun had started to burn off the fog on this side, and the view of the valley was beautiful. Ben’s eyes slowly lowered until he saw what the others were looking at. It was decidedly not beautiful. In fact, it was terrifying. He inhaled sharply and grabbed Jake’s arm, nearly causing him to drop the binoculars he was using. Jake made a face and narrowed his eyes at Ben before turning his attention back to the neighbor’s house.
The low humming Ben had heard was the sound of tens of dozens of zombies, all moaning in unison as they converged around the double-wide trailer below. He noticed they were trickling in from the direction of the highway, and he was suddenly struck with panic. If they could surround that house so quickly, what was stopping them from finding Nancy’s?
They watched as the undead broke through windows and stumbled inside, some tripping over their own intestines. The occupants began screaming as they were torn apart and eaten alive. Finally the door gave in and a pile of zombies fell inside, with more tumbling in over them. Ben shut his eyes but couldn’t drown out the moans and screams.
Jake tapped his shoulder and motioned for them to move back. Just as the four had begun wiggling their way backwards down the hill, Mike sneezed. Not a prissy little sneeze either,
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