Read Online The Afflicted: A Zombie Novel by Russ Watts - Free Book Online Page B

sinking, stinking dead woman off him and got up. The zombie was not dead though, merely incapacitated. Its mouth was gasping like a fish out of water, making blood-curdling gurgling noises. Its arms floundered and caught the dying embers of the fire. Latching onto the alcohol, the fire suddenly swept down Miguel’s mother’s body.
    Evan recoiled as the burning body unsteadily got to its feet. With the poker still sticking out of her head, Miguel’s mother began lumbering toward him, flaming, flailing arms outstretched. The bloody nightgown had shrivelled up exposing the old woman’s crackling, saggy body. Drops of flaming skin fell to the floor, her drooping breasts charred, swinging limply. Evan tried the door but it wouldn’t open.
    “Open it!” Evan shouted, “Now!” He pushed and pulled on the handle.
    Karyn , shocked by the sight of Miguel’s wife approaching them, loosened her grip on the door handle and backtracked down the corridor with George. Evan flung the door open, ready to unleash his vitriol onto Karyn, when he saw Miguel’s prostrate body. Joe and Amane were backing slowly away from the dead woman approaching them. Miguel’s wife, whilst covered in her husband’s blood, looked otherwise almost unharmed. Evan saw bite marks all down her exposed arms. She was shuffling slowly toward them down the narrow corridor, looking at them from one to another, as if choosing her next victim.
    Evan pushed Karyn aside and tried the front door. It rattled in its frame and Evan heaved, throwing it wide-open, sunlight bursting in. Miguel’s advancing dead wife was silhouetted against a backdrop of billowing dust. Behind her, Miguel was clambering to his feet, his head hanging to one side, barely clinging to his lifeless body.
    “Out, now!”
    Needing no further invitation, they all tripped down the front steps after Evan. Evan looked over his shoulder to see Miguel and his wife following them. Outside were more zombies, heading toward them from both ends of the road. Evan didn’t know if they had been alerted by the noise or the scent of fresh blood. Either way, they were here now and had to be dealt with. They were being closed in on from all sides.
    “What the hell do we do now?” Joe was fighting the urge to vomit, adrenalin pumping through his body. Evan quickly scanned around for an escape route. The houses around them looked no safer than the one they had just been in, just broken windows and doors, masses of zombies pouring out. He saw what looked like a large warehouse nearby.
    “Follow me!”
    They ran after him, not knowing where they were going, not caring, just glad to be going somewhere. A policeman appeared from behind a car next to Joe and briefly, Joe dropped his guard, thankful that help was at hand. Then he noticed the policeman was limping. One leg had been brutalised down to the bone and the face wasn’t right either, it looked almost lop-sided. The policeman opened his mouth, showing a limp, swollen, purple, tongue and blood-stained teeth. It lunged and Joe swung his club, knocking the zombie off balance and toppling it over. The policeman’s hands narrowly missed Joe as it fell.
    “Hurry up, they’re getting closer!” George was lagging behind, agog at the advancing dead, his mother running ahead of him now. Joe grabbed George’s hand and dragged him along. George’s feet barely touched the ground.
    “There !” called Amane, pointing to the warehouse. They ran through the car park, past empty trucks and vans, squeezing between the zombies. A metal grill was rolled half-up, leading into a loading bay. It looked quiet, dark, and cool out of the sunlight. As they all ran in under the metal grill, Evan shouted to Joe, “How do we close it?”
    Karyn took George’s hand and hugged him against her chest whilst the others scanned the walls. After what felt like an eternity, Joe found the switch and the metal door began rolling down to the rough concrete floor. The mass of zombies were