Read Online The Darkening (A Zombie Awakening) by Cynthia Melton - Free Book Online
Authors: Cynthia Melton
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teenager , and she wanted to have the life of one. It wasn’t fair.
She folded her arms and rested her head. Exhaustion spread through her like a fog. She was tired, that was all. If she got some sleep, she’d feel better. Maybe she could forget the sight of the axe sticking out of a woman’s head. The thick dark blood. The stench of rot and death. The pain that went up her arm from the hardness of the woman’s skull.
No wonder Colton threw up. Walking dead or not, the woman had once been breathing, maybe somebody’s mother.
The plague had to have started with someone. If it was airborne then wouldn’t everyone have it? Or did it infect the people close to whatever facility had been destroyed and those people bit others? None of it made any sense.
“Did your mom get eaten?” Junior dropped onto the seat across from her.
Surprised at his finally speaking to her, Chalice stared at him for a moment before saying anything . His almost black eyes and coffee-colored skin contrasted with the retro pumpkin color of the seat. He was a cute kid with bright eyes and teeth that shown against his dark skin. Too bad he couldn’t enjoy being a kid.
Chalice shook her head. “No, she got hit with a meteor. There weren’t any zombies yet.” She didn’t think, anyway. She pushed aside the image of a charred woman coming out of her house. “What about yours?”
Tears filled his eyes. “We lived down by the river ‘cause Daddy thought we’d be safe there. Away from people. We though t zombies were only in the movies and that the sickness the government talked about was not as bad as they said it would be.” He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “They came while we was fishing. One bit Mama’s face, then Daddy threw me and Sissy in the river before he picked up a big stick. Good thing we could swim, huh?”
“A really good thing.” Chalice cried with him, taking both his hands in hers. “I’m really glad you’re with us.”
“Sissy’s scared.”
Chalice was, too. Very scared. “That’s okay. We’ll all take care of each other.”
“We have a problem!” Colton slowed the vehicle.
Chalice made her way to the front passenger seat and stared out the window. The Arkansas State line was blocked with every type of vehicle imaginable, and wandering in a nearby pasture was at least twenty zombies, stumbling around like blind cattle.
Chapter 8
“What do we do?” Chalice plopped in the passenger seat. “We can’t walk around that herd and barreling through all these cars might do more damage to the motor home than we can afford.”
“We don’t have a choice but to go through.” Colton glanced over his shoulder. “Tell everyone to buckle their seatbelts. Those things have seen us , and they’re coming.”
Hanna screamed and lay flat on one of the benches beside the table. Sissy dove under the bed covers. Junior was the only one who followed directions by sitting and buckling himself in. Mychal stood at the window, bow ready.
“Don’t waste your arrows,” Chalice told him. “We can’t retrieve them.”
“Gun?” He asked.
“Not unless we have to. Bullets are precious.” Chalice buckled her belt. “Get something to stab them in the head with.”
The ride was about to get bumpy. Already the chilling groans of the zombies were drifting through the window Mychal had rolled down an inch. Soon, they’d be pounding on the sides of the motor home with their dead hands.
“Are zombies smart enough to open doors?” She had no
She folded her arms and rested her head. Exhaustion spread through her like a fog. She was tired, that was all. If she got some sleep, she’d feel better. Maybe she could forget the sight of the axe sticking out of a woman’s head. The thick dark blood. The stench of rot and death. The pain that went up her arm from the hardness of the woman’s skull.
No wonder Colton threw up. Walking dead or not, the woman had once been breathing, maybe somebody’s mother.
The plague had to have started with someone. If it was airborne then wouldn’t everyone have it? Or did it infect the people close to whatever facility had been destroyed and those people bit others? None of it made any sense.
“Did your mom get eaten?” Junior dropped onto the seat across from her.
Surprised at his finally speaking to her, Chalice stared at him for a moment before saying anything . His almost black eyes and coffee-colored skin contrasted with the retro pumpkin color of the seat. He was a cute kid with bright eyes and teeth that shown against his dark skin. Too bad he couldn’t enjoy being a kid.
Chalice shook her head. “No, she got hit with a meteor. There weren’t any zombies yet.” She didn’t think, anyway. She pushed aside the image of a charred woman coming out of her house. “What about yours?”
Tears filled his eyes. “We lived down by the river ‘cause Daddy thought we’d be safe there. Away from people. We though t zombies were only in the movies and that the sickness the government talked about was not as bad as they said it would be.” He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “They came while we was fishing. One bit Mama’s face, then Daddy threw me and Sissy in the river before he picked up a big stick. Good thing we could swim, huh?”
“A really good thing.” Chalice cried with him, taking both his hands in hers. “I’m really glad you’re with us.”
“Sissy’s scared.”
Chalice was, too. Very scared. “That’s okay. We’ll all take care of each other.”
“We have a problem!” Colton slowed the vehicle.
Chalice made her way to the front passenger seat and stared out the window. The Arkansas State line was blocked with every type of vehicle imaginable, and wandering in a nearby pasture was at least twenty zombies, stumbling around like blind cattle.
Chapter 8
“What do we do?” Chalice plopped in the passenger seat. “We can’t walk around that herd and barreling through all these cars might do more damage to the motor home than we can afford.”
“We don’t have a choice but to go through.” Colton glanced over his shoulder. “Tell everyone to buckle their seatbelts. Those things have seen us , and they’re coming.”
Hanna screamed and lay flat on one of the benches beside the table. Sissy dove under the bed covers. Junior was the only one who followed directions by sitting and buckling himself in. Mychal stood at the window, bow ready.
“Don’t waste your arrows,” Chalice told him. “We can’t retrieve them.”
“Gun?” He asked.
“Not unless we have to. Bullets are precious.” Chalice buckled her belt. “Get something to stab them in the head with.”
The ride was about to get bumpy. Already the chilling groans of the zombies were drifting through the window Mychal had rolled down an inch. Soon, they’d be pounding on the sides of the motor home with their dead hands.
“Are zombies smart enough to open doors?” She had no
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