Read Online Wormwood Dawn (Episode V) by Edward Crae - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Edward Crae
Ads: Link
skin being torn away. He cringed, stepping back as the corpse slid out and splatted onto the pavement. The smell was overwhelming.
“Jesus,” he whispered stepping around it to put his right foot into the car.
The corpse reached out and grabbed his ankle. Dan’s heart jumped, and he pulled away just in time. The rotting teeth barely grazed him, and the corpse moaned, rolling over to attempt to drag itself toward him. He poised his knife, shining the flashlight directly into the corpse’s decayed and sunken eyeballs. With a grunt, he thrust downward, stabbing the creature directly in the head. It slumped down, lifeless once more.
Cliff was there right beside him. “You alright, man?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Dan replied. “It’s one of the rotters.”
Cliff examined the body closer, groaning at the smell. “Yeah, man. No fungus or anything.”
Dan looked around, seeing Drew a ways away shining his flashlight in Dan’s direction. Dan gave him a thumbs up.
“Something new is happening,” Cliff said.
“Yeah, the preacher back at the church must have been right after all.”
“That horde smelled like rotting corpses instead of fungus,” Cliff said.
Dan nodded, shining the light back into the car. The seat was covered in gore—flesh that had decayed and melted from the heat and time. The keys were in the ignition, but Dan felt no desire to sit down. He reached in, turning them to the accessory position, and then stepped on the brake to put the car into neutral.
He and Cliff pushed the car to the side, seeing Drew standing there when they turned around. He held a crossbow in his hands, flashing a grin.
“Look what I found,” he said. “Two arrows, too.”
“You know how to shoot one of those?” Cliff asked.
A shuffling sound caught their attention. The three of them turned, and Dan shined his flashlight into the shadows. A rotting corpse appeared from in between two cars. Drew set the crossbow on the pavement, stomping the brace to cock it. He raised the crossbow and loaded an arrow, taking careful aim. The crossbow clicked and the arrow instantly fixated the corpse right in the forehead. It fell with a groan.
“Nice job,” Dan said. “Now get your arrow back.”
“There’s some deadies in this motherfucker,” Cliff said. “We should probably just find a way to roll through.”
Dan heard the squish of Drew’s arrow being retrieved. Drew stood and turned to them.
“The cars are spaced pretty far apart from here on out,” he said. “Let’s move up, at least.”
They returned to the Hummer, and Drew began inching forward through the maze. Most of them were full of bodies, likely ready to pounce on them if they opened the doors. From the corner of his eyes, Dan swore he could see some movement among the bodies on the ground. He ignored them for the most part, knowing they were relatively safe inside the vehicle.
As they rolled on, however, the smell became more and more overwhelming; almost to the point of triggering a gag reflex. Drew stopped, turning on the high beams. Ahead, there was a bus blocking the way, parked diagonally across the road. The only way around it was a treacherous path to its front, barely wide enough for the Hummer to slide through.
“I’m goin’ around,” Drew said.
He maneuvered left, slowly going over the embankment. Dan kept his eyes out his window as they approached, watching for any movement near the bus. He heard the driver’s side panel scrape against the sandstone walls, and gritted his teeth as they squeezed through.
“Careful with the paint job,” he joked. “That took us a whole ten minutes.”
The driver’s side mirror snapped off, and Drew chuckled. “Oops.”
“Hey,” Cliff said from the back. “What did you guys do before this?”
Drew grunted a little. “I managed a bar,” he said.
“What about you, Dan?”
Dan snickered. “I managed a buzz, mostly. That’s about it. What about you?”
“Shit,” Cliff said. “I was
“Jesus,” he whispered stepping around it to put his right foot into the car.
The corpse reached out and grabbed his ankle. Dan’s heart jumped, and he pulled away just in time. The rotting teeth barely grazed him, and the corpse moaned, rolling over to attempt to drag itself toward him. He poised his knife, shining the flashlight directly into the corpse’s decayed and sunken eyeballs. With a grunt, he thrust downward, stabbing the creature directly in the head. It slumped down, lifeless once more.
Cliff was there right beside him. “You alright, man?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Dan replied. “It’s one of the rotters.”
Cliff examined the body closer, groaning at the smell. “Yeah, man. No fungus or anything.”
Dan looked around, seeing Drew a ways away shining his flashlight in Dan’s direction. Dan gave him a thumbs up.
“Something new is happening,” Cliff said.
“Yeah, the preacher back at the church must have been right after all.”
“That horde smelled like rotting corpses instead of fungus,” Cliff said.
Dan nodded, shining the light back into the car. The seat was covered in gore—flesh that had decayed and melted from the heat and time. The keys were in the ignition, but Dan felt no desire to sit down. He reached in, turning them to the accessory position, and then stepped on the brake to put the car into neutral.
He and Cliff pushed the car to the side, seeing Drew standing there when they turned around. He held a crossbow in his hands, flashing a grin.
“Look what I found,” he said. “Two arrows, too.”
“You know how to shoot one of those?” Cliff asked.
A shuffling sound caught their attention. The three of them turned, and Dan shined his flashlight into the shadows. A rotting corpse appeared from in between two cars. Drew set the crossbow on the pavement, stomping the brace to cock it. He raised the crossbow and loaded an arrow, taking careful aim. The crossbow clicked and the arrow instantly fixated the corpse right in the forehead. It fell with a groan.
“Nice job,” Dan said. “Now get your arrow back.”
“There’s some deadies in this motherfucker,” Cliff said. “We should probably just find a way to roll through.”
Dan heard the squish of Drew’s arrow being retrieved. Drew stood and turned to them.
“The cars are spaced pretty far apart from here on out,” he said. “Let’s move up, at least.”
They returned to the Hummer, and Drew began inching forward through the maze. Most of them were full of bodies, likely ready to pounce on them if they opened the doors. From the corner of his eyes, Dan swore he could see some movement among the bodies on the ground. He ignored them for the most part, knowing they were relatively safe inside the vehicle.
As they rolled on, however, the smell became more and more overwhelming; almost to the point of triggering a gag reflex. Drew stopped, turning on the high beams. Ahead, there was a bus blocking the way, parked diagonally across the road. The only way around it was a treacherous path to its front, barely wide enough for the Hummer to slide through.
“I’m goin’ around,” Drew said.
He maneuvered left, slowly going over the embankment. Dan kept his eyes out his window as they approached, watching for any movement near the bus. He heard the driver’s side panel scrape against the sandstone walls, and gritted his teeth as they squeezed through.
“Careful with the paint job,” he joked. “That took us a whole ten minutes.”
The driver’s side mirror snapped off, and Drew chuckled. “Oops.”
“Hey,” Cliff said from the back. “What did you guys do before this?”
Drew grunted a little. “I managed a bar,” he said.
“What about you, Dan?”
Dan snickered. “I managed a buzz, mostly. That’s about it. What about you?”
“Shit,” Cliff said. “I was
Similar Books
