Read Online Z-Burbia 3: Estate Of The Dead by Jake Bible - Free Book Online
Authors: Jake Bible
Ads: Link
But as we turn onto Long Shoals Rd and get about a quarter mile along we see just how wrong all of our expectations are.
“Oh , my God,” Brenda says, her voice small and childlike, not like her usual bitch bluster.
“I’ll second that,” I say. It’s probably the first (and last) time I ’ll ever agree with Brenda Kelly again.
The road is swarmed. It’s shoulder to shoulder covered with Zs. They are packed so tight I don’t know where one ends and another begins.
Melissa slams on the brakes, which normally would have elicited protests from anyone riding in the truck bed. This time there’s only stunned silence as we all look at the wall of undead before us.
Then it turns, that wall of undead, almost as one. And looks right at us.
“Move,” I whisper.
Melissa keeps staring ahead, her hands gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles pop.
“Mel,” I say, my voice a little stronger , “get us out of here.”
“What about the plant?” she asks as she’s already shifting into reverse.
“The plant’s lost,” I say, “just go.”
“We’re going to leave them?” Mindy asks.
My guess is she’s thinking out loud. There’s no way, not with the number of Zs we are staring at, that anyone can possibly think we have a chance of getting through to the power plant. And even if we did, then what? We get trapped along with Shumway and his crew?
It’s over.
“It’s over,” I say. “Back to Whispering Pines. Back home. Now.”
I look behind us and see Stuart, Julio, and the PCs all crouched down in the truck bed, ready for what comes next. Which is Melissa speeding backwards and then hitting the brakes and cranking on the wheel. The truck spins about and we are pointing towards Hendersonville Rd once more.
None of us say a thing as we speed away from the power plant. There’s nothing we can say or nothing we want to say. Better to internalize what just happened and lock it away deep down for a while.
Better to just get home and then figure it all out.
Chapter Three
“Holy fuck,” Melissa grunts as she stops the truck.
“I don’t think your daddy would approve of that language,” I say. She gives me a look and I shut up.
“That must be the horde from the steakhouse,” Mindy says. “Right?”
“No,” I say, pointing, “see the overpass? They’re dropping down from I-40. Look at them all.”
We do.
A banging on top of the cab pulls us all out of our shock. The back window slides open.
“As fascinating as this is,” Stuart snaps , “we need to haul ass out of here.”
“Where?” Melissa asks, looking over her shoulder at him. “We can’t go back.”
“We go left,” Julio says.
“That’s just medical offices and shit,” I say , “there’s no road there.
“Don’t need a road,” Julio says , “just need to get moving.”
“What’s on the other side?” Melissa asks.
“The Biltmore,” I say. I give Stuart and Julio a hard look. “You want us to go onto the Biltmore grounds? It’s covered with Zs!”
“True,” Stuart nods , “but we think there’s a trick to that.”
“There is,” Elsbeth says , “they’re right. We should go there. Maybe the girls will help us.”
“The girls?” I ask. “The ones you’ve been following? How do we know they’re not going to kill us and eat us?”
Elsbeth glares. “Why? Because I was a canny, you think they are? You’re a bigot.”
“I’m not a bigot,” I snap. “ I’m just being cautious. We don’t know shit about...”
“We have no time for this!” Stuart shouts. “They’re getting closer! Mel, punch it and get us up that hill and towards the Biltmore!”
Melissa turns the wheel and aims for the drive that leads up to a huge parking lot for the medical office complex at the top of the hill. We drive parallel with I-40 and as we climb the hill, we can see more and more of what we are up against.
Hundreds of Zs.
No, no, let me back up because that’s just my fear trying to
“Oh , my God,” Brenda says, her voice small and childlike, not like her usual bitch bluster.
“I’ll second that,” I say. It’s probably the first (and last) time I ’ll ever agree with Brenda Kelly again.
The road is swarmed. It’s shoulder to shoulder covered with Zs. They are packed so tight I don’t know where one ends and another begins.
Melissa slams on the brakes, which normally would have elicited protests from anyone riding in the truck bed. This time there’s only stunned silence as we all look at the wall of undead before us.
Then it turns, that wall of undead, almost as one. And looks right at us.
“Move,” I whisper.
Melissa keeps staring ahead, her hands gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles pop.
“Mel,” I say, my voice a little stronger , “get us out of here.”
“What about the plant?” she asks as she’s already shifting into reverse.
“The plant’s lost,” I say, “just go.”
“We’re going to leave them?” Mindy asks.
My guess is she’s thinking out loud. There’s no way, not with the number of Zs we are staring at, that anyone can possibly think we have a chance of getting through to the power plant. And even if we did, then what? We get trapped along with Shumway and his crew?
It’s over.
“It’s over,” I say. “Back to Whispering Pines. Back home. Now.”
I look behind us and see Stuart, Julio, and the PCs all crouched down in the truck bed, ready for what comes next. Which is Melissa speeding backwards and then hitting the brakes and cranking on the wheel. The truck spins about and we are pointing towards Hendersonville Rd once more.
None of us say a thing as we speed away from the power plant. There’s nothing we can say or nothing we want to say. Better to internalize what just happened and lock it away deep down for a while.
Better to just get home and then figure it all out.
Chapter Three
“Holy fuck,” Melissa grunts as she stops the truck.
“I don’t think your daddy would approve of that language,” I say. She gives me a look and I shut up.
“That must be the horde from the steakhouse,” Mindy says. “Right?”
“No,” I say, pointing, “see the overpass? They’re dropping down from I-40. Look at them all.”
We do.
A banging on top of the cab pulls us all out of our shock. The back window slides open.
“As fascinating as this is,” Stuart snaps , “we need to haul ass out of here.”
“Where?” Melissa asks, looking over her shoulder at him. “We can’t go back.”
“We go left,” Julio says.
“That’s just medical offices and shit,” I say , “there’s no road there.
“Don’t need a road,” Julio says , “just need to get moving.”
“What’s on the other side?” Melissa asks.
“The Biltmore,” I say. I give Stuart and Julio a hard look. “You want us to go onto the Biltmore grounds? It’s covered with Zs!”
“True,” Stuart nods , “but we think there’s a trick to that.”
“There is,” Elsbeth says , “they’re right. We should go there. Maybe the girls will help us.”
“The girls?” I ask. “The ones you’ve been following? How do we know they’re not going to kill us and eat us?”
Elsbeth glares. “Why? Because I was a canny, you think they are? You’re a bigot.”
“I’m not a bigot,” I snap. “ I’m just being cautious. We don’t know shit about...”
“We have no time for this!” Stuart shouts. “They’re getting closer! Mel, punch it and get us up that hill and towards the Biltmore!”
Melissa turns the wheel and aims for the drive that leads up to a huge parking lot for the medical office complex at the top of the hill. We drive parallel with I-40 and as we climb the hill, we can see more and more of what we are up against.
Hundreds of Zs.
No, no, let me back up because that’s just my fear trying to
Similar Books
