Read Online Zombies! Rising from the Dead by Richard Palmer - Free Book Online
Authors: Richard Palmer
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a few minutes from Rick's when we came across another heart wrenching sight, and it's one of the few i ncidents that have stuck with me to this very day.
Walking on the side of the road was a large, port ly woman wearing a long gown. The type of gown that isn't exactly a dress , but more akin to pajamas. We knew immediately who it was as she was a fa miliar sight on our road. It was Mrs. Martinez, a sweet old lady somewhere in her mid-sixties. I would drive by on my way to work and she would always be out in her garden. She would always take the time to stop and wave as I drove by. She was the classic grandmother type, heavy-set, sweet and cheerful. The kind of grandmother you could easily imagine in the kitchen baking sugar cookies for her grandchildren. She had lived alone for many years, her husband Ed having passed away a long time before. Ed was a kindly man, sometimes I would stop and chat with him f rom time to time. They didn't have any family that I knew of, at-least none that ever saw. They seemed to enjoy it when people stopped by to shoot the breeze. They were just good old fashioned people; the world needed more like them.
It seemed odd in light of recent events that she would just be out walking around alone as if nothing was going on. She almost certainly would have heard the news by now, but she was quite old and getting more than a little forgetful in recent years, so I dismissed it.
“Hey,” as I tapped Rick on the shoulder and pointed. “ Isn't that Ms. Martinez? ”
“Yeah, yeah it is, pull up, let’s see if she's okay.” Rick asked.
“ Okay, but let’s just be careful” I said as we approached.
As we neared something about Ms. Martinez didn't seem right. She appeared to be disheveled and had a strange gait to her walk. We got closer, within yards …
As the front of the truck neared we could see that she was covered in blood.
“SHE'S HURT!” Rick hollered.
“No, something isn’t right, man...” I told him.
Then, just as Rick's passenger side window meet up with the old woman she turned and looked at Rick. Her eyes were half rolled back in her head and had a glazed, milky white sheen to them. She was cradling one arm with the other. The reason she was so covered in blood? She had been feeding on herself ; t aking huge chunks out of her own flesh. You could easily see the gaping wounds she had inflicted upon herself; torn shreds of skin, muscle and sinew dangled from the bone, dripping with thick, rich blood which looked as though it was already half congealed. She looked at us through those dead eyes and let out a moan that was part scream, part breathless wheeze.
We didn't wait to see what happened next and Rick didn't have to say anything this time. I slammed on the gas, the force of which threw him back against the seat.
“DAMN IT ! GODDAMMIT ! FUCKK, FUCCKK, FUUUUCCCKKKK!!!!!!!” I screamed as I started pounding the steering wheel. “She never did a goddamned thing toanyone , nobody! This is fucking bullshit!”
It was true, the old woman had never hurt a soul; but that d idn't matter. Whatever this infection, virus or radiation...whatever the hell it was, it didn't take into consideration past deeds whether they be for ill or good, everyone was the same. Young, old, sick, well, dead or living. It didn't matter, it leveled the playing field.
“I know it’s not right ; but there is nothing we can do for her. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't her. She's gone now and that body is just what's left behind. She's with God and now she's not hurting okay?” Rick said trying to comfort me.
We were both religious being raised in Christian homes, even before meeting on those porch steps of the Barkley church. We had both backslid a bit but we never forgot what we learned and how we c ame to know Jesus and were saved by the grace of God. I knew that “thing” wasn't Mrs. Martinez; but to see the soulless monstrosity that had been her up and walking about on the
Walking on the side of the road was a large, port ly woman wearing a long gown. The type of gown that isn't exactly a dress , but more akin to pajamas. We knew immediately who it was as she was a fa miliar sight on our road. It was Mrs. Martinez, a sweet old lady somewhere in her mid-sixties. I would drive by on my way to work and she would always be out in her garden. She would always take the time to stop and wave as I drove by. She was the classic grandmother type, heavy-set, sweet and cheerful. The kind of grandmother you could easily imagine in the kitchen baking sugar cookies for her grandchildren. She had lived alone for many years, her husband Ed having passed away a long time before. Ed was a kindly man, sometimes I would stop and chat with him f rom time to time. They didn't have any family that I knew of, at-least none that ever saw. They seemed to enjoy it when people stopped by to shoot the breeze. They were just good old fashioned people; the world needed more like them.
It seemed odd in light of recent events that she would just be out walking around alone as if nothing was going on. She almost certainly would have heard the news by now, but she was quite old and getting more than a little forgetful in recent years, so I dismissed it.
“Hey,” as I tapped Rick on the shoulder and pointed. “ Isn't that Ms. Martinez? ”
“Yeah, yeah it is, pull up, let’s see if she's okay.” Rick asked.
“ Okay, but let’s just be careful” I said as we approached.
As we neared something about Ms. Martinez didn't seem right. She appeared to be disheveled and had a strange gait to her walk. We got closer, within yards …
As the front of the truck neared we could see that she was covered in blood.
“SHE'S HURT!” Rick hollered.
“No, something isn’t right, man...” I told him.
Then, just as Rick's passenger side window meet up with the old woman she turned and looked at Rick. Her eyes were half rolled back in her head and had a glazed, milky white sheen to them. She was cradling one arm with the other. The reason she was so covered in blood? She had been feeding on herself ; t aking huge chunks out of her own flesh. You could easily see the gaping wounds she had inflicted upon herself; torn shreds of skin, muscle and sinew dangled from the bone, dripping with thick, rich blood which looked as though it was already half congealed. She looked at us through those dead eyes and let out a moan that was part scream, part breathless wheeze.
We didn't wait to see what happened next and Rick didn't have to say anything this time. I slammed on the gas, the force of which threw him back against the seat.
“DAMN IT ! GODDAMMIT ! FUCKK, FUCCKK, FUUUUCCCKKKK!!!!!!!” I screamed as I started pounding the steering wheel. “She never did a goddamned thing toanyone , nobody! This is fucking bullshit!”
It was true, the old woman had never hurt a soul; but that d idn't matter. Whatever this infection, virus or radiation...whatever the hell it was, it didn't take into consideration past deeds whether they be for ill or good, everyone was the same. Young, old, sick, well, dead or living. It didn't matter, it leveled the playing field.
“I know it’s not right ; but there is nothing we can do for her. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't her. She's gone now and that body is just what's left behind. She's with God and now she's not hurting okay?” Rick said trying to comfort me.
We were both religious being raised in Christian homes, even before meeting on those porch steps of the Barkley church. We had both backslid a bit but we never forgot what we learned and how we c ame to know Jesus and were saved by the grace of God. I knew that “thing” wasn't Mrs. Martinez; but to see the soulless monstrosity that had been her up and walking about on the
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