Dead World (Book 2): Headed North by Jacob Mollohan Page B

that such a place should be so empty but he walks around with no particular direction for a long while.
    Turning left and then right and walking with an aimless goal. After a while he comes to a room. It is empty save for a nurse who stands in the corner. He recoils at the sight of her. Her face is destroyed and blood coats her scrubs. So much blood. He takes an involuntary step back as the nurse thing moans. The name tag is barely recognizable but he sees “Ashley” in friendly bold lettering.
    Then he notices something that escaped him at first. Valentine is on the bed. Her mouth is tapped over and she is screaming for help. He isn’t sure why she can’t move. Terror fills him as Ashley takes a step towards her. RUN he tries to shout but can’t get his voice to work.
    His legs feel leaden. He knows he needs to save her. Needs to get moving right now but he cannot force himself to move. Nothing is working the way it should.
    Ashley is close enough to touch her now and she lunges. Daniel yells again silently, as loud as he can. When Ashley bends over and takes a bite. She tears into her neck sending out a gushing arc of blood and his world goes dark.
    Daniel wakes with a start. He is covered in sweat and his hands are clammy. The same dream he has had for several nights now.
    A low moan reaches his ears and he snaps around trying to recall where he is. His head is still fuzzy from alcohol. Then with a rush it all floods back into him. The fire is dying in the corner and just out of vision he can see Jason rising to his feet. Except that he looks different. He moves stiffly, but with purpose.
    Realization dawns on Daniel and he screams just as Jason’s eyes snap open. They are dead and lifeless, staring right at Chloe. Daniel’s scream causes everyone to bolt up but the sleep is still distorting their thinking. Daniel rolls over and scrambles to his feet knocking Jason backwards into a wall. His head smashes into the wall. Daniel is trying to roll free as the dead boy snaps his jaws perilously close to his arm.
    Daniel rolls free just in time. He scrabbles for anything nearby. His hands come to rest on the fire poker which had been left in the coals. He swings it around, the dully gleaming tip red from the flame. Daniel stabs with all the force he can muster and the hot poker burns through the dead eye of Jason, the boy topples back lifeless and Daniel falls to his knees out of breath.
    “What the hell happened?” Isaiah says on his feet now. Chloe is crying and Sahsa is holding her. Valentine is looking around, her eyes wide with terror.
    “I don’t know man,” Daniel says, catching his breath. “I was sleeping, I was having a bad dream and when I woke up I saw him. He was about to attack Chloe.”
    Isaiah flips on the flashlight and the beam falls on Jason’s prone form. His sweater which had gotten tangled up in his fall is pulled up revealing a nasty bite just above his hip. It is black and infected with angry red lines arcing out away from it in a crazed pattern. Valentine gasps.
    “I’ll be damned,” Isaiah says, “The boy was bit when we picked him up,” He shakes his head angrily. “He could have killed us all and he just played like nothing was wrong.”
    “It’s done now,” Sasha says, putting her arm on her husband’s, “It’s done.”
    “No it’s not ok…” he says, his face twisted with anger when a moan snatches his attention. They all turn towards the door. Daniel hears a rough scratching and his heart thuds. He rushes over to the window pulling back the drapes enough so he can peer out. In the front yard there are at least a dozen of the walkers. They are all shambling towards the door.
    Daniel spins around and whips the drapes closed again. “There are at least a dozen between us and the car,” he says frantically.
    “We need to get moving right now,” Isaiah says, “Grab the bags,” They rush around the dark house grabbing everything they can. The sound of bodies slamming