it was an uprising against the government, it’d make more sense if it was up in Jackson,” Jack mused. He moved to join Gray, and they stood staring into the darkness for several long moments of silence.
“Zombies,” Gray murmured as the thought occurred to him.
Jack gave him a startled look. “What?”
“It’s zombies,” Gray said. “It’s got to be. I mean, hell, that guy bit April. He bit her. Think about it, Jack. That’s what zombies do, right? They bite people. They, like, eat them and shit.”
“Gray…is the lack of oxygen from your asthma starting to affect your brain?” Jack asked. “There’s no such thing as zombies.”
“But how do you know that?” Gray persisted. “Those two guys who attacked me and April, they’ve got all the hallmarks of a fucking Romero film. They were trying to bite me, they did bite April, and they stank to high heaven, like a damned corpse or something. Maybe there’s been some sort of lab accident somewhere or something, and a bunch of dead people are going around trying to, I don’t know, eat the living or whatever it is that zombies do.”
Jack stared at him for a moment, the look in his eyes clearly incredulous. “Gray, I do believe you’ve finally cracked.”
“I have not!”
Jack shook his head and leaned against the wall beside the window, crossing his arms over his chest. “Okay then, genius. Where are all the zombie hordes like you see in the movies? There’s supposed to be massive crowds of them out there, right?”
Gray shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
Jack sighed. “You know what I think? I think it’s just a bunch of people rioting, and you’ve been watching way too many horror movies.”
Gray huffed out a breath and crossed his own arms, squinting as he noticed movement in the shadows near the edge of the parking lot. “So you still think we should leave?” he asked, trying to ignore the veiled insult to his intelligence that Jack had dropped on him. “You still think we should ditch out of here? Where would we go?”
“Well, I’m pretty sure your brother would appreciate it if I got you home,” Jack started. “I know how he is. I have no doubt he’s in a panic right now trying to get over here to make sure you’re okay.”
“Yeah, probably,” Gray acknowledged. He wasn’t going to admit that, deep inside, he was in a fair amount of panic himself, stressing over whether Theo was okay. Being out in the town with things the way they were, even inside an ambulance, had to be incredibly dangerous. Theo was all he had; he didn’t want to risk losing him. “My car is right outside,” Gray started to say. “Maybe we could—” A loud thud at the front doors cut him off, and he and Jack were both brought around by the sound. “What was that?”
“Sounded like someone at the door,” Jack murmured.
“Or some thing, ” Gray added grimly. He ignored the look Jack gave him in favor of stepping away from the window, edging toward the door. Another thud echoed through the room, and Brendon and Smitty both circled around the counter to join the two of them as they backed toward the center of the room.
“Think we should check?” Jack asked quietly.
“No,” Gray replied. “No, I don’t think so. I think it’d be better if we just pretended like nobody was in here. I mean, there’s a reason we barricaded the doors, right?”
“I think I agree with him,” Brendon spoke up. “We should just stay inside, keep our mouths shut, and let them just go away.”
The thudding at the door became more insistent, sounding more like fists—several fists—beating on it in a discordant rhythm that sent chills up Gray’s spine. He gripped his cell phone tighter, gliding his thumb over the keypad, searching for the “send call” button. Smitty walked briskly to the door, moving beside it to peer out the window nearby, trying to make out what was outside.
“Anybody got a flashlight?” Smitty asked, his hushed voice
“Zombies,” Gray murmured as the thought occurred to him.
Jack gave him a startled look. “What?”
“It’s zombies,” Gray said. “It’s got to be. I mean, hell, that guy bit April. He bit her. Think about it, Jack. That’s what zombies do, right? They bite people. They, like, eat them and shit.”
“Gray…is the lack of oxygen from your asthma starting to affect your brain?” Jack asked. “There’s no such thing as zombies.”
“But how do you know that?” Gray persisted. “Those two guys who attacked me and April, they’ve got all the hallmarks of a fucking Romero film. They were trying to bite me, they did bite April, and they stank to high heaven, like a damned corpse or something. Maybe there’s been some sort of lab accident somewhere or something, and a bunch of dead people are going around trying to, I don’t know, eat the living or whatever it is that zombies do.”
Jack stared at him for a moment, the look in his eyes clearly incredulous. “Gray, I do believe you’ve finally cracked.”
“I have not!”
Jack shook his head and leaned against the wall beside the window, crossing his arms over his chest. “Okay then, genius. Where are all the zombie hordes like you see in the movies? There’s supposed to be massive crowds of them out there, right?”
Gray shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
Jack sighed. “You know what I think? I think it’s just a bunch of people rioting, and you’ve been watching way too many horror movies.”
Gray huffed out a breath and crossed his own arms, squinting as he noticed movement in the shadows near the edge of the parking lot. “So you still think we should leave?” he asked, trying to ignore the veiled insult to his intelligence that Jack had dropped on him. “You still think we should ditch out of here? Where would we go?”
“Well, I’m pretty sure your brother would appreciate it if I got you home,” Jack started. “I know how he is. I have no doubt he’s in a panic right now trying to get over here to make sure you’re okay.”
“Yeah, probably,” Gray acknowledged. He wasn’t going to admit that, deep inside, he was in a fair amount of panic himself, stressing over whether Theo was okay. Being out in the town with things the way they were, even inside an ambulance, had to be incredibly dangerous. Theo was all he had; he didn’t want to risk losing him. “My car is right outside,” Gray started to say. “Maybe we could—” A loud thud at the front doors cut him off, and he and Jack were both brought around by the sound. “What was that?”
“Sounded like someone at the door,” Jack murmured.
“Or some thing, ” Gray added grimly. He ignored the look Jack gave him in favor of stepping away from the window, edging toward the door. Another thud echoed through the room, and Brendon and Smitty both circled around the counter to join the two of them as they backed toward the center of the room.
“Think we should check?” Jack asked quietly.
“No,” Gray replied. “No, I don’t think so. I think it’d be better if we just pretended like nobody was in here. I mean, there’s a reason we barricaded the doors, right?”
“I think I agree with him,” Brendon spoke up. “We should just stay inside, keep our mouths shut, and let them just go away.”
The thudding at the door became more insistent, sounding more like fists—several fists—beating on it in a discordant rhythm that sent chills up Gray’s spine. He gripped his cell phone tighter, gliding his thumb over the keypad, searching for the “send call” button. Smitty walked briskly to the door, moving beside it to peer out the window nearby, trying to make out what was outside.
“Anybody got a flashlight?” Smitty asked, his hushed voice
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