aftershock shakes the building and her
light falls to the floor. Her heart freezes as she sees Dawn’s pink sneakers
shuffle in the adjoining stall. She zips her pants.
“Is somebody there? Dawn?”
The silence is unnerving. Juliet
knows Dawn is dead and wonders if one of the homeless took her shoes. She snags
the flashlight from the floor and cautiously opens the stall door. The second
stall swings open and a something grabs the side of her stall. She forgets to
breathe as her knees weaken. The flashlight illuminates a charred blistering
hand with a high school class ring.
“Help me!”
The main door opens and Sara peers
inside. “Did you say something?”
Dawn’s face is a twisted
distortion of burnt and melted flesh. Burned hair hugs her half bald head.
“I thought you were dead,” Juliet
croaks.
Dawn’s milky white eyes bore into
Juliet and she freezes. The burned girl groans and lunges. Juliet back pedals
and kicks the stall door shut. Dawn claws at the stall.
“No fucking way!” Sara shrieks
from the doorway.
Juliet falls on the toilet seat
and yells, “Get help!”
Dawn stops scratching the stall
and redirects her attention to Sara. The screaming girl is yanked into the
restroom. A heavy thud is followed by wet suckling.
“Harry!” Juliet screams.
The restroom door bangs against
the wall.
“Juliet?” Harry yells.
Juliet steels her resolve and
opens the stall door.
“Hey!” Harry yells at Dawn. “Get
away from her!”
In a corner Dawn huddles over
Sara. Juliet rushes to Harry and the vet shoves her into the hallway. Dawn
lifts her gore covered face and groans. She leaps to her feet and lunges at
Harry. He side steps and slams her into the sink.
“Calm down!” Harry says as Dawn
thrashes in his grip. “Juliet, get Rodger.”
Juliet runs to the lobby and
screams, “Rodger!”
Inhuman groaning comes from both
the lobby and kitchen. Harry loses his grip on the crazed woman and runs out of
the restroom with Dawn on his heels. Rodger stumbles into the hallway from the
lobby. Dawn groans and grabs his arm.
“Let me go!” Rodger screams.
Dawn buries her teeth into
Rodger’s arm and he yells in pain. People scramble up from under the tables.
Harry grabs the girl’s shoulders, but she’s too strong. He releases her, grabs
onto a chair leg, and swings it at her head. The metal leg whistles through the
air and hits Dawn at the base of the neck.
Screams fill the lobby as Sara
stumbles out of the hallway with intestines hanging from a ravaged midsection.
She groans and shambles into the lobby. Without pausing she pounces on Jake.
“What the hell?” Andrew yells as
another grotesque figure emerges from the kitchen.
“They’re infected!” Seth yells.
“Infected?” Andrew asks. “They
look like fucking zombies.”
“With Killer Z, I’ll explain
later,” Seth says.
The chemist emerges from the
darkened corner with a metal pipe and bashes the zombie’s head. Jake hits the
floor with Sara tearing out chunks of his chest with gore covered teeth.
“Killer Z? What the fuck
man?” Andrew sputters.
The remaining three college kids
hammer Sara with fists but the ravenous girl continues to eat Jake. Juliet
understands why Andrew calls them zombies. They look and act like the undead.
Rodger’s hand seizes Juliet’s calf. She jerks back and something rushes past
her. Seth brings the metal pipe down on Rodger’s head with a sickening thud.
Juliet blinks as suddenly the carnage is illuminated by streaks of sunlight.
The sound of people working to move the rubble streams in with the light. A
megaphone enhanced voice echoes through the restaurant.
“This is the National Guard.
Please remain calm while we get you out. You’re safe.”
13
F red and Kyle walk carefully down the center of Constitution Avenue. They work their way around torn asphalt, burst fire hydrants, and
panicked, disorientated people. An evacuation route sign disappears as a
building topples
light falls to the floor. Her heart freezes as she sees Dawn’s pink sneakers
shuffle in the adjoining stall. She zips her pants.
“Is somebody there? Dawn?”
The silence is unnerving. Juliet
knows Dawn is dead and wonders if one of the homeless took her shoes. She snags
the flashlight from the floor and cautiously opens the stall door. The second
stall swings open and a something grabs the side of her stall. She forgets to
breathe as her knees weaken. The flashlight illuminates a charred blistering
hand with a high school class ring.
“Help me!”
The main door opens and Sara peers
inside. “Did you say something?”
Dawn’s face is a twisted
distortion of burnt and melted flesh. Burned hair hugs her half bald head.
“I thought you were dead,” Juliet
croaks.
Dawn’s milky white eyes bore into
Juliet and she freezes. The burned girl groans and lunges. Juliet back pedals
and kicks the stall door shut. Dawn claws at the stall.
“No fucking way!” Sara shrieks
from the doorway.
Juliet falls on the toilet seat
and yells, “Get help!”
Dawn stops scratching the stall
and redirects her attention to Sara. The screaming girl is yanked into the
restroom. A heavy thud is followed by wet suckling.
“Harry!” Juliet screams.
The restroom door bangs against
the wall.
“Juliet?” Harry yells.
Juliet steels her resolve and
opens the stall door.
“Hey!” Harry yells at Dawn. “Get
away from her!”
In a corner Dawn huddles over
Sara. Juliet rushes to Harry and the vet shoves her into the hallway. Dawn
lifts her gore covered face and groans. She leaps to her feet and lunges at
Harry. He side steps and slams her into the sink.
“Calm down!” Harry says as Dawn
thrashes in his grip. “Juliet, get Rodger.”
Juliet runs to the lobby and
screams, “Rodger!”
Inhuman groaning comes from both
the lobby and kitchen. Harry loses his grip on the crazed woman and runs out of
the restroom with Dawn on his heels. Rodger stumbles into the hallway from the
lobby. Dawn groans and grabs his arm.
“Let me go!” Rodger screams.
Dawn buries her teeth into
Rodger’s arm and he yells in pain. People scramble up from under the tables.
Harry grabs the girl’s shoulders, but she’s too strong. He releases her, grabs
onto a chair leg, and swings it at her head. The metal leg whistles through the
air and hits Dawn at the base of the neck.
Screams fill the lobby as Sara
stumbles out of the hallway with intestines hanging from a ravaged midsection.
She groans and shambles into the lobby. Without pausing she pounces on Jake.
“What the hell?” Andrew yells as
another grotesque figure emerges from the kitchen.
“They’re infected!” Seth yells.
“Infected?” Andrew asks. “They
look like fucking zombies.”
“With Killer Z, I’ll explain
later,” Seth says.
The chemist emerges from the
darkened corner with a metal pipe and bashes the zombie’s head. Jake hits the
floor with Sara tearing out chunks of his chest with gore covered teeth.
“Killer Z? What the fuck
man?” Andrew sputters.
The remaining three college kids
hammer Sara with fists but the ravenous girl continues to eat Jake. Juliet
understands why Andrew calls them zombies. They look and act like the undead.
Rodger’s hand seizes Juliet’s calf. She jerks back and something rushes past
her. Seth brings the metal pipe down on Rodger’s head with a sickening thud.
Juliet blinks as suddenly the carnage is illuminated by streaks of sunlight.
The sound of people working to move the rubble streams in with the light. A
megaphone enhanced voice echoes through the restaurant.
“This is the National Guard.
Please remain calm while we get you out. You’re safe.”
13
F red and Kyle walk carefully down the center of Constitution Avenue. They work their way around torn asphalt, burst fire hydrants, and
panicked, disorientated people. An evacuation route sign disappears as a
building topples
Similar Books
