rushing to the top of a building. Cawing and flapping wings signaled a few crows roused from their corn feast. But my blood was racing and my heart hammering in my chest.
I stopped picking and walked fast up the row, searching for Brian. There was nothing but whistling wind, the jungle of stalks and me. I imagined I was the last living person on Earth and that I’d be alone forever. Panic galloped through me with every beat of my heart and I reached beneath my coat for my handgun. The Wilkins family hadn’t sighted zombies in weeks, but a few people had been posted to watch the perimeter of the field and all of us were armed. A bullet from a handgun wouldn’t be enough to sever a zombie’s spinal cord but it would slow one down, giving me time to escape. Some of the others in our group carried big knives or hatchets, but I couldn’t imagine slicing through someone’s neck—even a dead person’s.
The heft of the pistol’s grip felt good in my hand, safe, but I was still anxious as I trotted down the row, searching for a glimpse of anyone. “Hey, where is everybody?”
Just then, from the direction of the farmhouse a clanging bell announced the lunch break. At the same moment I saw a flash of movement up ahead. Brian’s brown jacket. Relief poured through me. I’d worked myself to the edge of a panic attack for no reason. Of course other people were right nearby and they’d all be coming this way for the noon break. My stomach rumbled in anticipation of food.
I crossed into the next row and headed toward the brown jacket. “Hey, Brian. Am I glad to see you. I was freaking out a little.”
I pushed through the leaves and stepped into the next row. Then I stopped dead, my throat tightening and choking off my laughter. Not Brian’s jacket . My mind repeated the phrase over and over as I stared at the decomposing face of the man only a few yards away from me. The ripe odor of road kill wafted toward me.
“ Fuck!” I raised my weapon and fired. At nearly point blank range you’d think it would be impossible to miss a target, but I managed to. The zombie trotted toward me like a hunting dog following the scent of a rabbit but not in a hurry to catch it yet.
I fired again and again, peppering the monster with bullets, the sound deafening me. The impact of the shots knocked the corpse this way and that, but it kept coming toward me, gathering speed.
“ Zombie!” I screamed to warn the others then turned and ran, my feet pounding over the uneven ground, leaves slashing my face as I raced toward the edge of the field.
* * * * *
Chapter Five
The staccato of gunfire followed by Ashleigh yelling, tore me from a repetitive-motion stupor into heart-jolting consciousness. I let the heavy sack of corn drop to the ground and drew my knife from its sheath then ran through the corn toward the sound of Ashleigh’s scream.
I followed the stench of rotting meat and the thud of footsteps to the row down which a zombie was running. Coming up from behind, I glimpsed Ashleigh over his shoulder, farther down the path. The creature was gaining ground and would be on her in a few more seconds.
I ran faster, aware of screaming, shouting and gunfire coming from other spots around the field, but mostly concentrating on the figure ahead of me. The zombie’s coat collar protected its neck. I’d have to pull it down to reach the base of the skull. Since severing the spine was the only way to stop the current animating the corpse, I’d gotten pretty efficient at locating the medulla and ending the connection. I’d never been particularly coordinated or athletic, but I’d soon learned how to fight and to drive a knife into a moving target. When it’s a matter of kill or be killed, the body adapts quickly.
Now I was close enough to tackle the zombie to the ground and deliver the lethal blow. As I gathered my strength to leap, something barreled into me
I stopped picking and walked fast up the row, searching for Brian. There was nothing but whistling wind, the jungle of stalks and me. I imagined I was the last living person on Earth and that I’d be alone forever. Panic galloped through me with every beat of my heart and I reached beneath my coat for my handgun. The Wilkins family hadn’t sighted zombies in weeks, but a few people had been posted to watch the perimeter of the field and all of us were armed. A bullet from a handgun wouldn’t be enough to sever a zombie’s spinal cord but it would slow one down, giving me time to escape. Some of the others in our group carried big knives or hatchets, but I couldn’t imagine slicing through someone’s neck—even a dead person’s.
The heft of the pistol’s grip felt good in my hand, safe, but I was still anxious as I trotted down the row, searching for a glimpse of anyone. “Hey, where is everybody?”
Just then, from the direction of the farmhouse a clanging bell announced the lunch break. At the same moment I saw a flash of movement up ahead. Brian’s brown jacket. Relief poured through me. I’d worked myself to the edge of a panic attack for no reason. Of course other people were right nearby and they’d all be coming this way for the noon break. My stomach rumbled in anticipation of food.
I crossed into the next row and headed toward the brown jacket. “Hey, Brian. Am I glad to see you. I was freaking out a little.”
I pushed through the leaves and stepped into the next row. Then I stopped dead, my throat tightening and choking off my laughter. Not Brian’s jacket . My mind repeated the phrase over and over as I stared at the decomposing face of the man only a few yards away from me. The ripe odor of road kill wafted toward me.
“ Fuck!” I raised my weapon and fired. At nearly point blank range you’d think it would be impossible to miss a target, but I managed to. The zombie trotted toward me like a hunting dog following the scent of a rabbit but not in a hurry to catch it yet.
I fired again and again, peppering the monster with bullets, the sound deafening me. The impact of the shots knocked the corpse this way and that, but it kept coming toward me, gathering speed.
“ Zombie!” I screamed to warn the others then turned and ran, my feet pounding over the uneven ground, leaves slashing my face as I raced toward the edge of the field.
* * * * *
Chapter Five
The staccato of gunfire followed by Ashleigh yelling, tore me from a repetitive-motion stupor into heart-jolting consciousness. I let the heavy sack of corn drop to the ground and drew my knife from its sheath then ran through the corn toward the sound of Ashleigh’s scream.
I followed the stench of rotting meat and the thud of footsteps to the row down which a zombie was running. Coming up from behind, I glimpsed Ashleigh over his shoulder, farther down the path. The creature was gaining ground and would be on her in a few more seconds.
I ran faster, aware of screaming, shouting and gunfire coming from other spots around the field, but mostly concentrating on the figure ahead of me. The zombie’s coat collar protected its neck. I’d have to pull it down to reach the base of the skull. Since severing the spine was the only way to stop the current animating the corpse, I’d gotten pretty efficient at locating the medulla and ending the connection. I’d never been particularly coordinated or athletic, but I’d soon learned how to fight and to drive a knife into a moving target. When it’s a matter of kill or be killed, the body adapts quickly.
Now I was close enough to tackle the zombie to the ground and deliver the lethal blow. As I gathered my strength to leap, something barreled into me
Similar Books
