The Zombie Chasers #4 by John Kloepfer Page B

as a pair of headlights appeared from the depths of the subway tunnel.
    Zack moved forward to reach for Ozzie’s hand, but his foot was wedged between the rusted metal rails of the track.
    â€œZack!” yelled Zoe. “Come on!”
    â€œI can’t,” he cried desperately. “I’m stuck.”
    The subway train screeched its brakes, honking its horn.
    â€œSomebody do something!” Madison shrieked.
    Zack pulled his leg up again, but the sneaker wouldn’t budge. He froze like a deer in headlights.
    Ozzie jumped back down onto the tracks and crouched by Zack’s feet to loosen his shoelaces. Zack wriggled free of the shoe completely and they hopped back onto the zombifying platform as the train sped toward them. Zack wiped the sweat from his brow and sucked in a long, beautiful breath of rank-smelling air, thankful to be alive.
    The train halted and the conductor slid his window open and stuck his head out. “What the heck are you waiting for?” he said. “Get on!”
    The doors popped open and Ozzie and Zoe shoved zombie Rice inside. Madison hopped on the train car with Twinkles, holding the door for Zack. “Come on, Zack!” Ozzie yelled.
    â€œOne sec!” Zack shouted, and sprinted back to their tipped-over shopping cart. He sneaked between two zombies clawing for his head and snatched up as much of their bootleg weaponry as he could.

    â€œComing through!” Zack yelled, elbowing his way through the zombies and diving between the closing doors. Madison and Zoe jumped out of the way as Zack landed on the floor of the train. He breathed a sigh of relief as the cadaverous brain hounds smacked the outside of the moving subway car.

A s the train accelerated into the underground tunnel, the headlights cast a pale yellow glow through the darkness. Zoe hitched Rice’s leash to a pole and pointed at him. “Stay right there, you bad little monkey.”
    Zack, now missing a shoe, took one off Rice’s foot and put on the mismatched sneaker. They walked through the connecting door into the front of the train, where the conductor sat at the controls.
    â€œUp to Eighty-first, sir,” said Zoe. “And step on it!”
    â€œNow just wait a minute, little lady,” he said, turning around. “This train ain’t making no more stops. You’re lucky I picked you up at all. Thought you were a couple of zombies until I recognized you little rascals from the TV.”
    â€œYou know who we are?” Zack asked.
    â€œCourse I do,” he said. “You’re those kids I keep seeing on the news who killed all them zombies!”
    â€œNot killed,” Madison said. “Saved.”
    â€œWhatever,” said the conductor. “You’re all kinds of famous.”
    â€œHear that?” Zoe said, nudging Madison excitedly. “We’re still famous. . . .”
    â€œYou got a name, sir?” Ozzie asked the man.
    â€œCecil,” he said, pronouncing the name “see-sill.”
    â€œWell, thanks for saving us back there, Cecil,” Zack said.
    He looked at them sincerely. “Old Cecil’d do anything to help out a couple of national heroes, any day of the dog-garn week.”
    â€œThen you have to drop us off at Eighty-first Street, sir,” said Zack. “It’s our only hope of getting the antidote to stop all this mess!”
    â€œOh, all right,” he said. “I think you’re crazy, but I guess you have your reasons.”
    â€œGreat,” Zack said. “How much farther?”
    â€œJust about three more stops after this one,” Cecil said, pointing out the window as they whizzed past another zombified subway platform.
    â€œThanks, Cecil!” Madison and Zoe said together.
    â€œOh, don’t thank me. If it wasn’t for you little rascals, Old Cecil’d still be a zombie.”
    â€œYou were a zombie?” Zack asked.
    â€œYeah,” he said.