Zombie Ocean (Book 2): The Lost by Michael John Grist Page B
Authors: Michael John Grist
Tags: Zombie Apocalypse
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and shifted on and off. The dog went still and died. For a time there was only the horrible sound of chewing, and the mewling of the babies.
Then the chef lost interest in the mother dog. Instead he turned to the babies. Anna didn't realize what was happening until he picked one of them up, and held it up before him just like her father had so long ago.
He opened his bloody mouth.
"No!" Anna shouted.
She lurched round the waitress and hit the chef in the arm with the brick as hard she could. He grip faltered and the little dog fell, smacking against the tarmac with a crunch.
"You don't do that!" Anna shouted. Even her voice made the dizziness swell, like it was a wave she was riding atop, but she couldn't stop now. She waved the brick at him. "They're just babies, we don't eat babies do we?"
He leaned over to pick up the puppy again. It was whining hard now. It looked so much like the Hatter Anna couldn't keep the tears from her eyes.
She hit the chef again, this time jumping and crunching him in the throat. He choked and turned his glowing eyes to her. She shoved him, barely enough to rock him back, but enough for her to grab up the injured puppy and dart with it into the gap between the trash boxes.
There was just enough room for her to turn around and meet him with the brick as he wriggled face first inwards.
"No!" Anna shouted again, and hit him a third time, right on the head like she'd done with the dog. His skull cracked and he faltered for a second. Anna looked down at the puppies, sitting in a moldy cardboard box, and scooped the box up too. They were heavier than she expected, and the box was sodden so it was hard to keep it together even with her arms crossed beneath it like a sling.
The chef grasped at her ankles and she gasped, then stamped down hard on his knuckles. His grip released but still he inched in closer.
"Leave us alone!" Anna shouted, and kicked at his head once, twice. Her foot bounced off uselessly. She backed up against the wall and looked frantically for an escape. To her left there was a tiny gap between the trash box and the bricks. It was too narrow, but maybe…
She got one shoulder in and twisted her body like a key. The back corner of the box shifted, though at the front it opened the path wider to the chef, and he came in fast. Anna forced the rest of her body into the gap, pressed so close to the brick she could smell the lichen, and twisted like a key again.
The far corner shifted, the way out opened up, and she sped through it with the chef close behind. At the blue door she cornered hard and leaped into the cool pipe-hall, spilled the puppies onto the floor, then leaned out to grab the door handle a final time. The chef ran andreached out as she dragged the door shut.
It slammed on his fingers with a massive metal bang, the latch clicked, and Anna was plunged into darkness. With the last of her energy she lay down on the cold stone floor, careful not to squash any of the puppies beneath her, and laid her hot and spinning head down to the ground.
6. LITTLE HATTERS
Into the darkness, the oysters snuffled and mewled close by. The Walrus and the Carpenter were so hungry. She reached down and patted them. They were so warm and downy and…
Anna opened her eyes and looked around. Her head felt like jelly and the floor was cold and hard. She sat up, careful not to nudge the puppies, who were all wedged in close to her belly. How much time had passed? The end of the hall was lit with bright sunlight. She must have slept all night.
She looked down at the puppies and counted six of them, wiggly shapes in the dimness. Her vision was still blurry though, so it was possible she'd counted several of them more than once.
"You're all very wobbly aren't you?" she asked them, chucking them under the chins and rubbing their little bellies. "I mean, very friendly." Her voice felt thick and slurred, like she was speaking through honey, and her hand was jerky. Her head
Then the chef lost interest in the mother dog. Instead he turned to the babies. Anna didn't realize what was happening until he picked one of them up, and held it up before him just like her father had so long ago.
He opened his bloody mouth.
"No!" Anna shouted.
She lurched round the waitress and hit the chef in the arm with the brick as hard she could. He grip faltered and the little dog fell, smacking against the tarmac with a crunch.
"You don't do that!" Anna shouted. Even her voice made the dizziness swell, like it was a wave she was riding atop, but she couldn't stop now. She waved the brick at him. "They're just babies, we don't eat babies do we?"
He leaned over to pick up the puppy again. It was whining hard now. It looked so much like the Hatter Anna couldn't keep the tears from her eyes.
She hit the chef again, this time jumping and crunching him in the throat. He choked and turned his glowing eyes to her. She shoved him, barely enough to rock him back, but enough for her to grab up the injured puppy and dart with it into the gap between the trash boxes.
There was just enough room for her to turn around and meet him with the brick as he wriggled face first inwards.
"No!" Anna shouted again, and hit him a third time, right on the head like she'd done with the dog. His skull cracked and he faltered for a second. Anna looked down at the puppies, sitting in a moldy cardboard box, and scooped the box up too. They were heavier than she expected, and the box was sodden so it was hard to keep it together even with her arms crossed beneath it like a sling.
The chef grasped at her ankles and she gasped, then stamped down hard on his knuckles. His grip released but still he inched in closer.
"Leave us alone!" Anna shouted, and kicked at his head once, twice. Her foot bounced off uselessly. She backed up against the wall and looked frantically for an escape. To her left there was a tiny gap between the trash box and the bricks. It was too narrow, but maybe…
She got one shoulder in and twisted her body like a key. The back corner of the box shifted, though at the front it opened the path wider to the chef, and he came in fast. Anna forced the rest of her body into the gap, pressed so close to the brick she could smell the lichen, and twisted like a key again.
The far corner shifted, the way out opened up, and she sped through it with the chef close behind. At the blue door she cornered hard and leaped into the cool pipe-hall, spilled the puppies onto the floor, then leaned out to grab the door handle a final time. The chef ran andreached out as she dragged the door shut.
It slammed on his fingers with a massive metal bang, the latch clicked, and Anna was plunged into darkness. With the last of her energy she lay down on the cold stone floor, careful not to squash any of the puppies beneath her, and laid her hot and spinning head down to the ground.
6. LITTLE HATTERS
Into the darkness, the oysters snuffled and mewled close by. The Walrus and the Carpenter were so hungry. She reached down and patted them. They were so warm and downy and…
Anna opened her eyes and looked around. Her head felt like jelly and the floor was cold and hard. She sat up, careful not to nudge the puppies, who were all wedged in close to her belly. How much time had passed? The end of the hall was lit with bright sunlight. She must have slept all night.
She looked down at the puppies and counted six of them, wiggly shapes in the dimness. Her vision was still blurry though, so it was possible she'd counted several of them more than once.
"You're all very wobbly aren't you?" she asked them, chucking them under the chins and rubbing their little bellies. "I mean, very friendly." Her voice felt thick and slurred, like she was speaking through honey, and her hand was jerky. Her head
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