The Dark Times: A Zombie Novel

  “Chris!” Steve was growing impatient, and so were those things. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Chris looked up, jingling a set of keys in his blood-covered hand, still leaning over Mark’s lifeless body. “Keys to the van, man,” he struggled to say.

  He looked around at the closing threat and estimated the closest zombie was still at least fifteen feet away. If they stayed on the move and kept quiet, they just might have a chance. These things are slow, he thought. “I think we can outrun them!”

  “What?” the blonde cashier had been lost in her own thoughts of survival.

  “Run!” Chris stood up, charging the nearest creature with the bat cocked on his shoulder. He hoped like hell that Steve was right behind him, because he wasn’t looking back for anything. The bat connected. The side of the putrid ghoul’s head caved in, spilling out pink meat and hairy skull fragments. Chris heard the body thump to the ground. He just kept running. The van wasn’t very far off. He had to make it.

  * * *

  It didn’t take the three of them long before the van to come into view. Leaning against a tree, Steve tried to catch his breath, watching for movement. Any movement. There was none. The smell of death grew stronger along with the sounds of those hot on their trail. Because the things were slow, time was on their side, but it was running out quickly. In the distance, above the buildings, the glow of fire lit up the night. Buildings were burning. The one that they had watched as it caught fire and then several more. The faint hiss and pop of crackling wood resonated in the stillness.

  Chris scanned the area for hostiles. A little less than a block away, a few strays wandered in front of the coffee shop. One undead ghoul stood doing nothing, except slightly swaying in place. Its feet occasionally shifted, moving dead weight from one side to the other. Two other zombies were still gnawing on the dead biker in the middle of the street. A faint series of chomps and slurps reached Chris’ ears as he watched, cringing with disgust. The bike. Chris didn’t see the guy’s bike anywhere. Maybe it went off the side of the road into a ditch. As he scanned the area looking for where the motorcycle might have come to rest, he thought he saw a face peeping through a second floor window nearby. They didn’t try to signal, and he didn’t blame them.

  The area was clear, but he knew better than to trust his eyes only. It wouldn’t be until they made their presence known that the undead would come out of the woodwork looking for food. They were probably wandering aimlessly in the dark corners and crevices of buildings waiting for something alive to make itself known. Waiting for that perfect moment when a meal presented itself. Then, and only then, would they strike.

  “Chris,” Steve whispered. “What the hell are you doing, man?” The stench and moans were getting stronger, and the side street chase was still underway.

  Chris waved him off, knowing it would take a minute for the dead to catch up.

  Seated at the far corner of the convenience store parking lot, Chris continued to survey the area. The blue Sedan sat parked with the driver side door wide open. The gas station was vacant and the lights were off. One cheesy white tiger poster blinked its battery powered light-up eyes in the windowsill.

  “Guns,” he said under his breath.

  “What.”

  “The people in that Sedan had guns,” Chris said just loud enough for the others to hear.

  “Are you fucking crazy?”

  Chris shrugged his shoulders and forced an odd smile. “We need real weapons, Steve.” With that, he turned and snuck quietly through the dark toward the blinking poster.

  “Chris . . . Chris . . . .” Steve called. “The van is the other way!” Steve looked over at the cute, yet terrified blonde. “What’s your name?” he asked.

  She rubbed her nose and sniffled, then said, “Stephanie.”

  “Well, Stephanie,” he whispered with an exhale, “There’s a first time for everything, right?”

  He grabbed her hand and they made their way across the empty gas station parking lot toward the convenience store’s doors.

  When the three met inside, Chris Commons wondered what happened for this unbelievable scenario to come about. The chaos and ensuing carnage happened so fast. It definitely wasn’t a band of gang looters like one news anchor had stated. He had seen it for himself. These people were dead. But if they were dead, then how could he explain them walking around or attacking? It just didn’t make any sense. None of it did. One thing was for sure, the city was starting to scorch. He had seen it on TV. Not only were the dead roaming about, so were looters. People were attacking people. It was a free-for-all-mad house of ‘winner takes all.’ Soon it would be ‘winner stays alive.’ Hell, it already was!

  He found himself wondering if he was going to end up as a winner.

  Epidemic Of The Undead is available from Amazon here