The Living Dead Boy (The Living Dead Boy #1)(36)

“Losers!” he shouted.

“That’s it. I’m killing him.” Sam rushed past Josh, his staff clutched in front of him with both hands. He wove through the rows of the last few cars toward Chad.

Laughing, Chad skipped toward the farmhouse.

The wind moaned and whistled through the garage. Tarps tied over some of the cars flapped wildly, slapping against the windows.

“Keep together,” Josh ordered the rest of the group. “We still don’t know if this area is safe.”

Danny nodded somberly and held his spear out in front of him. “I’m ready.”

With a nod, Josh advanced through the winding path through the cars.

Sam pursued Chad across the cement slab and into a small yard area. The day’s events had sapped him considerably, and by the time he reached the steps to the porch, it was clear his energy was sagging.

“I’m going to kill you, Chad!” Sam shouted.

In the shadows of the porch, Chad banged on the back door with one fist, still taunting Sam with his laughter.

The wind growled fiercely, blowing the first drops of rain into Josh’s eyes. Blinking, he lowered his head to shield his face.

“No one’s home, losers! I’ll look for a key!”

Sam finally reached the top step and attempted to smack Chad with his staff. Instead, he was shoved off the porch and landed on his rump with a pained cry.

Chad laughed and lifted the back door welcome mat. Apparently not seeing a key, he started overturning plants and decorations heaped along the edges of the porch.

Josh led his group through the last row of the car maze. It felt foolish being so cautious when Chad and Sam had run ahead, but he knew from zombie movies that caution was a life saver. The branches of the trees around the house flailed wildly in the gusts. The moan of the wind was even louder than before.

Josh took another step, and froze. “Wait.”

“What is it?” Troy asked.

“Shh!” Josh cocked his head, listening.

His sweaty hands began to tremble around his spear.

It wasn’t the wind moaning.

From around the corner of the farmhouse came a group of bloodied zombies.





Chapter 22


“Sam! Zombies!” Corina screamed. “Run!”

On the porch, Chad whipped about, a key clutched in his fingers.

The zombies were slowed by a propane tank blocking their path, buying the two kids on the porch precious time. Sam scrambled to his feet while Chad fumbled with the lock on the back door.

“What do we do?” Troy sputtered.

There wasn’t enough time to reach the farmhouse. The garage was just as risky. The best choice was to turn back, go through the gate, and run across the next field.

“Go back! Go back! Head through the gate!” Josh urged.

The kids turned and retreated through the maze of cars, moving faster than before.

“Sam! Run!” Corina shouted again as she clambered over the back of a car behind Danny and Dulce.

Seeing the zombies rounding the propane tank, Sam let out a startled cry. He darted up the porch steps. Chad finally unlocked the back door, stepped inside, and slammed it shut.

“Open the door!” Sam wailed. “Open the door!”

“Just run, Sam!” Josh hated how much time the kid was wasting. “Just run!”

Sam bolted off the porch and ran past the zombies shambling toward him. Pumping his arms furiously, he dashed across the cement pad and into the garage.

“No!” Josh cried out. “Sam, no!”

The zombies were instantly drawn to the sound of Josh’s voice. There were around a dozen, all ages and sizes. They surged away from the back porch and toward the sprawl of cars.

“Josh! Move!” Troy called out.

Corina paused between cars, looked toward the zombies, then swept her gaze over the area. “Where’s Sam?”

“In the garage.” Josh hurried to catch up, but tossed quick looks over his shoulder to keep an eye on the zombies and the garage entrance. “He might be safe if he closes the door.”

“We can’t abandon him,” Corina protested.

Josh pushed her past a big gold Lincoln with no tires. “We don’t have a choice.”

As the door to the garage started to slide close, one of the male zombies dressed in jeans and a t-shirt separated from the group to limp surprisingly fast toward the narrowing gap.

“Shut the door, Sam!” Josh shouted.

The sliding metal door was almost closed when the zombie caught it and slipped through.

“No!” Corina gasped. “No!”

“It got him!” Troy groaned. “It got poor Sam.”

Feeling sick to his stomach, Josh turned away and concentrated on hurrying through the tangle of cars. The zombies pursued the children with terrifying speed. Josh suspected they were freshly dead, therefore faster than the ones at the truck stop.

Ahead, Dulce came to a sharp halt, her cousin smacking into her back.

“Don’t stop!” Troy skid into both of them.

A weird sound punctured through the moans and grunts of the zombies. It was like someone pounding a rock on the ground. The thudding grew louder. Huge chunks of ice were falling from the sky to slam into the ground a few feet from the chain-link fence. That’s what had made Dulce stop.