Clickers vs Zombies by Brian Keene, J.F. Gonzalez Read Free Book Online Page B

results into an Excel spreadsheet. Right?”
    “Umm…yeah?” Melissa was getting that look that said, oh no, here it comes .
    “What have you been doing since then?”
    Silence from Melissa. Wendy answered for her. “She’s been going back to doing manual data entry on five different spreadsheets on multiple workbooks and adding things up on a manual calculator.”
    Melissa turned to Wendy. “And that system works! It’s what our customers want! It’s what they expect.”
    “Our biggest account likes the web portal I created for them based off that database and the Crystal Report Cathy created,” Wendy said. “Our sales contact there was really confused when you sent them that last report with all those Excel attachments.”
    Melissa heaved a big sigh that said, you idiots! Cathy and Wendy glanced at each other, then back at their direct report. “Maybe they like your database and your web portal thingy better, but the Excel spreadsheets we have is the way we’ve been doing things at Sunn for twenty years and—”
    “Jim brought the both of us into the company to move us into the twenty-first century,” Cathy said. “He likes the work we’re doing. Our clients love the new reports. Our sales team will like it too if you’ll only let them use it.”
    “Okay, this is enough!” Melissa put both hands up in exasperation and turned her back on Cathy and Wendy. She was breathing hard and fast. “What, are we supposed to just argue here or something? What kind of a stupid team building exercise is this?”
    “We’re supposed to work together as a team,” Wendy said. “That’s the whole nature of this thing. By being thrust in this situation he’s created for us, we’re supposed to mutually work together for the whole of the group. We’ve been trying to do this since Jim hired us, but it’s become more and more difficult for us when you keep insisting we use your spreadsheets that are a waste of time, a waste of—”
    Melissa whirled back around, her eyes smoldering with anger. “They are not a waste of time!”
    CLICK-CLICK! CLICK-CLICK! CLICK-CLICK!
    The sudden loud clicking noise startled all three of them and Cathy jumped in fright when she saw the creature amble forth from behind a rock. It was approaching from Melissa’s blind side, and she turned around and screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw it. Another flurry of clicks behind them and Wendy screamed too. When Cathy looked toward her left—the south side of the island—she saw two more of the creatures.
    They were like something from outer space. The biggest one was about the size of a small sofa, the other two about the size of large dogs. They looked like a weird mash up between a lobster and a scorpion. Their blood-red claws clacked together furiously, creating a cacophony of noise that sent all three women into shrieks of hysteria. Their segmented tails arched over their backs and Cathy saw that their stingers were long, heavy, and sharp. A yellowish fluid dripped from one of them.
    Melissa scampered away from the creature near the water, joining Cathy and Wendy. The three creatures moved in, their claws clicking loudly. From behind them, another creature emerged from the water. She caught a whiff of the briny stench wafting off the monsters’ shells. Overhead, a bird squawked in panic as several more of the beasts emerged from the ocean. These were larger than the first—each one the size of an automobile.
    Cathy glanced toward the path they’d come down on. It was completely blocked by the creatures.
    “There!” Wendy grabbed Cathy and pointed at another path in front of Melissa, who stood rooted to the spot, staring with wide-eyed fear as the creatures advanced. It was the second path that led toward the road above. “We can escape that way!”
    Cathy grabbed Melissa’s shoulders and tried to shove her forward. Melissa screamed and tried to fight her. Cathy’s fight or flight instinct kicked in and for five seconds