DeadBorn by C.M. Stunich Read Free Book Online Page A

when she fell and landed on the ground. Her bone just came right through the skin on her arm. When I opened the window to ask if she needed help, she got up and just came right at me, so I closed it and watched her run. She kind of … ” I look over my shoulder and watch Martin imitate the strange, loping movements of the zombies I'd seen on the hill that morning. After about thirty seconds, I realize that he isn't going to stop until someone supplies a word. I don't think Dawson can handle anymore of Martin's pretend groans, so I step in and try to diffuse the situation.
    “ Loped?” I ask and Martin nods vigorously like we're in the middle of a game of Pictionary.
    “ Yeah, loped. And anyway, her face was all bloody and half her jaw was missing. I knew then what we were dealing with.”
    “ And you didn't even think to bring your zombie preparedness kit?” Dawson asks as he flutters a hand up by his throat. Martin rolls his eyes in response but keeps talking.
    “ Anyway, some of these DeadBorn or zombies or walkers or whatever they are seem a bit different than what I'm used to. When I first got outside, I saw one that spewed green ooze over everything. It was kind of like that stuff on Nickelodeon. You know, that Gak or whatever it is? Whatever it touched just disintegrated. I stayed away from that one.”
    “ Is it true,” I ask Martin, but I glance at Holly to make sure she's okay. Her gaze is focused out the window and it's kind of cloudy. I'm wondering if the grief and the stress is catching up to her. If she goes into shock, I'm taking her to a hospital whether she wants me to or not. “That if you get bitten, you turn into one, too?” Martin shrugs.
    “ It's a pretty common theme, so I'd say, just to be cautious, that we should kind of presume that's a yes.” I think about the bone bag's teeth that morning and wonder if I was just inches away from turning into a DeadBorn myself. “But I didn't see anyone get bitten. I mean, everyone that I ran into just got slaughtered outright. They – ”
    Dawson is leaning forward and grabbing Martin by the arm before I can stop him. In his opposite hand is a knife that he presses to the chubby boy's throat.
    “ If you don't shut the fuck up, I swear to god that I will kill you.”
    Nobody speaks for a long time after that, not even Martin. I don't turn on music and neither does Holly. It doesn't seem appropriate. As we merge onto the highway, I start to notice something strange. There are a few cars heading North but not a single one heading South. Martin observes this, too, and finally breaks the tense silence.
    “ Turn around,” he commands, leaning forward and putting his hands on the edges of Holly's seat.
    “ Why?” she asks just seconds before a minivan swerves and smashes into the center median. Holly jerks the wheel and pushes the brake down at the same time. We manage to avoid the other vehicle but run straight into a cluster of people that scatter in front of the moving car like bowling pins. Everyone in the car screams and there's a break in time as we realize that none of the people we've just hit are alive. The realization makes things both better and worse. I mean, it's good that we haven't killed anyone, but at the same time, this means that we're now practically surrounded by the undead. As soon as my head stops spinning, I look out the window and try to see if I can catch a glimpse of any of the fire faces or the ooze spitters that Martin talked about. All my life, I've had nightmares about being melted alive. If they come true, I don't think my soul will ever recover. When I don't see any, I feel the slightest hint of relief, like a cool breeze felt through a window – not enough to soothe, just enough to tease. This is, of course, before I see the woman in the black cloak. The necromancer. She's standing just over the crest in the hill ahead of us. Martin sees her, too, and hisses under his breath.
    “ Oh my god,” he whispers as Holly