Emperor of a Dead World by Kevin Butler Read Free Book Online

did to clear the community. When they finished, it looked like hell. For the plow, they cut the tops off two cars, a red Buick and a green Chevy then attached them to the front of the truck with a wrought iron railing they had cut up. Just like a sailboat, the green was on the right and the red was on the left. They then used the spare rails to make bars for the windows. For gas, they siphoned fuel out of cars in the neighborhood. Feeling secure in his monster-mobile, Brad loaded up his weapons along with some food and water. He also brought his trench coat as an added precaution.
    Tyrone rode with him as far as the front gate. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
    “I’m sure,” Brad returned with a weak smile.
    “It’s not too late. A beer and the pool are waiting.”
    “I wish you would come.”
    “Someone has to man the gate. If you have trouble getting in, just blow the horn three times and I will clear you a path.”
    “Fair enough,” Brad shrugged then added, “If you sit there any longer you are coming with me.”
    Tyrone laughed and opened the door then stepped out. “You are one crazy-ass white-boy.”
    “I am sorry about your family Tyrone but mine may still be out there.”
    “I understand and I hope to see you soon.”
    “Last chance,” Brad shrugged.
    Tyrone closed the door and tapped on the roof. “Good luck.”
    Brad inched forward and the gate opened. As soon as it was wide enough, he sped through. Only a few creatures were around but they were more interested in the truck than the gate so none attempted to enter the community. Brad waved to Tyrone through the rear window then took off being careful not to hit any of the infected pedestrians.
    Heading down the street, he encountered several abandoned cars in the road. He got around them by driving either on the median or the sidewalk. There were also many creatures wondering aimlessly. They watched him pass then forgot about him. As he drove, he scanned the area for survivors. Every time something moved, he slowed for a closer look but all he found were the unlucky infected ones. After about two miles, he headed down a side street then stopped in front of his ex-girlfriend’s house. The door was hanging wide open so it did not look encouraging. He stared at the house for a moment then rolled down his window and yelled, “Hey Jenny.” He got no answer so he honked and yelled again, “Jenny, you in there?” Still nothing so he inched forward, honked his horn and yelled again, “Anybody here - Anybody at all?”
    The only response he got was from the infected. They did not like the noise and they came out in force to complain. It was impossible to tell where they came from as they quickly filled the street and headed for the truck. When they got close, he rolled up the window but they still tried to get him through the glass. The only thing that kept the window from breaking was the bars that deflected their blows.
    Before long, there were so many that he had to leave. He inched forward but they blocked his way making it almost impossible to move. He hesitated to run them over because all these things had once been somebody and running them down just seemed so cold. While he considered his options, they were pounding on the truck and causing it to rock back and forth. Finally, he realized if he did not leave now he may never escape. Given no choice, he hit the gas and plowed through them. In order to get to the end of the street, he had to put the truck into four-wheel-drive to get over the bodies. Fortunately, he had oversized tires that crushed anything that fell in front of them.
    Depressed that he had not found Jenny and disgusted by the massacre, he headed back to the estate. When he got there, the entrance was clear so he punched in his code and the solar operated gate opened. Once inside, he waited until the gate closed before heading over to see Tyrone to tell him he had returned.
    As soon as he pulled into the driveway, Tyrone