If Only to Forget by Camryn Lynn Read Free Book Online Page A

argue with him and I don’t have another plan, so I nod. “Do we look for others, or just run?”
    Riley’s eyes snap toward me. He studies my face for a moment, his jaw tightening before he turns back toward the hall. “Run.”
    His tone is so final it doesn’t leave room for argument, which is good, because before I could even think of one he’s out the door. Motioning for me to follow.
    My whole body tenses when I step into the hall, hurrying after him. I focus on Riley’s broad shoulders while keeping my eyes and ears open for anything threatening. Every scrape of our shoes as we hurry down the empty hall causes me to bite back a gasp, and before we’ve even reached the stairs my bottom lip hurts from biting it so hard.
    Riley pauses at the top, motioning for me to do the same. I hold my breath and stand next to him, our arms touching as we listen to the sounds from below. Shuffling feet and moans. A few grunts that sound angry. And something else, but I can’t tell what it is. A strange scratching sound. The unknown noise makes the hair on my scalp prickle.
    If only I had a weapon!
    Riley licks his lips and nods as he moves his face toward mine. “We’re gonna go down real slow.” The words are barely more than a brush of air against my face. “Pause halfway down to check things out, then move. The front door is only fifteen feet away. Follow me every step of the way. Got it?”
    I nod once and so does he, then we’re moving down. Tiptoeing our way toward hell. Fear wraps its fingers around my brain and squeezes so hard it makes me want to scream.
    When Riley stops, so do I, following his lead as he kneels. In the distance are a few zombies. Five, to be exact. They don’t seem to notice us, and they’re all gathered around a door. Clawing at it. That must be the scratching sound I heard.
    Seeing them is terrifying, but not nearly as much as the carnage in the hall. There’s blood everywhere. Splattered on the wall and smeared across the floor in the direction of the front door. Like someone tried to drag themselves away. No bodies, which makes me wonder where they disappeared to.
    “They’re busy,” Riley hisses, drawing my attention away from the blood and back to the zombies. “We move fast, but quiet. Get to the door and hopefully the front isn’t too crowded.”
    He doesn’t wait for me to nod, and when he starts moving again I’m so close to his back that people might think we’re glued together. We stay close to the wall, our footsteps as quick and silent as possible.
    When we reach the doorway, Riley turns without pausing. I reach out to stop him, but I’m too late, and before I’ve had a chance to do anything he reels back. I rush forward to find a zombie less than a foot in front of Riley. The thing opens his mouth, chomping his yellowing teeth as he reaches out. His hands covered in blood so dried it looks brown. The same brown is cake under his nails.
    Riley swings the bat without blinking, and when it makes contact with the dead man’s head a crack echoes through the hall. The thing goes down, but there are more behind him. Riley moves back, pushing me away as he swings. The bat hits another and another as congealed blood and bone and brain matter spray the once white walls. Riley grunts as he swings, his face tensing and turning red. The commotion draws the attention of the zombies down the hall, and they forget the door. Head our way. Sweat breaks out on my forehead as I desperately look around, trying to find something I can use as a weapon so I can help him. If I don’t hurry up, we’re going to be in real trouble.
    My eyes land on the American flag mounted on a pole beside the door. Before I can register what I’m even doing I dash forward, slipping across the wet floor. Trying not to think about the fact that I’m sliding through blood.
    Riley glances my way, his eyes big and round with fear. When he sees what I’m doing, he moves with me, swinging the bat to ward off the