Life Among The Dead by Daniel Cotton Read Free Book Online

He can see a set of stairs and across from that is the front door, which stands ajar. Between them he can see another door that he speculates is a bathroom or a closet.
    Wait. He tells himself to backtrack. Ajar? He looks again at the front door and confirms that it is opened slightly. He can see daylight through the void. Even in this neighborhood you don’t do that, he chastises the residents. He stands there, staring at the gaping breach of security. He feels very vulnerable and wonders if he should risk closing it. He looks out the window to the legion of undead that passes by. They aren’t lured to the open door. If just one of them sees or hears it shut… They’ll all come down on me. I have to leave it open.
    He retreats to the dining room where he stands and resumes his watch of the door. His head lowers and moves from side to side trying to see if any zombies are nearby. He is feeling jumpy. Paranoia forces him to look around and over his shoulders, as if one may have snuck past him somehow.
    He leans his head into the kitchen and his vision slowly becomes accustomed to the darkness inside. Next to the door leading outside he can see a phone affixed to the wall. The handset is connected to the receiver by an extremely long cord that would allow the chef of the house free mobility while preparing meals.
    Dan puts his hands on the brass plate of the white door and pushes it open. It swings back and forth behind him before coming to a rest. He is tiptoeing fearful that they might hear him out on the street. He lays his rifle on the center island that’s cluttered with bowls and measuring implements, there are several bags containing different types of flour. He reaches the phone and picks up the receiver. They can afford that living room but not a cordless? He thinks to himself.
    Phone in hand Dan looks out the small window of a rather flimsy door. The alley is on the other side. He spots the next fence and beyond that a red house. Only a simple hook secured the lightweight door.
    Now he stares at the illuminated numbers of the phone and draws a complete blank. What the hell is her number? He can’t remember. He always uses speed dial when he calls her. He closes his eyes and concentrates. A digit at a time the number forms in his head. His index finger pushes them into the phone and he listens, hoping he got it right. It’s ringing.
    The soldier impatiently waits with his arms crossed. He leans his anxious body against the thin strip of wall that holds the phone. The man’s back depressed a knob and the lights switch on with a blaze against the whiteness of the kitchen. Scarlet smears along the floor and walls contrast the sterile decor.
    Dan’s stomach drops from the shock. He hears a rustling in the kitchen with him. On the floor by the far side of the island he sees a morbidly obese woman come into view. She drags herself along the slick linoleum with her ham hock arms. The yellow frock she wears is rigid from dried blood. He can see her throat has been torn out as she lifts her head to view her perspective meal.
    The soldier backs away, but meets the wall. The massive woman takes his boot in a fierce grip and tries to bring it to her gaping mouth.
    Dan kicks out. He pulls and fights but cannot shake her. The man hops along the kitchen towards the swinging door wanting more room to maneuver. He wants to snag his rifle as he passes the island, but he can’t reach it and can’t risk stopping. The behemoth is very strong, and very hungry.
    He drags her along the floor desperately trying to keep his flesh out of her mouth’s reach. The phone is still in his hands ringing; its cord dangles like a child’s jump rope. He hurls the receiver at her head. It bounces off her skull without fazing her. A voice can be heard:
    “ Your call cannot be completed as dialed…”
    Inch by inch Dan and the fat zombie make it to the door. He enters the dining room, holding the wall and door as he positions the woman’s head