Life Among The Dead by Daniel Cotton Read Free Book Online Page B

opens a cabinet with his foot as he watches the cloud swirl around, caught in imperceptible currents of air. He leans to the flat top and blows a layer of settled flour back into circulation.
    The zombies are making their way around the island. Dan crawls into the cramped space he had opened. Pots and pans rattle and gong as he moves over them and shoves them around. He holds his rifle tightly to his chest as he closes the door, save for a mere crack.
    Through the crack Dan extends his hand outward. He holds his lighter out and flips it open. His Uncle Bruce had told him about old grain silos and their tendency to blow up. People had to work without light for fear that the slightest spark would set them off. He turns the wheel of the lighter hoping good old Uncle Bruce wasn’t just putting him on. The flame is waved like a concertgoer’s Bic as the dead close in on the offering of meat.
    Miniscule particles catch fire. Their neighbors quickly follow suit in a chain reaction. Dan takes his hand back just before the force slams the cabinet door closed. The air in the kitchen becomes incinerated with a bang. The concussion causes the ground to shake and some windows to blow outward.
    The soldier’s ears ring as he emerges from the pots and pans. The cabinet door falls from its hinges. He looks around the charred and smoldering kitchen. The dead were all blown against the walls and out through the door and window. The side door has also been taken off its hardware; it now leans against the next fence. Dan runs outside and can see the zombies struggling against each other to get off the ground. They must have toppled like dominoes, he thinks, walking up the flimsy wooden ramp. His feet slide down the slick surface as he tries to move up the incline. He refuses to allow gravity to win.
    Some of the dead are already on their feet again and approaching. The man has reached as far as he thinks he can walk, any higher and his weight just pulls him down the bowing wood. He dives forward, grabbing onto the top edge of the fence. As fast as he can, he propels himself up and over the vertical barrier.
    Dan lands hard on his right side. He doesn’t allow the pain to stop him from at least checking out his new surroundings. He is relieved to find that the alley is blocked off towards the front of the red house. In the opposite direction he sees no movement. He aims his carbine towards the backyard just in case. The soldier allows himself time to recover from the grain explosion.
     

 
    10
     
     
    The dark crawlspace warms under the afternoon sun despite the chill of the air outside. Becka and Stevie sit in silence as sweat starts to bead on their foreheads and droplets run down their noses. Lazy moans still emanate from the dead below. They haven’t dared to move for what feels like an eternity, even when the whole house shook briefly. What the fuck is going on? Becka had asked herself. The world has gone berserk. She has decided to keep her distance from the holes that overlook the second floor,
    Stevie stares down into his late friend’s mother’s room. He watches as the zombies pace. They appear to be searching for something. He avoids letting his eyes rest on his buddy’s limp and shredded corpse. Not long after Derek stopped screaming did they lose interest in his body. The boy wipes a bead of sweat from one of the lenses of his glasses. He wonders if they are looking for them. Despite his fear, Stevie is trying to brainstorm a way out. All he has come up with so far is to keep quiet. Maybe they’ll just go away.
    The skinny boy creeps to the hatch above the hall, holding the rafters overhead. He gingerly makes his way through the white foam and thick hot air. His hope is that a new perspective will give him inspiration.
    The temperature continues to rise in the dark and claustrophobic level. Sweat drenches their clothes. Becka feels a drop run from her armpit down her side and gets a shiver. She watches her one last friend