Life Among The Dead (Book 2): A Castle Made of Sand by Daniel Cotton Read Free Book Online Page B

been cultivating his pride and joy, weighing out bags for
customers, and hugging the small trees. Many plant lovers will tell
you that talking to them makes them grow faster, but Gar feels a
more physical expression of love does an even better job.
    Reeking of his musty den, he helps the
celebrity up to street level. The area is clear. They had wasted so
much time the dead had lost interest.
    “I was up for a role in a zombie picture back
home, you know? They opted to go with some ginger headed fuck
instead. Now he’s doing big budget blockbusters, and I’m getting
stuck with shitty, supporting roles,” Randy angrily whispers.
    “You did the one with the monkey, remember?”
Gar whispers back to cheer the man up. He feels like he’s in a
movie right now; on a mission, armed, and being covert. “The funny
one.”
    “I didn’t find it a bit funny!” the comedian
speaks louder. “They gave that bloody simian top billing!”
    “Did you get paid more?”
    “Well, yeah…” Randy calms down, lowering his
voice. “It was a monkey after all.”

 
10
     
    The Hammond Grand is situated a few blocks
south of Olive Grove Hospital. The Camaro pulls under the hotel’s
awning, where valets once ran to open doors and take the cars of
guests away. Superdad kills the engine, and Dustin looks at the
gilded revolving door that leads into the darkened lobby.
    “We’re just marching in?”
    “That’s the plan," Eli, aka Superdad, says.
He still hasn't told Dustin his daughter's name. "Staffing should
be at a minimum since this sh… stuff happened so early.”
    “You said there’s a thousand of those things
in there!” Dustin isn't certain he wants to tag along with
them.
    Eli abruptly hushes him. He drags him down
below the car’s windows so they won't be seen by a small band of
wandering dead, and he whispers, “This isn’t only the biggest hotel
in the city, it’s the oldest. They still use old fashioned keys and
real knobs instead of electronic keycards and open-with-ease
handles. Anyone dead in their rooms will be trapped there. That’s
not to say we won’t have to deal with any threats inside. Some
staff, janitors, but I suspect it will be minor.”
    Eli checks to see if the coast is clear
before laying out the protocol. “We’ll leave our stuff here for
now. I’m going to lead us in. Keep my daughter between us. After we
secure the upstairs we’ll come back for the supplies, and then jam
something big enough into that revolving door it loses its
name.”
    The three sneak out, staying low. The car
doors are closed gently for fear of making too much noise. They
remain in their crouched postures all the way to the massive
entrance. Having come here several times to research his quote and
take a tour with the management, Eli plans to use that prior
knowledge to guide them through the dark establishment.
    Light from the world outside enters, exposing
an ornate fountain that resides quietly in the middle of the vast
reception area. It's flanked by plush, curved couches that face it.
They proceed through in a tight train, and their leader takes an
adjustable lamp from a small table as they do. He steps on the cord
and yanks it free from the base of the appliance. A hand is held up
to tell the younger two of the party to ‘stay put.’ Eli sees a
figure behind the concierge desk.
    The late attendant of the hotel paces back
and forth in a pale pool of light let in from the front. Once Eli
emerges from the shadows, the dead woman’s eyes lock onto him. The
ghoul reaches for him as he approaches. He plans on battering the
deceased with the heavy base of the lamp, and he does just that,
letting it swing on its flexible neck like a blackjack until the
zombie goes still.
    Emergency lighting illuminates the corridors.
Through their glare, Eli can see figures within a large glass
elevator. They move slow as they palm the smeared barrier that
surrounds them, but they remain trapped and harmless.
    Eli inspects every