LZR-1143: Infection by Bryan James Read Free Book Online

feet, looking excitedly first to me, then to Kate. Two of our followers rounded the corner and, seeing us clustered at the end of the hall, shuffled forward hungrily.
    They looked like Conan did: gray, pallid skin; shuffling feet; vapid, empty expression. But it was eyes that got to you. Not in a weird, Discovery channel kind of way, but I mean really got to you. They were bloodshot and wide open, staring forward - always trained on you, never blinking, never looking away. And there was nothing there but pain. No shred of humanity, no flash of cognizant comprehension. These fuckers were just hungry.
    “OK, time to go now,” I said, pushing forward and slamming the door open. A high-pitched squeal cut through the air; a red light above the door flickered to life and flashed insistently over our heads like a damn Walmart special. Free meat! it screamed.
    “Move!” I shouted, as Erica stopped in the door frame to cover her ears, crouching in an upright fetal position. Kate, Fred and No-Name bolted across the intervening space and into the garage, Kate turning and stooping to examine license plates as she ran.
    Erica wouldn’t move from the door frame and I struggled to pull her after me. The pack behind us had grown to ten or twelve, and the first creature was barely five feet from her cringing figure, its bare feet squeaking loudly against the tile floor.
    I looked over my shoulder to the garage, seeing Fred looking at plates, apparently imitating Kate. No-Name was following Fred, walking unconcernedly behind.
    Back to Erica. Three feet. I pulled as hard as I could, and she shouted in pain as I jerked her off her feet, and physically dragged her through the exit. I threw her to the ground as the first creature’s arm plunged through the opening. I slammed home the door, but too late. The fleshy resistance obstructed a complete lock and I struggled to push it shut.
    The arm moved, fingers searching in vain for purchase on my arms. Gray, flaky skin came off on the door and the frame as the arm moved up and down along the gap. Brown fluid smeared against the white paint and a horribly rotten burst of air blasted into my face as the creature pressed its face inches from my own and I pushed harder, my weakening legs straining for leverage. Suddenly, the door shifted inches inward, and the obstruction vanished. Three neatly severed fingers fell to the ground as the alarm stopped wailing. I turned toward Erica, pulling her weeping frame from the ground into the garage.
    “I’ve got it, Joe! Let’s go!” Kate’s head disappeared from behind a small Korean sedan. No-Name and Fred followed closely after. Dragging Erica behind me, I staggered to the car, weary legs, unused to such activity, bearing me stolidly forward.
    Kate flew into the driver’s seat, plunging the key into the ignition. I pushed Erica into the backseat, and Fred piled in after me. No-Name crowded into the front seat, seeming now to sense the urgency of the situation. Erica laid her head against the glass of the passenger side window, staring unseeing ahead. The ignition turned. The engine came to life. Gears ground loudly as Kate threw the car into reverse and her head whipped around.
    “Where to?” she asked anxiously, looking at me.
    “Don’t you have a plan?” I replied, still trying to catch my breath.
    “I didn’t expect to get this far,” she yelled, fear and adrenalin making her voice shrill and her words tumble over one another in rapid succession.
    Suddenly, from the front of the car, a shadowy form shambled into view. The look in my eyes, or perhaps a reflection, betrayed the sudden appearance of a business suit-clad creature, rounding the corner between the hood of the car to our left and the concrete barrier, and Kate turned back to the windshield. His tie hung from a bloody neck, face slack-jawed but for the now-familiar glare of hungry malevolence. Shuffling forward, he clambered against the passenger side of the car. Kate, glancing