Paradise Lost: Tales of the Dead Tropics by Sue Edge Read Free Book Online Page B

keys , I prayed. It was parked over the curb and had obviously been abandoned hastily. Zombies converged on me in every direction except the curb side upon which the ambulance was perched. A hedge ran along the curb blocking the creatures, giving me a tiny opportunity to escape. When I reached the ambulance, I wrenched the passenger door open - and froze in a moment of sickening dread. A zombie sat before me on the passenger side. He turned his head and looked at me with dark, soulless eyes. His lips peeled back from his teeth and he launched himself at me. I cried out and jumped back, knowing it was too late. Only, to my desperate relief, the creature did not reach me. He fell heavily onto the pavement before me, the bloody stumps that remained of his legs scrabbling futilely at the ground. Still, he reached up for me. I leapt over him and scrambled into the driver's seat. Please, please, please.
    I don't think any sound ever sounded sweeter to me in my entire life than the jingle of car keys that greeted me as I fumbled with the ignition. With a cry of pure joy, I turned the engine over and threw the ambulance into reverse. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a face coming through the window at me. A grey-haired man, with torn flesh where his features once were, launched himself at my throat. Screaming, I wrenched my head to the left and pressed down hard on the accelerator. The head disappeared abruptly from the window as the car screeched backwards.

    Shaking with adrenaline, I braked hard as I watched the man slowly sit up. With a surge of pure malevolence, I put my foot down hard on the accelerator and sent my wheels right over his head, relishing the sound of his head exploding. Take that, you bastard.
    With sheer vindictive pleasure, I tore through the crowd of zombies before me as I headed for the alleyway. They flew to the side or fell beneath my wheels with eerie silence. Women, men, some nurses whose faces I knew well - I rejoiced as each one fell beneath my wheels.
    Jim jumped out as I pulled up. Pulling the back doors open, the others piled quickly into the back of the ambulance. I watched the approaching zombies through my rear view mirrors and couldn't restrain myself from yelling pointlessly. "Hurry up!"
    With a slam of the doors, Jim hurried around and jumped into the passenger seat.
    Wheels squealing dramatically, I roared away from the hospital - and towards my daughter. Jim looked at me and I saw a hint of admiration in his eyes. "Good job."
    Emma slid the window behind me open, as the vehicle surged forward. "Oh Lori, you were fantastic!"
    The adrenaline that had fueled me was draining now, leaving me feeling shaky. "Thanks, guys. All in a day's work, really." I knew I sounded distracted as my thoughts turned to my oldest child. How would I find her? I didn't have my mobile with me. I didn't allow myself to think for a moment that she wasn't okay. She had to be.
    "So, where are we going?" Jim's gravelly voice interrupted my thoughts. I glanced at him defiantly. "Central. I'm getting my daughter."
    A long pause and then he nodded. "Do you know where to find her?"
    I laughed a little hysterically. "Not a clue!"
    "You need to find a mobile. Then you can contact her." Emma said quietly from behind me. I nodded. But where would I get one?
    "My God." I heard Ken say softly. I blinked and saw what he was seeing. All along the esplanade, zombies moved towards us. Hundreds gathered along the green strip. In the cafes and shops that bordered the other side of the street, blood and flesh splattered the pavement, tables and chairs. Even as we watched, fresh bodies rose to join the walking dead.
    "How far has it spread?" Ken wondered aloud. I couldn't answer as fear for my daughter clenched my gut into a knot.
    Turning the corner, I saw the creatures staggering down the road towards the business district. To my amazement, I saw people, real people, still wandering the streets. My heart flared with hope.