The Dead in River City by S.A. McGarey Read Free Book Online Page A

disappointed that his veil had been seen
through. It was a last ditch effort, but it was better than nothing. Now his plan
had failed and he was certain that the Dead Ones, or Malcolm, would kill them.
Malcolm’s silhouette turned to leave.
    “Have fun, Alan and Kendra. It was lovely to meet
you.” Malcolm said as he walked away.
    Malcolm disappeared deeper into the shadows. Once he
was out of sight, the near motionless Dead Ones began to move again. One by
one, they began to shamble towards Alan and Kendra. For a moment, they were
both stunned, nearly unable to move. Then, in one single instance, they both
attacked the small horde of Dead Ones. Alan raised his shotgun and proceeded to
blow off the head of each Dead One in his line of sight. Kendra leaped forward
and started the slash the walking corpses, dismembering them of each and every
limb, and decapitating them as their heads came into reach.
    What should have been the final moments of two
survivors quickly became a bloodbath, filled with zombified corpses. The Dead
Ones died again, this time for good. Minutes passed, and the small crowd of
Dead Ones was now little more than a pile of flesh. With a shared look, and no
words between them, Alan and Kendra broke for the door. They knew there had to
be more Dead Ones hidden in the mall, and neither one of them really wished to
stay around any longer.
    They ran through the mall, and out into the parking
lot. The outside world seemed even emptier than it already was. Not even the
Dead Ones were near them. It was an odd circumstance, but neither of them
wanted to question it. They headed back to the car, threw their weapons and looted
goods in the back, and climbed in.
    “That was odd.” Kendra broke the silence.
    “Which part?” Alan asked. “The man controlling the
corpses, or the woman you pretty much left to die?”
    “Both.” Kendra said. “And I had very little choice.”
She added.
    Alan thought before speaking. “There was probably
another way, but this kind of scenario changes the way you think. It changes
you from the inside out. I understand why you did it. It was survival, without
outright murder.”
    Kendra turned away and looked out the window as Alan
started the car and started pulling out of the parking lot. Kendra and Alan
both silently contemplated the recent events. Alan wondered who this Malcolm
Graves person was, and how he controlled the Dead Ones. Kendra glazed over that
thought, instead remembering the situation with the woman in the mall. It
seemed like this whole ‘end of the world’ ordeal was causing her to commit
darker and darker acts. Death might have been kinder to the woman. Kendra
didn’t know if the woman would survive or not. She hoped she’d never have to
find out. Then almost at once, both of them realized they didn’t know where to
go next.
    “Where do we go now?” They said simultaneously.
    They giggled at their shared thought. “I think we
should find out more about this Malcolm Graves guy.” Alan said.
    “Sounds like as good a plan as any. Something wasn’t
right about him.” Kendra replied.
    “I’m not sure where to go though. Tracking down info
could be difficult.” Alan mused.
    “I know where to go!” Kendra exclaimed.
    “You do?” Alan looked at her, surprised.
    “We go to the best source of information in the
city.” She explained. “The Library.” She said with an air of confidence.
    “Of course! I always forget about that place.” Alan
said, realizing his own stupidity.
    Alan drove towards the nearest library he knew. He
wasn’t sure about how successful this trip would be though. Society had pretty
much collapsed, so the Internet services were likely inoperable. There was no
guarantee that they could find anything in books about him. They might find
something in an old census or something, but really, Alan saw this as little
more than grasping at straws, even if it was the best place they could look.
    As they drove through the desolate city