Wake the Dead 2 (Wake The Dead Series) by Gary F. Vanucci Read Free Book Online Page A

others to gather before talking about it again.
    It seemed as good an idea as any.
    “So, since everyone is here now, why don’t we explain the situation,” Nick said. “The undead have gathered en masse upon the gates of our home as if Satan himself vomited every single piece of shit direct from hell into one area.”
    “Melodramatic as usual,” Liz commented, drawing a sidelong look from her husband before he continued.
    “The fire did its job, cleansing the grounds of the zombie horde, but in turn, it brought more of them to our doorstep,” Nick continued, tearing at a piece of bread, chewing it and swallowing it before continuing again.
    “Out of the proverbial frying pan,” Phil said, scooping a mouthful of cereal into his mouth.
    “Something like that, yes. But Alex here has come up with an intriguing idea. I’ll let him explain.” He gestured for Alex to take the floor and so he stood and began to explain his plan. All eyes were upon him as he spoke.
    “So, remember that Ben said that they had almost finished the moat outside? I took a peek at what needs to be done and noted that there ain’t much of the earth holding the river from coming into that trench.” He remained silent for a minute after the initial explanation, allowing the others to think about that statement.
    “So we finish the moat?” Alexis asked.
    “Yes. We dig out the rest and let that water come into the trench, establishing a wide moat, and we find a boat—or make something if need be—and ride that out to the river. We can go from there to the riverbank upstream, find a clearing and dock it. From there, we walk to the road. There’s gotta be plenty of abandoned vehicles that we can use to make our runs,” Alex finished, staring from face to face.
    “Digging out that trench is going to be dangerous,” Liz said, cracking her knuckles. “Isn’t it?”
    “I’d say yes. But, if we do it carefully, we can do it.”
    “That’ll take weeks,” Kelly said with a frown.
    “It would if all we were doing was digging. But, I was thinking we dig it out a little more by hand, and then we design some rudimentary bombs out of …not sure what…and finish it that way. It would be faster, right?”
    “That’s kinda dangerous, don’t you think?” Phil asked.
    “I know how to do a firebomb. I might be able to cook up something else,” Alex said. “Well, in theory. Never actually made one, but…..”
    “Let’s call that plan B,” Nick interjected, not liking the idea very much.
    A few conversations began at the table as the gathered associates discussed the pros and cons. Alex and Nick allowed them to continue their private discussions for a few moments until finally, they quieted on their own.
    “There are two sides that are not finished, so we need to dig out both, right? Bryan asked suddenly.
    “I don’t think so. Based on what I'm seeing, if we do the side on the northwest, we shouldn’t need to do the other. That side is slightly thicker, but if we get the water surging through it, I believe that alone will be too much for the other side to withstand and it’ll collapse once the water hits it. That’ll complete the circle and the moat will be whole,” Alex explained thoroughly. “But, the great thing is, is it doesn’t matter. Once we have a way out to the river from one side or the other, it makes no difference,” he said matter-of-factly. Bryan nodded and grinned, giving him a ‘thumbs up’.
    “I’d feel safer if, during the digging, I hooked everyone up to a secure post on the surface here,” Kelly said with a half-smile. “If we do that, I'm in.”
    The rest of the group agreed unanimously.
    “So, the plan is, we set up a post in the ground with some of the lumber lying around here, tie a few sections of rope to the post, and tie that around anyone that’s working in the trench,” Kelly said, explaining his idea. “All I need to do is get that post in the ground and secured, and then we can start