[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
voices seemed to join in some freakish, horror
movie harmony that made the hairs on the back of
his arm stand on end.
Something was seriously fucked up. More loud
bangs and thuds. Some of them so loud, the walls
trembled. Christian flattened his palms against the
164
Salting Zombies
door as he strained closer to the window, trying
hard to get a better view so he could garner a clue
as to what might be going on.
A burst of semi-automatic gunfire made him
jump in shock. It was followed by a scream that
was definitely from one of the guards. High-
pitched and with a touch of sobbing, it made
Christian feel sorry for the poor bastard. Although
he'd wasn't a fan of the guards, he never wanted
anything bad to happen to them, and from the
sounds of it, that's just what happened.
The automatic lock on his door clicked open
and Christian's confusion grew. Unless someone
was standing directly in front of his room,
punching the code into that panel, the only way
his door could be unlocked would be if someone
did it from the control tower.
A second round of gunfire clattered through the
air. A louder scream. It wasn't until he saw a
bright, crimson spray of blood paint the hall that
he truly realized what'd happened.
The Others! They'd somehow managed to
escape and now they were taking over the facility.
Fear made a cold sweat break out over his body.
All of the subjects, him included, had super
strength and could move faster than any normal
165
Stephani Hecht
man could run. Even with their guns, there would
be no way the guards could stop them.
Fear gave way to panic as he realized Avery
was still out there. Sweet, innocent Avery who
didn't seem capable of hurting anyone, let alone
defending himself against one of the Others.
Not even thinking twice or pausing to consider
the danger or risk to himself, Christian opened the
door and ran out to find the man. He only hoped
to get to him before the Others did.
166
Chapter Two
Avery walked into the small break room so he
could get some caffeine and recoup from the
intense exchange he'd just shared with Christian.
As he poured some coffee into his mug, he
wondered how long it would take his superiors to
call him in to reprimand him for talking to the
man.
Damn, he'd rather go in and face one of the
zombies than deal with his bosses. Brothers, who
were more dedicated to science than humanity,
they were doctors in only the loosest sense. Not
only did they refuse to follow the Hippocratic
167
Stephani Hecht
Oath, he suspected they kept a copy just so they
could piss on it.
So cruel, heartless and sadistic they would
make Ted Bundy or Ed Gein say, You guys may be
taking things a tad too far.
He reached for a stirrer and nearly jumped out
of his skin as the alarm went off. He paused,
waiting for the usual calming female voice to
come over the PA and reassure that this was just a
drill. Only the voice never came.
The lights flickered a few times, then went out
completely and plunged the room into darkness.
His heart skipped a beat, then another.
The backup lights flickered on and a weak glow
was cast over everything, which just made things
look even spookier.
One of the guards came tearing down the
hallway, his steps punctuated by sharp cries of
terror. "Please, no! I don't want to die like this."
A blur shot down the hall, tackling the man and
taking him down. By the time Avery realized it
was one of the zombies, a bright red geyser of
blood shot out of the man's neck. It pumped once,
twice, before it settled to a low trickle.
168
Salting Zombies
The coffee slipped from Avery's hand, the cup
shattering as hot liquid splashed over his shoes
and pants. His breath seized in his throat as he
realized the loud sound of breaking ceramic was
sure to bring at least one zombie his way.
He tried to run, but his feet remained rooted in
place. Instantly, he became just like all those too-
stupid-to-live chicks from the slasher flicks that
die because they can't make their legs move.
Run! Run! Run! he screamed inside his head,
but his white Converse-shoed feet refused to obey.
He just stood there, like some damn deer in the
scope of a hunter's rifle. His chest heaved as he
sucked in hard breaths.
Outside, he could hear sickening sucking
sounds as the zombie feasted on the corpse. His
stomach rolled at the sound even as the coppery
tang of fresh blood assaulted his nose.
A hand shot from behind and clamped over
Avery's mouth. He yelled in surprise, the sound
muffled as he started to struggle. At the same
time, an arm reached around his waist to hold him
in place. Fuck! One of the zombies. Great, what a way
to go--death by snack attack.
"Be quiet and settle down. It's me," Christian's
rich voice ordered.
169
Stephani Hecht
Avery released a pent up breath of relief once
he realized he wasn't on the menu. At least not
yet. He sagged against Christian, taking some
comfort in the sensation of the man's chest pressed
against his back.
"If I move my hand, are you going to be okay?"
Christian asked.
Avery nodded. The zombie moved his palm
away, but still kept the arm around his waist in
place. "What's going on?" Avery whispered, still
vividly aware of the zombie in the hall.
"The Others got out and are running around
killing everything on two legs," Christian
explained in a low voice.
Even under all the fear and panic, it wasn't lost
on Avery that they were once again reduced to
whispering. "How in the hell did they get out of
their rooms? Those things are more secure than
Fort Knox. Not even MacGyver could have figured
a way out."
"Who?"
It took Avery a second to realize Christian's
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]