01 Dead Texas Day Zero (Full Length Zombie Audiobook) - Book 1 of 47 in Dead America The First Month

Chapter 1 tuesday 9 47 am on a normal weekday morning the newly renovated austin police station would have been a bustle of officers and personnel but on that day it was sparsely populated and half of the people who had managed to show up to their post were coughing up a storm homeland security agent harris was no Exception what do you mean you aren't coming in today do you he coughed into the phone lungs rasping like hell you hear how i sound and i'm here i expect more out of my team you can expect a reprimand

in your file he slammed the phone down in frustration before giving in to another coughing fit captain schultz stopped short as he walked by the office taking in the sight of the middle-aged agent trying to Steady himself on his desk he'd never seen the fit and sharp man look so sickly and broken are are you okay sir the captain asked raising an eyebrow i can hear you from my office next door he rested a hand on his considerable belly figuring that if everyone was home sick there'd be lots of extra donuts in the break room

yeah i'll live harris replied once he caught his breath It's my [ __ ] team they're dropping like flies to whatever plague is going around this office is there anything i can get you schultz scratched the back of his head at the sound of his co-workers hoarse voice coffee tea i need warm bodies preferably from your swat team harris replied sitting up straight he abhorred looking weak and the way That schultz was looking at him made him want to mop the floor with the doughy captain shorthanded or not we have to act on this intelligence

i'm sorry sir but swat left 20 minutes ago schultz swallowed hard apparently there's some major disturbance going on at the ut campus i don't care where you find them just harris wheezed and hacked desperately trying to catch his breath and his words God damn it our mission takes priority i don't care where you pull them from just find me some people capable of participating in a raid bring them to the briefing room in 10 minutes yes sir i'll see who i can round up schultz nodded and left harris leaned back in his chair closing his

eyes and rubbing his temples in firm circles congestion in his chest pressure in his head regardless of being angry at his Team this sickness was definitely unpleasant to say the least his cell phone vibrated on the table and he picked it up without even looking at the caller id this is harris we need a status update an aged male voice demanded through the line is your team ready to go most of us the agent replied there is a nasty flu running through the Pd here and nearly half my guys are down and out i have

the locals digging up people to fill out our ranks i'm disappointed in the way you are managing your team special agent harris the man on the other end said with a click of his tongue don't make us regret giving you the promotion we'll get the job done harris replied injecting as much authority into his Voice as possible i'll give you a status update after the raid very well then the voice conceded go get it done harris ended the call and threw his phone on the desk in frustration scrubbing his hands down his face i swear

i'm making these [ __ ] walk back to dc after this is over chapter 2 tuesday 10 02 a.m Agent harris made his way to the briefing room the lurch of his equilibrium reminding him with every step that he was unwell it was getting worse he felt like he was being eaten alive from the lungs out agent harris schultz called from down the hall and the special agent turned towards the captain with two people in tow here are the officers you requested Harris set his tired gaze on the 30-something latino man with the hard eyes

and the young looking red-headed woman with the small but athletic frame two people he squeezed the bridge of his nose momentarily scrunching his eyes shut when he released them he ignored the officers leveling his attention on schultz that's all you could find me was two people I'm sorry agent schultz said quickly holding up a hand but the situation a ut still isn't under control and half my officers are out sick today so unless you want old overweight slowpokes like myself this is what you're gonna have to work with i honestly wish i could do more

the determination in his face made harris sigh Okay i appreciated captain he said and turn to the two officers hey you two sit in the back pay attention and see me as soon as the briefing is over for your orders you got it yes sir they both answered in unison alright let's go harris entered the room and immediately the six strike team members dissolved their milling about and took their seats the two officers took the available back Seats feeling tiny in comparison to the burley strike team members harris stepped up to the podium and picked

up a remote control dimming the lights and starting a slide presentation on the overhead projector okay men he stifled a cough here here's what we have he clicked to the first slide which showed a middle-aged white man in a lab coat this is dr alexey sokolov aka the Russian plague russian national worked in bio research for the government since his recruitment right out of college and an all-around despicable human being in 2012 he harris broke off into a coughing fit and one of the strike team members leaned forward with a bottle of water outstretched the

agent took it and nodded gratefully taking a deep draft and setting it down on the podium Thank you he replied gruffly god damn sorry as i was saying in 2012 he was assigned to the assad regime to help them with their chemical weapons program we were unsure of his specific task but we heard varying stories about compact bio weapons that individuals could release while on the ground kind of like a plague suicide bomber It's unknown exactly how successful he was since in 2014 his lab was struck in an airstrike killing his wife and lab partner

irina it was assumed that dr sokolov was also killed in the blast but his body was never recovered it wasn't until 2015 that one of our sister agencies picked up his trail in some of the less desirable parts of africa he clicked to the next slide showing the Same man with severe burns to the side of his face the look in sokolov's eyes was haunted and severe as if he'd come out of the picture and tear them all apart with his bare hands he had clearly been unstable especially after all he'd been through as you

can see the good doctor here was alive but did come away from the air strike with a souvenir harris continued pausing on a wheeze and Taking another quick sip of water over the next 18 months he was tied to half a dozen chemical-based attacks around the globe these rarely got news coverage in this country because they were in places very few people here give a [ __ ] about but those of us paying attention were growing more concerned as his attacks were becoming more sophisticated then in the spring of 2017 he vanished We didn't know

if some third world dictator killed him imprisoned him or if he was on his own cooking up something large scale we knew he was upset over the death of his wife so we couldn't rule out a strike on our homeland which is why we were activated he clicked through to the next slide the image showed a crowd of people in the stands of a football game everyone wearing texas longhorn gear In the center of the photograph was a man in jeans and a plaid shirt with a severely burned face is that here the red-haired officer

blurted startling most of the room a blush crept up her cheeks as the strike team turned to look at her more than one gaze of annoyance at her outburst anyway harris cleared his throat Sounding like someone was juggling wet marbles in his chest three days ago at the university of texas longhorns football game an eagle-eyed security guard spotted him walking around the crowd the cameras outside of the stadium found him buying a ticket from a scalper and then walking the outer rim for the entire first half about halfway through the second quarter a security guard

noticed he had passed His post five times already always walking in the same direction so he called it in cameras picked him up and followed him from there at halftime he stood in line for a giant pretzel and walked around the crowded concourse one more time before exiting the building a couple of minutes after the third quarter started the security team captured him getting into an uber and driving off Thankfully someone had the good sense to run his face through the system three hours later we were notified and dispatched harris stumbled over this time with

his coughing taking a few minutes to catch his breath and stand back up again my apologies he wheezed taking a drink and waving off the concerned faces of his team this [ __ ] is the worst once we had a positive id we had the Locals monitor the address where the uber driver dropped him off it's an old warehouse about 10 miles outside of town the building has been under constant watch since saturday afternoon and according to the records half a dozen men have entered in that time with nobody leaving one of the strike team

members raised his hand the deep scar running down the back of his hand to his elbow glaring in The white glow of the projector yes jackson harris wheezed motioning to the agent how confident are we that dr sokolova's in there he asked lowering his hand and sitting up straight and more importantly why haven't we already gone in the uber driver said he didn't see any vehicles when he dropped him off and the stakeout team got there within a few hours to keep watch harris explained oh You're confident that he's still in there as for the

second part after reviewing the footage it didn't appear as though anything was planted or released so the working theory was that it was a dry run homecoming is next weekend so it's going to be the largest crowd of the year with that in mind we wanted to hold off for as long as possible to get as much of this cell as we could any other questions He brought a fist to his mouth to stifle another cough the redhead raised her hand in the back yes i have one she piped up okay harris said surprised that

she had the courage to speak after her last embarrassing outburst everyone say hello to the two locals that will be helping out with the raid he encouraged but the strike team ignored her looking unimpressed What is your question ma'am why is he here in austin she inquired voice level and firm and how did he even get into the country if he's on the most wanted list good questions harris replied with a nod and a cough our best guess is that he snuck into the country with the help of a coyote and this is pretty much

the largest congregation of people that is close to the border i don't think he has any Personal vendetta against the city of austin but this may be the only large target he can risk getting to he looked around the room as he attempted to clear his throat again okay anything else the redhead raised her hand again prompting a glare from her partner she shrugged her shoulders at him flippantly what he asked Okay mystery local officer i'll give you one more harris motioned to her if this really was a dry run then why take an uber

back to the hideout she asked he's avoided capture for so many years snuck into this country without detection and he gets sloppy now just before an attack it doesn't make sense jackson spun around in his chair with a sneer Listen sweetheart his voice dripped with condescension and she narrowed her eyes we know you're excited to be up here with the big boys but you need to learn your place and right now that's for you to shut the [ __ ] up and let the grown-ups talk that's enough jackson harris barked and then immediately regretted the

strain on his throat he hacked and then took another drink of water as the scarred man faced front Again officer it's a great question but ultimately a moot point because we're going in now i want everyone geared up and ready to go in 15. let's get it done he turned off the projector and the lights came back up the strike team stood and bustled out of the room the two officers standing off to the side and out of the way to await harris ambling over to them He leaned on the backs of one of the

chairs taking a deep shaky breath what's your name officer harris addressed the man who stood at attention officer antonio cruz sir cruz fantastic what's your story harris asked ex marine two years in iraq spent the last five years on dallas swat before coming here cruz listed off his history why aren't you on the swat team here Cruz harris raised an eyebrow i transferred in about three weeks ago and they felt i needed to go through some exercises with the team before being put into the field he replied stiffly supposed to be wrapped up next week

so you're highly trained and professional harris mused and cleared his throat taking a sip of his water emptying the Bottle i like it report agent jackson he's the big [ __ ] who doesn't take kindly to questions from rookies yes sir cruz nodded in approval and turned on his heel leaving the room like a bird taking flight and that brings us to you my inquisitive officer harris continued turning to the redhead who was standing casually with her arms crossed What's your name lacey sparks sir she replied nice to meet you sparks he said with a

nod so tell me what's your story why out of everyone in the building were you brought to me i spent three years on the prison use of force team she began but harris put a hand up clearing his throat i'm sorry i don't mean to interrupt but Use of force team he asked yeah whenever an inmate was being a pouty little [ __ ] and didn't want to come out of a cell for an inspection i was on the team that would go in and remove him spark shrugged as if it wasn't any big deal

but harris raised an eyebrow impressive he mused and crossed over to the water cooler in the corner i can't imagine too many women have that job I was the third woman in the history of the prison to have it sparks replied very good harris said as he refilled his water bottle please continue i decided i wanted more than the prison life so i went to the academy graduated third in my class before i became a hand-to-hand combat instructor there she said Been at this precinct for a year and a half trying to get on the

swat team but it's a good old boy's club and breaking through is tough to do so to take out my frustrations i'm a wrestler and current middleweight title holder with the south texas wrestling promotion wrestler huh harris wheezed but smiled okay bob quiz who was the greatest of all time the correct answer is ric flair Sparks replied without hesitation unless of course you find yourself in the company of some old-timers in dallas in which case the correct answer better include avon eric that harris stowed the bottle in his armpit and politely clapped his hands that

is the correct answer intelligence plus self-preservation i think you're going to do well on my team i mean how can i go wrong with the Women's champion of south texas wrestling spark straightened a little bit and quietly added just champion sir he blinked at her in confusion i won a three-way texas death match against the dudak brothers she explained and pulled up her sleeve to reveal a three-inch scar on her upper arm it's how i got this Ouch harris winced yeah that cowbell is a [ __ ] she agreed but i won the match and

claimed the belt for the third time my apology sparks he put up his hands in surrender you are way more hardcore than i initially gave you credit for welcome to the team chapter 3 tuesday 11 02 a.m the strike team assembled a few hundred Yards away from the warehouse taking cover behind a line of trees to remain out of sight harris crouched and waved everyone around him so they were in a loose squatting circle he wavered for a moment face flushed with probable fever but his gaze was still stern okay he began here's what we

got two entrances one at the north end and the other south Jackson your team is going to circle around and take the south entrance yes sir jackson cocked his assault rifle with a firm nod i'll make sure we clear them out calm down cowboy harris said quickly putting up a hand we need intel because of sparks was right and saturday wasn't a dry run that we need to know what we're up against shoot only if necessary and aim to wound I know you got thrust into this position because murdoch is m.i.a today but i need

to know you can be level-headed and do what needs to be done jackson scowled but reluctantly nodded his acceptance good harris coughed okay let's settle up and get this done jackson signal when you were in position he waved the strike leader off and jackson moved with haste around the Building four of the other team members in tow cruise included okay i'm leading this charge harper you are behind me taylor is up next and sparks is covering our six nods all around and harris turned to the redhead i know this is your first raid but we're

going to make it as easy on you as possible leave it to us to take the terrorists down As we move forward it will be on you to secure them provided they are alive can you handle that yes sir whatever you need sparks nodded good enough for me he replied and three clicks sounded in his earpiece okay that's a signal from jackson where i go he led his team across the open ground encountering no resistance They moved quickly and silently and reached the door pressed against the wall on either side harris gave a silent countdown

before turning and flinging open the door he swallowed the thick mucus in his throat and ignored his gag reflex entirely work mode taking over and bringing him to attention he led them into a mid-sized storage area with floor-to-ceiling shelving and wooden boxes strewn about They moved forward slowly about four feet apart at most training their attention on the hidden areas of the shelves to make sure nobody was hiding the group froze at the sound of automatic gunfire muffled through the building contact contact jackson cried through the earpiece and harris immediately motioned a harper before they

could move the crackle of Nearer gunfire echoed in the space and taylor's head tore in half harris grabbed harper's arm pulling him behind a crate as a bullet caught the strike member's shoulder sparks dove behind a stack of boxes across the room peeking back out to make sure that taylor was well and fully dead and didn't need assistance she spotted the gunman on the far end continuing to unload a flurry of bullets through the air to keep the group pinned Down she ducked back behind the crates looking to her superior who was doubled over in

a violent coughing fit harper was trying desperately to stop the bleeding in his shoulder but it didn't look good harris finally took in a breath and caught spark's eye she motioned for him to lay down covering fire and he nodded fighting the wheezing in his chest as he thrust his Arm over the top of the crate to shoot she immediately darted out from behind the crate sliding underneath one of the bottom shelves as she came out the other side she fired catching the terrorist in the kneecap forcing him to the ground before he could get

back up she sprung to her feet and launched a flying knee strike to his face rendering him unconscious she stood over him for a second to make sure he was fully out and kicked his gun Away clear she called and strode back over to her superior as jackson gave the all clear over the earpiece 10-4 jackson we're clear too harris touched the earpiece and then switched frequencies locals we have the building secure i need a couple of medics at the north breach point and some uniforms to detain a suspect you doing okay sir sparks asked

as she approached brow Furrowed in concern doing just fine thanks to you harris replied with a coughing groan that was one hell of an effort sparks once we get everything under control i'm going to have a nice long chat with the swat leader about the fact you haven't had a chance with him thank you sir she replied with a firm nod agent harris do you copy jackson's voice came in through the Earpiece harris here the agent slowly got to his feet what do you have jackson do you need a medic or backup we're fine but

we have something you need to see jackson replied and harrison sparks shared a look of concern as officers entered the space descending on harper's bleeding form come on let's go see what he wants harris motioned for the redhead to Follow him putting his fist to his lips to stifle another coughing fit she held her gun at the ready as she tailed him exiting the warehouse into an office area that had been devastated by a torn of gunfire harris wheezed a growl at the sight of lifeless bodies strewn in an ocean of blood splatter jackson approached

him sir you need to what the [ __ ] happened in here jackson harris cut him off you had orders to use non-lethal force Well sir it's simple the tall strike leader shrugged they had guns we felt threatened we removed the threat guess what harris stepped forward knows a hair's breath from jackson's his hoarse voice didn't waver an inch taylor got his [ __ ] head blown off and harper caught a round to the shoulder yet that girl right over there was able to follow orders and secure a live suspect are you telling me you

can't do the job Of a local [ __ ] officer sir you can reprimand me later jackson replied pursing his lips and glaring at sparks who didn't give him the satisfaction of her reaction right now you need to see this fine harris stepped down and cleared his throat what do you have jackson turned on his heel with a huff and led them down a row of desks into a Large office along the far wall was a series of maps and a lone desk with a laptop next to it there was a plexiglas cell with a

single person huddled in the corner harris's breath caught in his throat and he narrowed his eyes who was this prisoner he reached out and tapped the glass and the man sprung up and dove for him smashing his face into it Harris took a step back in shock at the sight of bloodshot unblinking eyes as the man creature nod at the glass as if trying to take a bite out of it oh my god it's sokolove he said noting the burns down the side of the creature's face wedding god's name is wrong with him i have

no idea sir but it gets worse jackson replied and motioned to the desk one of the maps on the wall was of the ut campus with arrows charting a path Through it and around the stadium the open laptop had some medical jargon on the screen holy [ __ ] the attack may have already happened harris coughed we we need to get this analyzed i can take it over to our contact at ut jackson offered that's no good harris shook his head swat has deployed there this morning for an undisclosed incident between that the zombie doctor

over There and this info we have to assume the bio attack has already been launched so where do we take it then jackson asked i have an idea sparks piped up and both men turned to her okay sparks harris said with a wave of his hand let's hear it texas state university in san marcos she replied it's about a 45-minute drive due south From here about halfway to san antonio there is a lab run by dr alveson he's not going to be winning any major awards but he's been a solid researcher who has been at

the school for the past couple of decades at the very least he should be able to make sense of what's here so we know what we're up against how in the hell do you know that jackson narrowed his eyes i went to undergrad there before joining The academy sparks replied eyes much harder when she looked at him than at harris i was an english major but my final two years there i was one of the ambassadors for the school that would show potential freshmen what the school had to offer good enough for me harris wheezed

we have to assume austin has been hit and proceed from there jackson take sparks ross and michael's Get this info down to her contact i'm going to stay here and interrogate the lone survivor jackson pursed his lips as he stared down his nose at the redhead yes sir he said reluctantly come on sparks get the stuff and let's go one more thing harris put up a hand i'm activating the hostile zone protocol and we'll let dc know where you were going to be based on what sokolov turned Into i don't want to take any chances

chapter 4 tuesday 12 16 p.m the suv tore down the i-35 lights flashing as jackson wove in and out of traffic before we left agent harris said he was activating the hostile zone protocol sparks broke the subdued silence by leaning forward in the back seat what is that Look sweetheart jackson replied voice dripping with disdain the only reason you are here is to give me directions to this lab you weren't here to ask questions whether you like it or not i'm on this mission she snapped so you can drop the attitude and give me some

basic goddamn information it's used as a fail-safe agent ross cut in Turning in a seat beside her to try to defuse the situation he was a dark-haired man with kind eyes and she relaxed a bit at his far more respectful tone when we have to go into hostile territory or an unknown situation we activate this protocol once this happens there are several computer geeks back in dc that monitor all locally generated non-traditional communication from the area Why though sparks raised an eyebrow what would that accomplish traditional communications might be jammed or taken out entirely so

you may have to get creative to get a message out ross explained you might only have access to a ham radio for example so if you put out a distress call the boys in dc will hear it gotcha she nodded Good to know where the hell am i going sparks jackson barked take exit 205 drive about half a mile and turn right she instructed school be straight ahead a tense silence fell over the vehicle as they drove the last leg of the trip jackson drove into the quad and parked beside the student union eyes sweeping

the area for any sign of people There weren't even any other cars it was a virtual ghost town where the hell is everyone agent michaels asked absently sparks opened her door there was a massive bedbug outbreak at the school last week so they cancelled classes and sent the resident students away so they could fumigate the dorms she explained that would have been fan [ __ ] tastic information to have an hour ago Jackson snapped turning around in a seat to glare at her as she hopped down to the asphalt if the school is closed then

how do you know this doctor is even going to be here he's a hermit who lives for his work she said even without students he's going to be hunger down in his lab doing research she slammed the door and the strike leader growled exiting the vehicle with The other agents you'd just better hope he's here he warned as he fell into step with her so where are we going through the student union third floor walkway and we're in the science building sparks instructed as she walked short legs managing to keep a brisk pace they reached

the front doors but when michaels reached out to pull it open they were locked Jackson pushed him out of the way and rattled the handles in frustration so now what his voice raised an octave and sparks fought the urge to roll her eyes looks like we're going on a hike she replied just follow the sidewalk around and it's the building directly behind this one the tall agent shook his head in disgust okay let's go tuesday 12 38 p.m The foursome exited a dimly lit stairwell into a long hallway the only illuminated lab at the very

end there was no movement but at least the lights were on you'd better hope he's here jackson sneered if not we're all kinds of [ __ ] if an attack has happened sparks ignored him and led them down the hallway stopping to knock politely on the door frame to the lab There were two young college kids standing with their backs to the door and they jumped at the sound whipping around you weren't supposed to be in here the slight and taller one with glasses said though his high pitch didn't really give off an air of

authority we're here to see dr alvison sparks replied gently yeah the other kid a short and stout funhouse mere reflection of the first One crossed his arms and who are you exactly jackson growled and pushed his way through the door or from the [ __ ] us of a government and we don't have time for your [ __ ] he fumed now is dr alveson here or not the kids blinked at him in fear and shock but before anyone moved an older man appeared from the back room He was wearing a white lab coat and

silver rimmed glasses and he snorted wiping his nose clean before straightening to look at the agent seemingly unimpressed i'm dr alvison he said what can i do for you doctor we have a situation i need your help spark spoke up and walked over to him taking his arm to help him sit in his desk chair Very well the old man replied what is it ross approached and set the laptop and documents on his desk leaning over to motion to one of the folders we believe that there has been a bio-terrorist attack in austin and we

need to know what we are dealing with he explained dr alvison took a moment to look over the first folder and then pursed his lips okay i'm going to need some time Jackson slammed his hand down on the counter behind them startling the whole room we don't have time he snapped well dr alvison coughed ugh excuse me been under the weather for a couple of days now ted over there brought me this little gift on sunday didn't you ted hey focus jackson snapped his fingers can you decipher this or not Yes i can dr alvison

replied in a steely tone staring the agent down with no sign of being intimidated but as i stated before it's going to take some time this isn't a football box score this is complicated material could take me hours to figure out what this is [ __ ] hell jackson grunted Ross get on the line back to agent harris and give him an update ross nodded and left the room to make his call well dr alvison swiveled in his chair to fully face jackson if you can run an errand for me the process might be sped

up considerably the old man said great what do you need jackson rolled his eyes two of my research assistants ben and Ashley went to mike's diner on the quad about half an hour ago for a late lunch the doctor replied if you can get them back here they can help me figure this out faster now we're talking jackson huffed and turned to the redhead sparks go collect the young people so we can get this ball rolling why me she asked without thinking because i gave you a [ __ ] order that's why Jackson hissed stepping

right up into her face you wanted to be a member of the team well here you are on the bottom rung of the ladder so go get this done she bit her tongue and as much as she wanted to comment about the way his breath on her made her skin crawl she managed to hold back yes sir jackson i got nothing Ross rushed back into the room what the [ __ ] do you mean you got nothing jackson snapped can't reach harris ross shook his head i tried the police station dispatch and the captain's direct

line nothing all the way around jackson's gaze turned from fuming to concerned sparks hurry he urged this could be a real [ __ ] show in the making and for the Love of god don't tell anyone what's going on last thing we need is a panic on our hands she nodded and practically flew down the hallway chapter 5 tuesday 12 59 pm sparks jogged across the quad to mike's diner red hair fluttering behind her in the afternoon breeze she'd frequented the place a lot when She was an undergrad being a staple of the campus she

opened the door and almost clocked mike venture in the face who was standing right behind it i'm sorry man but we're closing up for the day he said in a tired voice my staff called him sick so it's just been me today and frankly it's not worth staying open past lunch since nobody is on campus don't worry mike She said and flashed her badge i'm just here to collect a couple of people and we'll be on our way who were you arresting his eyes grew wide what did they do no no nothing like that she

put a hand up i'm looking for ben and ashley dr alvison sent me down here to collect them oh okay i gotcha mike replied with a Sigh of relief they are the couple in the center booth there he motioned and she nodded thanks mike she said and made her way towards them as he locked the door the site of mike's military-themed decor to honor his vietnam war days brought back a wave of nostalgia but she focused on casing the joint there was a large bald man that looked to be in his late thirties wearing a

Black leather jacket at a table to the left and two other inconspicuous looking men sitting by themselves along the far wall she stopped in front of the center table with a fit black man sporting a tight afro and a blonde girl that looked like she just walked out of a fashion magazine they couldn't have been much older than 20. are you ben and ashley she asked Who wants to know ben narrowed his eyes in suspicion my name is lacey sparks and i'm with the austin police department the redhead explained and flashed her badge again dr

alveson sent me down here to retrieve you for a time-sensitive project why in the world would he send a cop down here to get us ben asked and austin cop at that that that's classified spark said quietly Squaring your shoulders come on we really need to get going is this about all the sick people ashley piped up eyes curious i i don't know what you're talking about sparks bitter lip don't treat us like children miss sparks the blonde girl straightened in her seat we both know what kind of research dr alvison does and my roommate

is an intern at the hospital she has been sending me updates on What's going on over there hundreds of people have checked in just today all with the same symptoms that isn't normal her voice was loud enough to alert one of the male patrons from the far wall do you know anything about the sickness going around he called i assure you i don't know anything sparks put a hand up i took my wife to the hospital six hours ago and the place was packed he Continued walking towards them they took her to the back and

the doctor isn't allowing me to see her please what do you know sir i'm sorry but i can't help you sparks replied shaking her head i don't know anything she was about to go on the defensive as the man continued to move towards her but a banging on the front door made them all stop we're closed Mike yelled from wiping tables but the banging continued god damn it i said we're closed he approached the door with a heavy sigh and unlocked it are you deaf i said were as the door swung open a man shoved

his way in snarling and attached himself to mike's throat the diner owner tumbled backwards in shock screaming as the rabid looking man tore At the flesh with his teeth sparks drew her gun put your hands up now she screamed and the grotesque man turned his attention on her like a bird hearing a noise his whole face covered in blood from his ministrations he leapt from mike's lifeless body and darted towards her sparks unloaded three bullets into her attacker but they didn't slow him down and she ducked under his grasp and took Him around the waist

flinging him up and over her head he flew into a table and flopped over it like a rag doll and she spun around to see him bounce right back up onto his feet the bald patron intercepted the attacker with a shoulder bash and leapt on top of him once he hit the ground he held the cannibal by the throat with one hand and an arm with the other his prisoner's free arm flailing and Smacking wetly against the leather jacket can one of you [ __ ] help me out here the bald man grunted and ben

ran over skidding to a stop to hold down the free arm sparks rushed over staring down at the milky dead eyes on the creature's face it looked like sokolove what was happening don't you stand there kill this [ __ ] the bald man barked I put two in his chest and it didn't slow him down so i'm open to suggestions spark snapped take his head off ben cried she aimed her gun but then thought better of it holstering the weapon what are you doing he wailed and she turned to grab the heavy-based sign next to

one of the tables reading this section closed she got a good grip on the neck and Raised it to bash the creature's head in stop the other patron from the far wall screamed standing with his hands out that's a human being don't kill him you shut the [ __ ] up the bald guy demanded and then looked up at sparks you kill this [ __ ] she didn't hesitate this time before bringing the sign down onto the creature's face a few forceful blows and it stopped moving And the trio relaxed the terrified patron ran straight

out the door and sparks watched in horror as he got halfway across the quad before a pile of zombies took him down one broke away from the feeding frenzy to tear at the open door get the door she screamed and dove forward shoving it as hard as she could the zombie hit the wood applying just Enough pressure that she couldn't get it closed so ben and baldy threw their weight against it as well ben look out ashley shrieked as mike's hand closed around ben's foot he stared down in frozen horror at the dead blood-soaked face

of the man that had served him lunch so many long-school days there was a sick squelch as baldi Brought his combat booted foot down on top of mike's skull twice in quick succession ben swallowed hard as the hand let go thanks man he rushed over to ashley quickly folding her into a tight hug you sparks pointed at the man who'd been worried about his wife go make sure the back door is secured and there isn't another way in here She instructed and he darted off before she turned to baldi you okay just fine thank you

he drawlled but then clucked his tongue as she started to walk away so are you ready to drop the act and tell us what the [ __ ] these things are spark sighed i don't know what they are but i will tell you what i do know fair enough he replied crossing his arms Expectantly earlier today we raided a terrorist compound outside of austin sparks began we took out what we thought was a cell that was prepping a bioterror attack but as we're finding out may have already launched it we found one of these things

at the hideout along with a lot of data so we came here to see dr alvason in the hopes he could decipher it and let us know What we're facing the banging on the windows and doors continued to escalate and they looked around at each other we should probably lay low get away from their view baldi suggested not a bad idea sparks agreed and led him back towards ben ashley and the patron that had secured the door they hunkered down behind the food counter out of sight the bald man took off his leather jacket With

a whoosh of breath revealing some crudely drawn world war ii era german military tattoos what the hell man ben's mouth fell open you're a [ __ ] nazi relax kid baldi replied calmly they were necessary for me to survive some youthful transgressions that's all what does that even mean ben snapped it means he got ink in prison so he wouldn't get shanked in the meal line Sparks piped up [ __ ] the dark-skinned boy countered man what do you have against minorities really baldi threw his hands up we just saw two people get eaten alive

and were currently surrounded by half a dozen zombies and you want to know my thoughts on race relations ben crossed his arms call it self-preservation all you need to do is ask yourself one Question the older man replied given our current situation would you rather have me standing here or some pansy-ass liberal that would want to go hug it out with them um i ben stammered he sparks looked at the bald guy expectantly jeff He offered jeff has a point she continued let's try to focus on the problem at hand and not create new ones

miss sparks ashley cut in wringing her hands please just call me sparks okay sparks the blonde nodded what's the plan we're going to lay low for a few minutes and hope they lose interest and move on sparks replied And what's the plan when they do move on jeff asked we need to get to the science building she told him my team is there with dr alveson so we'll have some protection and can find out what we're dealing with unfortunately it's a long-ass haul to the science building since the student union is locked i have a

key that can get us in ashley put in Dr alveson lent me his faculty key when we came out for lunch that makes me feel a little better sparks admitted running across the quad is a lot easier than trying to get all the way around the union at least when we're inside we'll have some choke points where we can hold them off jeff nodded that sounds like as good plan as any he Hopped up into a booth and stretched out his legs taking up the entire seat in a pose of pure relaxation the banging and

groaning from outside intensified guess we should get comfortable sounds like we might be a while chapter 6 tuesday 6 22 p.m as the sun started to set the banging slowly ceased though upon peering through the windows The inhabitants of mike's diner could still see the zombies milling about [ __ ] they're up to ten sparks murmured as she squinted through the blinds and turned back to face her impromptu crew i don't see our situation improving so once the sun sets and we have a little bit of cover we need to make a run for it

that gives us what about 15 minutes to come up with a plan jeff scoffed I'm open to suggestions sparks retorted what if we barrel through them ben asked might work for us but not some of the slower members of the group jeff replied motioning to the diner patron who'd been worried about his wife he hadn't said a word the entire time since he checked the back door and they didn't know if he'd even run with them unless of course you're okay sacrificing our boy over there man come on ben side I wasn't suggesting that relax

kid i know jeff insisted the reality is though that most of us wouldn't make it if we tried your plan okay so what's your big idea ben crossed his arms the bald man smiled let's give him the old hokey doke there was an awkward silence until ben raised a hand um What the hell is that you know jeff prompted from dawn of the dead is that the one with the dad from modern family ashley asked god damn kids these days jeff muttered scrubbing his hands down his face no respect for the classics he sighed what

it means is that we're going to create a distraction to clear our path This place has a back loading door right yeah ben nodded in the kitchen leads directly out behind the building so we pop our heads out there make some noise and those zombies out there come and see what's up jeff said at the very least it should then their numbers out some seems risky ben replied ben anything we do at this point is going to be risky sparks piped up This seems like the best option okay it's settled then jeff said with finality

rolling his shoulders let's get loaded up they started pulling some of the memorabilia from the walls machetes and batons anything that could be used as a weapon or to make noise sparks took pause as the mute patron didn't move curled up in a fetal position in a booth what's your name she asked gently My my name is kyle he whispered okay kyle spark said firmly i'm sure you heard but we're gonna make a run for it she motioned to the front door with the baton she'd liberated from the wall nope he shook his head violently

in protest i'm just gonna wait right here for the police to come kyle i am the police She said leaning forward and i'm all that's coming to help it isn't going to be safe here once we open the front door nope no he continued as if she hadn't said anything i'm staying here where it's safe jeff walked up and flattened his hands down on the diner table staring kyle down listen [ __ ] it's the end of the World and you got two choices you can fight or you can lay down and die if you'll

notice wasting my goddamn time and endangering my life because you're a [ __ ] isn't one of the choices so what's it gonna be sparks blanked at the bald man's sudden harshness but kyle clenched his jaw and stood up from the booth okay he said firmly i'll come Jeff winked at sparks before leading the way to the back door okay guys here we go the redhead said jeff and i will create a diversion i want the three of you to wait by the front door if this goes to plan we're going to be moving quick

we'll be ready ben assured her sparks joined jeff gunn drawn as he raised his machete and put his hand on the door handle Okay on three he said one two wait she said don't puss out on me now jeff raised an eyebrow and spark shot him at death glare that said [ __ ] please first off have you ever had to pick up my balls you'd throw your back out she huffed and he cracked a smile secondly i'm going to grab some pots and pans should go a long way towards making Noise and here i

was thinking you just fire off a couple of rounds he watched her rummage for a few thin pans with a skeptical look on his face i only have 26 shots left and i get the sense i shouldn't be wasting them she said as she rejoined him at the door that's a valid point he agreed and then took the handle again firmly sparks nodded okay zombie distraction take two Again on three he said one two three he flung the door open and they burst outside scanning in the vicinity for enemies there were two zombies about 50

yards away who were feasting on a victim and they shot to attention at the noise sparks gave jeff a nod and dove for the dumpster to the right of them banging on It with the pots and pans like a death metal drummer screeches in the distance alerted them that zombies were headed their way and she dropped the pants to dart back towards jeff at the door he reeled back and slammed the machete into the top of a wayward zombie's head stopping it dead in its tracks before he could wrench the blade free sparks landed a

flying kick to the zombie's chest dislodging the body from The weapon let's go she exclaimed and tore back inside jeff slammed the door and locked it banging on it a few times for good measure they barreled back through the diner to meet up with the rest of the group there are still some out there ben said tersely clutching his baton with white knuckles we're gonna have to chance it jeff Replied peering at the three zombies milling about still relatively close to the door ben swallowed hard but jeff is right sparks cut in this is our

only chance here's the plan when that door flies open i want ashley to run as fast as she can to the student union to get that door unlocked jeff and i will take the two on the right ben you take the one on The left what about me kyle stammered his big eyes watery you could help ben jeff said and the student scowled at the skinhead receiving only a smile in return okay sparks nodded go she flung the door open and ashley sprinted straight ahead a blur of blonde zipping across the quad jeff lunged to

the right and in a Powerful arc beheaded a zombie quickly sparks bludgeoned hers in the head three times in succession before it stopped moving just as ben zombie grabbed him by the arms god damn it man help me he cried to kyle who was frozen in the doorway of the diner i'm i'm sorry he backed inside slowly fear frozen on his face and ben let out a groan of frustration as he continued to wrestle with his snapping enemy duck Jeff screamed and the student complied leaning just out of the way so that the bald man

could swing his machete into his opponent's face let's go he screamed as the body fell and he shoved ben after sparks they're coming the redhead yelled sprinting in the direction of the student union a few zombies staggered from around the building and ambled after them open the door sparks demanded as they caught up To ashley the blonde fumbling with the key the key isn't working she shrieked and ben looked fearfully behind them to see two zombies overtake the diner door he swallowed at the thought of kyle's demise and shook his head to try to focus

on the task at hand well you've got about 10 seconds before we're overrun jeff said sounding as calm as could be And ben shot him a glare before spark shoved ashley into him he caught her with an and clutched her close as the officer fired her gun at the corner of a large pane of glass in the door come on sparks kicked in the shattered glass and then waved the others inside she hopped in before jeff and the four barreled down the hallway just as zombies started to squirm into the Building stairs were at the

back of the building ben cried as he ran holding ashley's hand like their lives depended on it they burst through a set of double doors and jeff and ben slammed back against them to hold them shut against the pack of zombies behind them it's the third floor ashley huffed go make sure that key [ __ ] works this time Jeff instructed we'll hold them off until you give us a signal when you come up hug the right side of the wall sparks countered and the guys nodded as the girls took off up the stairs the

skinhead turned to the student bet you're really glad i'm a big badass [ __ ] now aren't you jeff sneered and ben simply shook his head grunting all of his energy into holding the door Shut we're clear up here sparks called down the stairwell jeff met ben's gaze you ready he asked after you ben replied all right on three jeff said one two three they both sprang off the door and hit the stairs running up the right side as Quickly as they could the zombies fell all over each other as they staggered in the door

but quickly regained footing to pursue up to the first landing they piled up towards the second floor but sparks stood there opening fire on them as they attempted to follow ben and jeff she struck the first zombie in the chest the force causing it to slam back into the rest of the zombies giving them a Chance to gain ground they hurtled up to the third floor and slammed through the double doors slamming them shut behind them the zombies hit the doors causing both ben and jeff to leap away from it ashley quickly docked under ben's

arm and clicked the deadbolt securing it okay they're locked the blonde said chest heaving and heart pounding they aren't getting in at least not Through there you okay jeff clapped a hand on ben's back the shorter man scowled peachy where too sparks asked and the blonde pointed walkway is just through those doors building should be clear she said sparks reloaded her gun and cocked it with a click of finality forgive me if i don't take your word for it Chapter 7 tuesday 6 45 pm sparks led the group cautiously towards the lab holding up a

hand to stop the group at the side of a pair of legs in the doorway she readied her weapon and raised her chin jackson she called michaels sparks jackson's voice from inside is that you Yeah i got the doc's assistance she replied as he stepped into the doorway his eyes were wide and skinned pale and his gun was drawn but not in that normal arrogant way of his what the [ __ ] happened here sparks demanded my guess is the same thing that caused you to take five hours to run across the quad jackson retorted

get in here we need to talk he backed up and allowed them access to the room Spark stepped over the body which was one of the kids that had greeted them when they first arrived he was missing the entire back of his head shot clean off michael's body was slumped against the far wall with a giant shard of glass sticking out of his neck blood pooling beneath him the taller skinny kid tended to agent ross in the corner who was missing a Substantial chunk of his upper right arm let me guess somebody got hungry sparks

asked deek here jackson began kicking the body in the doorway for effect went into a serious coughing fit before collapsing to the ground michaels went over to check on him and next thing we knew deke pounces on him michael's lost his balance and went headfirst into an experiment which is how he got the glass in his throat Ross ran over and this [ __ ] jackson kicked the corpse again with a grunt took a [ __ ] chunk out of his arm just clamped down like a gator on an unattended child once that happened i

opened fire put two in his chest but all i did was piss him off so i put one right between his eyes which calmed him down didn't see any other option yeah headshots were the only thing that Worked for us too sparks ran a hand through her hair with a sigh and jackson you did the right thing those things are vicious and there is no reasoning with them miss sparks is correct dr elvison spoke up as he walked out of the back room he held a clipboard in his hands doc you got anything for us

jackson asked I think you all need to sit down the old man replied following his own advice as he lowered himself into his desk chair this is going to be difficult to hear tuesday 6 58 p.m jeff and ben deposited the corpses outside of the lab door and secured it locking the deadbolt and making sure it wouldn't budge ted the tall kid that had tended to ross drummed up chairs for everyone and they all sat in a crude semi-circle around The doctor i need to preface this by saying i've just started my research and everything

i found is preliminary dr alvison wheezed duck just get to the [ __ ] point jackson demanded with that said the doctor said with a huff pointedly ignoring the rude strike leader what i'm about to tell you is accurate although my timeline may be off by 10 to 20 percent he coughed and took a deep breath okay so approximately 80 hours ago there was a bio-terrorist attack on the ut football game a man infected with an unknown virus exposed roughly a hundred thousand people to it by wandering the grounds i've determined that this virus is

airborne so everyone that attended that game was exposed To complicate matters it has a nearly 100 infection rate and once you are infected you become a carrier as well i haven't been able to determine how long of a dormant period it has once someone is infected before they are contagious but it doesn't appear to be too long maybe even as little as a few minutes so what are you saying doc jackson cut in furrowing his brow are we all infected are we going to Become those [ __ ] flesh-eating things to answer your first question

dr alvison replied yes we are all infected as to your second it depends entirely on your blood type blood type yes agent jackson the doctor confirmed blood type whatever this virus is it only becomes deadly if it infects someone with the a Blood type something in the a blood type causes the virus to mutate killing the host and reanimating it into the killing machine we witnessed a little while ago with deke i have been able to determine that for people with the a blood type there is roughly a 72-hour incubation period before the mutation takes

hold within 24 to 48 hours the person will develop flu-like symptoms Like what you have jackson asked yes agent jackson dr alveson nodded just like what i have a sob tore its way out of ted's throat and he turned away from the group to hide his tears in fear and embarrassment and i'm guessing ted over there as well jackson mused yeah the young man stammered through his tears I have a blood type but i'm not sick you will be son dr alvison said gently you just came into the office this morning so it's possible you

weren't exposed to it until you met up with deke so doc lay it out for us jackson cut in how bad is it how do we contain it the only way this could have been contained is if you'd nuked austin on saturday morning dr alvison replied jackson growled Don't give me that [ __ ] doc you don't understand the doctor narrowed his tired eyes this virus is airborne and it infects nearly every single person it comes into contact with it has a hundred percent kill rate with people who have the a blood type which is

roughly forty percent of the population as soon as the infected person left the stadium this became impossible to Contain jackson turned and slammed a fist down onto the counter knocking over a few beakers jackson keep cool sparks snapped i'm [ __ ] cool sparks he shot back i just don't like this defeatist attitude the doc is right though she replied with a shrug just stop and think about it for a moment you have a hundred thousand People leaving the stadium that afternoon those people go downtown to sixth street for some music and infect tens of

thousands more including touring bands they then take it on the road and infect more some people flew in for the game including the opposing team as soon as they hit the airport this virus goes global especially if anybody they come into contact with has a connecting Flight in a major international hub her diatribe began to sink in and jackson's eyes seemed to glaze over with the severity of the situation i have done some preliminary estimates on the spread of the virus dr alveson flicked through the pages on his clipboard within 10 days every major city

in the world will have active cases of these creatures if they are able to spread without the Proper officials having knowledge we possess i fear upwards of sixty percent of the population will either be those things or killed by those things within a month what if the bites can infect someone who doesn't have a blood type sparks wondered and ross stiffened his free hand absently rising to clutch's wound what do you mean the doctor asked At the diner we saw two people who weren't showing signs of illness turn into those things after succumbing to their

bites sparks explained i mean it's possible that they both were a-type and just hadn't been exposed yet but one of them was the diner owner so it's unlikely assuming you are correct the situation becomes much more dire dr alveson pursed his lips and thought Best guess 75 percent of the world's population will be dead within a month and potentially as high as 90 percent here in the usa since we are at ground zero there was a somber silence save for the sniffling as ted saab started to mellow out so dark sparks finally broke the quiet

voice strained Realistically what can we do if you can let your higher-ups know the situation they may be able to get the word out and some sort of quarantine effort may save some lives the doctor replied well given our immediate superior was worse than deke when we left jackson cut in i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that's not an option well we're open to suggestions jackson Sparks snapped you know what he threw up his hands y'all do what you want but i'm getting the [ __ ] out of here he snatched one

of the bags of gear and threw it over his shoulder oh yeah and where are you gonna go the redhead asked crossing her arms seeing as how you aren't familiar with the area let me lay out your options if you go north you'll be in austin Which is where the [ __ ] show began south is much better since it's san antonio with one and a half million people now you may be thinking east and trying to hit the coast assuming you survive the journey through the various back roads you'll be dealing with the population

of houston trying to escape this madness so good luck finding a boat when a million people are all doing the same thing She raised an eyebrow jackson sneered guess i'm going west then great idea she supplied except unfortunately for you it's all back roads take the wrong one and you'll be in a major city suburb now i know a way to get us out but we need to finish our mission first and get the word out about this so how are we getting out he conceded with a scowl Canyon lake is pretty close to here

and it connects right to the guadalupe river sparks explained turning to face the group one of the most popular spring break destinations is attached to it you can get rafts to float or you can get some boats if you want to explore this thing is happening so quickly that i don't think the people here will be able to take all of them and escape so if we get there we'll have a good chance To jack a ride and escape via the river and then what jackson prompted haven't thought that far ahead she admitted but it's

sparsely populated once you get away from the lake we'll be able to get away from all the major population areas and give us a chance to regroup from there well i've heard worse plans he said but what's your grand plan to get the word out everyone immediately above us is Dead jeff picked up the phone on the desk next to him and then slammed it back down and anyway the phone is dead yeah jackson confirmed so let's have it sparks what's your plan she shrugged we used the hostile zone protocol great he rolled his eyes

So all we need is a functioning radio station which i'm sure are plentiful in small towns this close to major cities well ashley said quietly and then cleared her throat there is the campus radio station do you think that would work she wrung her hands in front of her sparks raised an eyebrow at jackson to accentuate the question he sighed God damn it ashley where is the radio station sparks asked gently it's in the building across from this one on the top floor the blonde replied unfortunately there isn't a walkway so you'd have to go

in through the ground floor which if you've forgotten isn't that easy of a task jeff put in then we do another distraction only something a lot louder spark said firmly I mean we're gonna need to do one anyway if we want any hope of reaching the suv what about firing some guns off of the second floor ben suggested no our ammo is too precious she shook her head and let out a deep breath and thought and besides we need something sustained what about music ted wiped furiously at his red eyes finally having overcome his pity

party I have this battery speaker set you just put your phone in the dock is always yelling at me to turn it down so it's plenty loud alright spark said with a nod anyone got a phone with some loud music they don't mind parting with i got some r b music on mine ben said with a shrug not sure how loud that would be though jeff shook his head last mine back at the diner I'm not giving up my phone jackson crossed his arms we may need the maps pretty sure mine is in the suv

sparks side ashley put up her hand shyly i have some slayer on mine everyone gaped at her and a blush crept up her cheeks goddamn girl you were a catch jeff said with an impressed grin if you ever decide to go back to vanilla [ __ ] ben huffed once you go black yeah yeah jeff laughed waving him off don't worry chocolate thunder i'm just busting your balls ben smirked and the skinhead clapped him on the back in appreciation slayer it is spark said bringing the topic back on track i'd suggest raining blood ashley instructed

holding out her phone it has a mellow 30 second intro before It kicks in so you would have time to set it and run great let's do it the red head agreed nodding her head whoa whoa jackson cut in holding up his hands wait a goddamn minute i'm not going anywhere with anyone until i know who has what blood type i'm not gonna take a nap and wake up to one of you [ __ ] feasting on me i'll start i'm o positive Sparks pursed her lips o positive be positive ben put in oh negative

ashley added they all turned to jeff who simply blinked do i look like the type of man who knows what kind of blood type he has he asked raising an incredulous eyebrow ted if you would please test him dr alvison motioned and the student with the red rimmed eyes scurried forward Of course doc he said and motioned for jeff to hold out his hand he pricked the bald man's finger and headed over to the corner machine ross what do you want to do jackson asked his team member in the meantime i can end it for

you right now [ __ ] that ross snapped i want to go out fighting that's the spirit jackson said with a grin You want to kill some of those [ __ ] for us raw snared hell yeah i don't mean to eavesdrop gentlemen dr alvison piped up what do you want doc jackson asked agent ross the doctor ignored the team leader and addressed his subordinate directly i know you want to exact some sort of revenge as your final act on this planet But may i suggest another path ross shrugged sure i have a day left

maybe a little more before this virus overtakes me dr alvison continued in that time i plan on doing as much research as i can having you to study and do tests on could potentially help stem the tide of this pandemic How you to get the info to them there doc jackson scoffed carrier pigeon if sparks is able to get a message out i'm going to request she mentioned my research and where it will be the doctor replied there is roof access to this building so they can fly in and only have to deal with the

three of us to retrieve it ross it's up to you jackson turned to his comrade If you want to go down fighting i can use you if you want to be a guinea pig that's your call ross sighed deeply lowering his gaze to the floor in thought his lips twisted and he raised his eyes to the doctor do you really think i can do some good he asked quietly i really do dr alvison replied with a nod And if it will help put your bloodlust at ease you have my permission to take me out when

i turn i'm sure ted over there will appreciate it since he has an extra day or two before he goes ross nodded okay doc i'll do it jackson pattered his subordinate on the shoulder as the doctor shuffled over to sparks who was speaking with ted i got The big fella's results the student was saying o positive good to know the redhead replied thanks sparks i have a request dr allison cut in whatever you need doc she affirmed turning to him i'm going to write down some info about this building and my lab he told her

i need you to read it over the air so Your people hear it this information could potentially save millions of lives sparks nodded let me know when you got it doc just hurry because we're on a tight schedule she turned to the group that had gathered behind her her own post-apocalyptic strike team she took a deep breath so this is our group then huh all right She looked to ben i need a guy to take me to the radio station i got that covered he assured her jackson can you three take care of the decoy

and get to the suv she asked and he held up ashley's phone yeah we're parked just outside the student union so it shouldn't be that bad he said that's no good jeff spoke up with a shake of his head we had to open it up In order to get up here god only knows how many zombies are running around there great so how do we get to the car jackson furrowed his brow there's another walkway that goes into a dormitory ashley put in i have the key to the building and can guide you there good

enough for me jackson agreed okay here's the plan sparks instructed commanding everyone's attention once Again in 20 minutes that song needs to be blaring hopefully it will clear the path for me and ben you guys get to the suv and get to a safe spot when you hear me finish the radio broadcast come pick us up what's the station jackson asked 89.9 ashley replied we'll be there he affirmed you better be since i'm the only one who Knows where we're going sparks smiled but she was only half joking chapter 8 tuesday 7 32 p.m that's

a whole lot of [ __ ] right there jackson said quietly taking a step back from the dormitory window jeff shook his head man you ain't kidding he agreed he glanced at ashley whose face had gone deathly pale at the sight of the 60 or So zombies milling around in the quad you got any bright ideas yeah but you ain't gonna like it jackson replied seems to be the way today is going jeff huffed with a sigh all right let's hear it ashley do you have a key to any of the second floor rooms the

strike leader asked and the blonde pursed her lips taking in a deep ragged breath no she said They are all individual and only the ra has the master key don't worry about it jeff squeezed her shoulder reassuringly you think you're strong enough to break down the door jackson raised an eyebrow skeptically no but there's a reason i went to prison the skinhead replied with the roll of his eyes a dorm room deadbolt isn't going to be much of a challenge fair enough Jackson looked impressed you're a lot more useful than i thought you'd be jeff

barked a laugh i guess that qualifies as a compliment closest you're gonna get from me jackson admitted now look i need you to go to the corner room and get the music going once you hit play you're gonna have 30 seconds to haul ass to get out of the building and meet up with us Man you were out of your goddamn mind jeff gaped this building is [ __ ] huge i mean that's gotta be what an 80-yard run just for me to get to the stairs then out the front door and over to the

car maybe if i was 20 years younger all right it's your ass jackson snared what do you propose i'll have a good vantage point from up here jeff explained i'll hit the music and keep up the Distraction until i see you get to the suv as soon as you start the engine i'll kill the music and they'll start following you oh loving this so far jackson snapped jeff narrowed his eyes yeah well unless you want to be the music man you'd better fine so i'm the pied piper so then what the taller man muttered you

drive those things around the block jeff suggested You're going to be faster than they are so when you make the return trip the entrance should be free and i can just hop in and we're on our way i'll even restart the music just to keep them occupied works for me jack's inside ashley if all he's doing is hitting play and then waiting wouldn't it make more sense for me to wait here The blonde asked wringing her hands in front of her jackson and i can both handle ourselves against those things jeff said gently unless you

have some hidden ninja skills i'm not sure your 90 pound frame is well suited for hand-to-hand combat jeff's right the other man agreed stick with me we'll be fine all right let's do it the skinhead announced maestro the floor is yours Jackson said and held out the phone jeff collected it along with the speakers and headed upstairs he took them two at a time and scurried down the hallway keeping his senses on high alert even though it was unlikely there were any zombies around he fiddled with the deadbolt for 17 seconds before it gave and

he swung the door open to a bright pink room yikes he muttered as he strode through The kitty cat themed room and opened the window he positioned the speakers so they were pressed right up against the screen clicked the phone into place and hid play as the intro to raining blood permeated the thick air he sighed well at least if i'm gonna die i'm gonna go out rocking the zombies began to take notice Of the noise as the crescendo built and they sprinted as the song kicked into high gear as they hit the wall in

a vain attempt to get to the skinhead above them he stood up and flipped them off banging his head along with the crunchy riffs he stopped head-banging in time to see jackson and ashley cautiously moving away from the door and break into a run for the car yeah go get that big beautiful suv He said with a grin but a smile faded as he noticed two zombies take off after them with their trajectory they would cross paths with his comrades before they made it to the car his breath caught in his throat as jackson took

notice and then shoved ashley hard causing her to faceplant into the asphalt no he cried frozen in place heart pounding In his ears you goddamn [ __ ] his mouth fell open in shock as he watched helplessly while the zombies descended on the poor blonde girl he cranked the music up higher to drown out her screams blinking in a daze at the sight of her flailing arms going limp jackson upon reaching the suv clicked the lights a few times to get jeff's attention And the skinhead's gaze darkened he didn't want to give the bastard a

reason to leave him behind too so he cut the music the silence was deafening and jeff moved back from the window ears ringing with the sudden quiet he held his breath as the horde made a beeline for jackson who was revving the engine he watched the suv lead the zombies away and then crept back to the window Jeff swallowed hard as he looked down at ashley's body splayed in the quad half-eaten blood streaming everywhere from bite wounds i don't know if you can hear this girl but i hope you can he whispered you deserve at

least that much as the song began anew the gathering storm of the intro seemed to bring the blonde zombie back to life She staggered to her feet turning slowly with bloodshot eyes and a snapping mouth and then when the intro led into a loud shredding guitar she sprinted towards the building and growled clawing upwards towards jeff he looked around the dorm room frantically and spotted a pair of dumbbells by the bed he scooped up two twenty pounders and returned to the window I hope this finds you girl because nobody deserves to be cursed like this

he wished and then punched out a screen holding one of the bells out the window he dropped it and watched as it plummeted directly onto her forehead she crumpled to the ground in a heap and he nod it cranking up the music to the maximum and running off to catch his ride chapter tuesday 7 59 pm Ben and sparks barreled through the door to the radio building the student slamming back against it he locked it with a click and tugged to make sure that it was secured and then turned to the redhead she raised her

flashlight that rested over her drawn gun sweeping the lobby cautiously in case the building wasn't clear don't worry this building has been locked for a few days now ben assured Her better safe than sorry sparks replied he nodded fair enough she motioned for him to lead the way and he jogged to the stairwell just a short walk up to the third floor and were there he said trying to sound optimistic in reality he was worried to death about ashley but he had to focus on the task at hand He glanced over at the police officer

who was shaking her head and thought you okay he asked brow furrowing yeah i'm just thinking sparks mused i wish there was a way to get the information out to the people close to us i know this message is for the feds but people here need to know what's happening ben pursed his lips I might have an idea i'm all ears she replied glancing at him expectantly as they hit the second floor landing about six months ago the radio station made a big push to get new listeners so they ran some contests that required people

to sign up to receive the occasional text message he explained that way when some of the big shows on the station would have an important broadcast people would get a text I can't imagine there are a whole lot of people who signed up spark said with a sigh i went here and the radio station wasn't that good some is better than none though right ben asked she chuckled dryly thanks for the optimism they reached the third floor and entered the broadcast room ben secured the door once again and then Headed into the booth to check

the computer sparks grabbed one of the notepads in a pen and jotted down a few bullet points for what she needed to say as well as uncrumpling the paper dr alvison had given her hey sparks i found the message app ben called from the booth what do you want me to say just say there is an emergency broadcast in two minutes she replied and at the Sound of his fingers hitting the keys she took a few deep breaths she muttered to herself running over the way she wanted to give her speech ben hit enter and

poked his head out of the booth are you ready let's do it sparks replied with a firm nod just be sure to record it so we can set it to repeat He set it up and started the broadcast as she entered the booth and took a seat the live button flickered on and she straightened her back hello everyone this is an emergency broadcast so if you can please listen carefully sparks began and cleared her throat my name is lacey sparks and i'm an officer with the austin police department i have been working with homeland Security

under the direction of special agent harris who was assigned to austin three days ago there was a bio terrorist attack in austin that sickened a lot of people and has turned them into the zombies that you have no doubt encountered we don't know a lot about the virus but i will share what i know it is airborne and it targets everyone with an a blood type if you or someone you know has a blood Type they need to be quarantined immediately do not try to get to the hospital or attempt treatment as there is no

cure the virus turns the victim within 72 hours of infection and is preceded by flu-like symptoms once someone turns they will attack everyone in their vicinity by attempting to bite if you are bitten regardless of blood type you will be infected too If you encounter one of these creatures do not attempt to communicate or reason with them either run away or destroy the brain to the feds who are hopefully listening you need to send someone to the texas state university campus and dr alvison's lab it's on the third floor of the science building there is

a treasure trove of research that will hopefully save lives there The entry point is on the roof however be ready when you enter the lab as dr alvison and two others may be reanimated there and ready to attack to any survivors in the san marcos area who are listening sparks swallowed hard and took another deep breath it's now 8 07 pm on day zero there are a small group of us who are going to attempt to escape via the guadalupe river We are leaving at the end of this broadcast and are headed to canyon lake

if anyone does make it out we will leave a notice of where we stop on the river it's rural and sparsely populated which is our only real chance of survival once this thing fully hits austin and san antonio there will be hundreds of thousands of those creatures running through the streets if you are thinking of trying to ride this out i implore you not to There is no help coming this virus will end everything from this moment forward for all intents and purposes we are on our own i know that's not an easy thing to

hear but it's our reality another beat another deep breath she looked to ben and he gave her a thumbs up and an encouraging smile this message will be left on repeat for as long as the station has power Good luck she finished and nodded to him ben switched off the live feed and set the recording to repeat after a few seconds her message started again over the airwaves how'd i do sparks asked you did well sparks ben said with another smile as he stood up you did well come on she replied and cocked her gun

We hopefully have a ride to catch chapter 10 tuesday 806 pm jackson backed the suv into an alley and killed the lights he and jeff held their breaths for a beat straining their ears there was no sign of any zombies following having gone after slayer to trample ashley's body in an attempt to get to her phone in the window i think we lost them Jackson breathed and then his vision exploded in fireworks as jeff's fist connected with his face the skinhead went in for another lunge across the seat but the strike leader cocked his gun

calm the [ __ ] down there cowboy jackson warned you [ __ ] jeff growled you just murdered that girl that girl was [ __ ] useless jackson snapped What good is a 90-pound waif going to do in this situation so what his reluctant partner replied throwing his hands up you just gonna kill everyone who isn't useful well it's the only reason i haven't pulled this trigger yet jack's ensnared and leaned forward a touch you have skills i can use that will help me survive that's all i care about now Are you gonna shut up

and keep being useful or do i have to end you right here and now jeff scowled but lowered his hands he turned in a seat to face the front of the vehicle and let out a deep sigh that's a good doggie jackson cooed now when we pick them up you don't say a goddamn thing you got it he slung his hand over the wheel as his passenger nodded into feet this message will be left on repeat for As long as the station has power spark's voice said over the radio good luck sounds like they're done

jackson said starting the engine and putting the suv in drive let's go get them he rounded the corner but a few of the zombie stragglers began following behind [ __ ] they spotted us he furrowed his brow and thought remember [ __ ] jeff spoke up breaking Into his train of thought i don't know the weight of the escape point the strike leader grimaced before punching the accelerator in the direction of the radio building tuesday 8 10 pm ben had his hand resting on the deadbolt ready to throw the door open at a moment's notice

there was a honk hunk in the distance and he froze his brow That can't be good he muttered sparks cocked her gun get ready to move he unlocked the deadbolts and they both dropped their knees a bit to be ready to spring as soon as the suv rounded the corner he threw open the door and the two darted outside sparks grasped the handle as soon as the vehicle was within range and flung the door open Zombies hurtled towards them as ben dove in and she leapt up after him i'm in go she screamed and jackson

punched the accelerator where's ashley ben looked around the suv maniacally even looking over the back seat into the trunk where the [ __ ] is ashley she didn't make it kid now shut the [ __ ] up and let me drive jackson replied and the student launched himself into the front seat Sparks lashed out and grabbed his shoulders wrestling him back with her it's okay she whispered and he struggled to steady his breathing throwing her arms off of him sparks jackson prompted where the [ __ ] am i going we gotta get on highway 308

she replied keeping an eye on ben as he leaned his head back closing his eyes that doesn't help me jackson warned Sparks turned to face front and her heart skipped a beat turn left now she cried and he skidded over the sidewalk tires squealing he slammed on the brakes at the side of a zombie horde blocking the road ideas he drawled this thing have four-wheel drive sparks pursed her lips jackson raised an eyebrow yeah the zombies realized there was a meal on Wheels in front of them and started to move towards the suv groaning and

snapping hit the field try and stay as close to true southwest as you can sparks instructed good enough for me jackson agreed and hit the gas turning to the left and directly into a chain-link fence the suv tore through it like butter but the bumpy field was a lot slower than The vehicle's capabilities on pavement not the swiftest of getaways he glanced in the rear-view mirror where the zombies were keeping pace with them just keep going straight spark said pulling up a map on her phone she'd retrieved from the floor in a couple of miles

we should hit the road when you do hang a left jackson made a noise of affirmation and sparks turned to check on ben you okay She asked quietly no i'm not he seethed once we're out of danger i'm gonna find out what the [ __ ] happened to her he leaned forward you hear me jeff clenched his fists in the front seat biting down on the inside of his cheek to keep from saying anything chapter 11 tuesday 8 37 p.m Clear jackson called from the back of the boat shop clear sparks called back and the

bell jingled as jeff secured the door standing watch ben get behind the counter and see if you can find some keys to the boats outside she instructed having a motorboat is going to get us a lot further than a canoe he nodded and headed to the counter ducking down to check all of the shelves And drawers we have survivors jeff called and both the redhead and jackson ran to the window watching a young couple sprint the pier two zombies emerged from behind a stack of canoes and made a beeline for them but they continued trying

to get to the boats the zombies tackled them and chowed down the sounds of snapping and gurgling echoing off the water [ __ ] jackson muttered as the couple reanimated effectively doubling the amount of enemies outside jackson what's your ammo looking like sparks asked she checked her clip there was a series of clicks as he checked his own mostly full mag want to reserve you on my last mag she replied think we can get four headshots on moving targets in the dark jackson asked riley Maybe with a scoped ar-15 spark scoffed not liking the odds

with a handgun well whatever we're gonna do we'd better do it before the horde gets here jeff pointed out four against four is a lot better than four against four hundred ben you got keys sparks asked yeah not much else though he stood up from behind the counter a handful of silver in his hand Just some knives no guns sparks nodded grabbed the knives she glanced over at a stack of wooden oars picking up a few to inspect them she brought one down over her knee testing the strength what you want to beat them to

death jackson asked skepticism in his voice we're going to do a little teamwork sparks replied slinging an oar over her shoulder satisfied you guys are going to run ahead of us And use the oars to close line them when they are on the ground ben and i will finish them off with the knives you've got to be [ __ ] kidding me jackson rolled his eyes she put a hand on her hip and shot him a level stare well we have a matter of minutes before we're overrun so if you have a better idea i'm

all ears he contemplated for a moment before letting out a disgruntled sigh Give me the oar he held out his hand and she plonked the length of wood into it ben handed her a knife and they followed their wielding teammates outside you ready jackson held the impromptu weapon out in front of him jeff grinned whenever you're ready sunshine jackson let out a yell in response grabbing the attention of the four Zombies meandering around the pier the living men sprinted towards them holding their oars up in perfect position as the zombies came at them jeff's ore

hit with tremendous force sending both of his zombies flipping back onto the sandy ground jackson wasn't so lucky his oar snapping in two with the first opponent he slammed directly into the last one tumbling them both to the ground ben and sparks darted in behind jeff and Stabbed his two in the face before they could scramble back up jackson's first managed to get halfway up before the skinhead swung and took its feet out giving sparks an opening to stab it in the temple jackson cried out on the bottom of a wrestling match with his opponent

he held the zombie's throat twisting his head just out of reach of snapping teeth and then got a grip on his broken ore he shoved it directly through his Attacker's head and kicked the body off of him as blood spewed everywhere yeah thanks for the help their [ __ ] he snapped as he got to his feet glaring at jeff the skinhead shrugged hey i carried my weight before a tussle broke out the sound of shuffling feet and groaning wafted in from the distance and the quartet glanced around at each other Finish this later guys

we gotta go sparks barked and ran towards the motorboat at the end of the pier ben stayed hot on her heels and jackson simply cocked his gun while staring jeff down you'd better watch yourself boy he said darkly and walked off towards the others jeff stood motionless for a moment deliberating ben turned back when he realized he Didn't hear the others coming and his jaw dropped at the sight of jeff smacking jackson in the back of the head with his oar the strike leader hit the wood with a thud fumbling his gun it slid across

the pier to the student's feet and he took in a sharp breath sparks whipped around at the sound drawing her own gun jeff stepped over jackson's groaning frame and picked up the gun Handing it to ben jeff what the hell are you doing sparks cried the right thing he replied and put his hand on the young man's shoulder that [ __ ] killed ashley just pushed her into a couple of them so he could escape jackson staggered to his feet and a ragged breath escaped ben's throat he raised the gun with a shaking hand blinking

back tears I did what needed to be done so we could all survive jackson said raising his hands as the horde noises grew in volume kill this [ __ ] and let's go jeff prompted and ben aimed the gun he clenched his jaw and then lowered it as the horde emerged from the tree line closing in on them i'm not going to kill him ben said and the strike leader breathed a sigh of relief But after the crack of a gunshot he clutched his exploded kneecap and hit the pier again but they will ben added

in satisfaction god damn that's cold-blooded jeff said with a grin i like it come on we gotta move spark screamed untying the boat jeff and ben raced over and hopped in as she fired up the engine propelling them Out onto the water the guys watched with pride as the zombies overtook jackson his screams quickly muffled by the thick pile of rotting flesh on top of him i'm so sorry man jeff said and patted ben's shoulder i wasn't close enough to her when it happened it's okay jeff the young man replied i know you would have

saved her if you Could they turned to sparks who hit the throttle to speed the boat off into the darkness they were out of immediate danger for now end of book one