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.”Jenny suddenly lunged at me, snapping her jaws like a rabid dog.She came within only inches from sinking her teeth into my carotid when a policeman fired shots.Jenny—or whatever she was—crashed down to the ground.Shocked beyond all belief, Sherry leaned over the cart door, letting loose of her stuffed animal.It fell to the ground, right next to the thing that looked remotely like Jenny.Her gaze darted to the policeman holding the gun.“You shot my sister!”“I’m sorry, miss, but that’s not your sister anymore!” he shouted back.“She would have killed and eaten the both of you!”More of the possessed group shuffled toward us.My heart raced.I clenched my fists, ready to take down anything in my path.I slid my leg over the bar, preparing to jump out of the cart and fight when one of the policemen fumbled with the controls.We took off with a jerk.I fell back into Sherry’s arms, and we shot up about five feet in the air.The beings lunged after us, shaking the bottom of the cart so violently we nearly fell out.Sherry clung onto me with a death grip.The group continued with their guttural chanting, and I swore I was trapped in some kind of lucid nightmare.“What are they?” Sherry screamed in my ear.“What’s going on? What happened to Jenny? Why was she…like that?”I steadied myself by holding onto the steel bar with one hand and wrapped the other around her as I tried to make sense of what was happening.Below us, the group of possessed people seemed to have multiplied, holding up their arms as if they wanted a ride too.I dared another peek over the edge and regretted it instantly.The whole gathering looked like something out of a horror flick, blood covering their clothes and caking their skin.Some started to stumble toward the officer, who shot anyone—or anything—who got too close.“Hang on, kids!” the officer said.With another yank, we sped up into the sky, stopping at the very top.This time, shaking the cart for thrills or making out was the last thing on my mind.“That policeman…he…that cop shot my sister!” Sherry said between gasps.She buried her face into my chest and wept.I pulled her close, not sure what words of comfort to give her.More shots were fired, followed by ear-piercing screams and then…nothing.Panic ensued from other riders still stuck on the wheel at various positions.Better to be up here than down there, I figured.We had to be at least 150 feet up in the air, and that made me feel safe from whatever was happening below.My cell phone rang jolting me out of my stupor.I fumbled in my pocket and answered the call.“Dean?”“Dad!” I said.“What’s going on?”“Oh, son, thank God you’re alive.There’s no time for explanations.Where are you?” he asked, his voice betraying an edge.“I’m on a date with Sherry.We’re stuck on top of the Ferris wheel at the beach.It isn’t moving.Dad, I think everybody’s dead down there! I-I don’t know.It’s all just so…it’s crazy, Dad, like some kind of horrible movie!”“We’re coming to pick you up, and then we’re getting the heck out of town.”“It’s too dangerous,” I said.“I know this is going to sound absolutely crazy, but you gotta believe me.People are turning into some kind of cannibals…and they’re attacking people.”“I know.Don’t worry.I’ll be armed.I’ll get you out of there, I promise.Got it, son?”“Where are we going?”“Your brother’s flying us to the island with Grams where we’ll be safe.These things are attacking everybody in Myrtle Beach.We’ve gotta get far away from here as fast as we can.”On the other end of the phone, glass shattered with a crash, followed by my mom’s piercing scream.I gasped as the line went dead.“Dad!” I shouted.“Dad?”Chapter 2One year ago, a deadly virus decimated the world leaving swarms of brain-eating zombies in its wake.Survivors rushed to the makeshift fortresses, walled-in cities protected by towering concrete walls and a military force to be reckoned with.I managed to make it to one of these safe havens with my brother and parents, and that afforded me the chance to spend the last year sheltered from the gloom that rocked the land.My brother, on the other hand, decided to leave the safe confines and continue fighting with the U.S.Army to fight the onslaught of the undead.He became a top-notch zombie-hunter, but my parents and I didn’t see much of him after that.My mother feared he might not come back alive, if at all.Initially, the virus immediately turned anybody into zombies who had type 0+ or A+ blood.The rest of us seemed safe as long as we didn’t get exposed through broken skin.We never knew what really caused the outbreak.And when scientists thought they had it figured out, the rules would change slightly.The virus mutated, and now if somebody was bitten or scratched, it could take up to five days before they turned…unless they died which meant the change came immediately.I tried to make the best of the situation.It wasn’t that bad.Our house had electricity and water, and I led a fairly normal teenage life—right up until I had to leave and jeopardize my safety (and consequently my future) for the sake of a girl I’d only just met.But I really had no option.She was scheduled for a lethal injection, and I could not stand by and watch that happen.I planned on stopping the execution, even though I knew the stakes were high.After all, if I’d have been caught by the authorities, they would have promptly booted me out into Zombie Land.It was a fate I did not want to subject myself or my parents to, but after pondering it and considering my options—and the girl’s, which were none—I realized it was a chance worth taking.I had to save her, no matter what, and I could only hope my parents would understand.My plan was bold, daring, and sneaky, as a proper rescue mission should always be.I knew that getting her out of the clinic fast, before anyone noticed, was the key to success.I smoothed my hands down my crisp white scrubs, smirking beneath my “borrowed” surgical mask as I adjusted it.I knew I would need a good disguise in order to get past the soldiers, and I was proud of myself for so easily snatching the medical uniform from the linen room.Lucas, a friend of mine, laughed at the sight of me in the baggy cotton get-up.“I thought this was some kind of James Bond mission, not a pajama party.”“Ha-ha.Very funny,” I muffled out from beneath the mask.He eyed me up and down.“Well, you look ridiculous, but you definitely fit the part.”“Well, secret agents have to hide their identity somehow, right?” I punched him in the arm, and he grinned.Lucky for me, Lucas had the security clearance to sneak me into the isolation area of the clinic, and he’d owed me a favor for a while.It’s about time he paid up, I thought, and I knew I could always count on Lucas.He was a fitness buff with huge arms, and he was the one who fit the part: He made for a perfect soldier with his camouflage uniform, Army boots, and buzzed head.“This is a huge risk you’re taking, but I completely understand.” Lucas swiped a card over a control panel, and the door opened with a loud click.“Be careful, though, and whatever you do, don’t underestimate her.That virus is flooding through her veins.They have good reasons for putting her in quarantine.”“Don’t worry [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]