Free Contamination Prequel (Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Series) by T.W. Piperbrook

door, pulled the girl inside, and then locked it behind them.
    “This way,” he said.
    He led her down the corridor toward the jail cell. For a second, he envisioned Frank’s body inside, still covered in the blue blanket. The cell had since been cleaned, but he could make out a small red stain underneath the bench, and he grimaced. He unlocked the door and pulled it open, its hinges groaning in protest.
    “Inside.”
    The girl looked at him and began to cry.
    “I don’t want to go in there, Howard.”
    She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. He relaxed his grip on her arm, and then felt her slip through his fingers. She started to run for the door.
    “Dammit—not again!” he swore.
    Howard lunged after her, catching hold of her shirt and pulling her backwards. She flailed in his arms, screaming. He threw her into the cell and locked the door, and then headed for the corridor.
    He took out his cellphone.

17
    D an turned off his lights as he pulled into the police station. He was still reeling from what he had heard. Mickey’s voice played over and over in his head.
    “ Don’t trust him, Dan .”
    He had tried calling the officer back several times, but the call had gone to voicemail. What had Mickey meant? In the midst of what was going on, the cryptic warning sent a shiver of fear through Dan’s body. Howard had been his closest friend on the force for five years. What ill intent could he possibly have?
    At the same time, he also felt a sense of relief. From the sounds of it, his daughter was alive. He just needed to get to her as soon as possible.
    A single cruiser sat in the police station lot. Dan eyed the license plate, confirming that it was Howard’s. He parked his car and shut off the engine. The lights were on in the station, but the painted glass windows blocked his view of the inside. As he stepped outside the vehicle, he remembered there were cameras in the parking lot. He hoped the senior officer wasn’t watching them.
    He felt for his gun, which was pressed tightly against his waistband. Without bullets, it would be next to useless in the event of an attack. He reached back inside the cruiser and retrieved a police baton from between the seats. Better than nothing , he thought to himself.
    Dan gripped the weapon and crept across the open parking lot. He stopped briefly at the other cruiser, peering inside. A few bottles of water and some wrappers lay on the passenger seat. Otherwise, the car was clean.
    He crossed the rest of the lot to the front door and tugged at the handle. It was locked. He inserted his key and opened the station. Once inside, he scanned the parking lot for the creatures, and then locked the door behind him.
    The front corridor was empty. To his left was the door to the locker room. To his right, he saw the door to the main office. There were two other doors— one to the supply room and one to the janitor’s closet. The entrance to the jail cell was at the opposite end. He heard voices now. One of them grew louder as he approached.
    “Howard, please let me out!”
    It was Quinn. Had Howard locked her in the jail cell?
    Dan began to shake. He felt the urge to dart down the hall, throw open the door at the end, and help her. But he needed to be cautious. Their lives depended on it.
    His mind raced. How could Howard have turned on him? The man had stood by his side for years, had always proved himself to be a trustworthy ally. Hell, he had eaten meals with Dan’s family, had given his daughter gifts for her birthday. Was he infected like the rest of them? Why else would he do this?
    The thought made him sick.
    Dan heard movement now, from behind the door up ahead. It sounded like someone was getting ready to exit. He hugged the left side of the corridor, and then ducked into the locker room, gripping the baton to his chest.
    He heard the door creak open in the corridor, and then footsteps echoing off the walls.
    “Howard, please! Don’t leave me in here!”