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

shouted.
    He limped ahead, approaching the doorway. Behind him, Howard yelled in pain. Dan was at the doorway now, and he reached behind him to pull the door shut. I just might make it out of this alive , he thought. He heard the door stop with a dull thud as it struck something behind him. Shit .
    A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders, whipping him around and throwing him across the room. Dan landed on his knees, facing the shower. Howard was behind him now, pulling the curtain open and forcing his head inside. He heard the officer hit the lever, heard the brief pause of water traveling through the pipe, and then felt cold water cascading out of the showerhead and onto his face.
    Dan gasped for breath, liquid running up his nose and down his windpipe. Howard pushed him in further, grinding his face against the cement floor and drain, and the water started to puddle. He closed his eyes and pictured Julie’s face smiling down at him. Her lips were a soft pink, her eyes a radiant blue. He wondered if this was how he was going to die.
    He struggled for what seemed like an eternity, arms flailing backwards, striking at Howard’s legs. The man’s arms were twice the size of his own. He was hopelessly outmatched. In the background, over the roar of the water, a noise drew him back from the depths. His daughter was still yelling his name.
    Dan pictured Quinn on her own, fighting off a slew of the creatures—succumbing to a fate worse than his own. He felt his eyes well up and tear, mixing with the water that would soon drown him, and he propelled his arms backward one last time.
    Without warning, Howard’s hands retracted and Dan was free. He rolled to the side, out of the shower, and began to spit and cough. His hair was matted across his face, and his vision was blurry. He wiped at his eyes, trying to ascertain what had happened. He attempted to stand.
    Three large shapes stood in the room. He squinted, and could just make out Howard’s figure among them. Two of the shapes were grabbing at the senior officer, and the man had begun to scream.
    Dan slid along the back wall, his vision returning. Two of the creatures tore at Howard’s chest, ripping off shreds of shirt and skin. The officer was bleeding from a wound in his back, and his face was a mess of blood and fear.
    Dan began to run—past the creatures, past his former friend, and out the door. The things paused as he flew by, but didn’t make a grab for him. Apparently, Howard was keeping them occupied.
    He slammed the locker room door shut and held the knob. From inside, he heard the senior officer shrieking in pain.
    He reached for his keys, fumbling for the one that fit the locker room door. When he found it, he inserted it into the keyhole, just as the knob started to turn.
    “Dan!” a voice hissed through the door.
    He stared for a moment. Howard must have somehow made it across the room, making one last play for the exit. Dan clutched the knob, listening to the sound of nails clawing at the door. He wondered briefly if the fingers belonged to the officer, or the creatures—or both. From down the hall, his daughter called out to him.
    Dan let go of the doorknob and started down the corridor towards the jail cell, leaving the door locked behind him.

    Howard felt searing pain hit his abdomen, and then his vision began to blur. He struggled to stay on his feet, but the creatures pulled him down to the floor.
    This isn’t supposed to happen, he screamed inside. I’m supposed to survive .
    He replayed the last few minutes in his mind, trying to figure out where it had all gone wrong. The creatures had come at him from the main office down the hall. He had heard a crash—had seen them break through the door.
    But I secured this building myself! Dan would have come in through the front entrance—not the office. This place was sealed tight!
    One of the things began gouge into his throat, and he gasped for air.
    How the fuck had they gotten in? Did someone let them