Free Voyage of the Dead - Book One Sovereign Spirit Saga by David Forsyth

the batteries died.  It was an eerie sight that might have been beautiful, if it hadn’t marked another nail the coffin of civilization.
     
                The zombies that Carl had killed by the fence were still lying there, unmoving, so he had to assume that they were truly dead.  Many other zombies had walked past the water tower that day, but none of them had lingered or tried to get through the fence.  Nor had they shown any sign that they realized Carl was perched on the tower above them.  This gave Carl a little comfort and confirmation that he had chosen one of the better places to hide in this neighborhood.
     
                With nothing better to do, Carl decided to see what was inside of the ‘Search and Rescue Kit’ that he had snatched from the ambulance.  Opening the backpack, he found a plethora of valuable survival gear.  First out was a bundle of climbing pitons with a combination rock hammer and ice axe to go with the rope and rappelling harness tied to the outside of the backpack.  Next he pulled out a compact first aid kit; then a waterproof LED flashlight with a hand charging crank; a small pouch containing a foil survival blanket; a box of dehydrated emergency rations; a coil of monofilament wire; two road flares; two signal flares; four chemical glow sticks; waterproof matches; a pair of binoculars; and last, but certainly not least, a handheld fire department radio in a carrying case that also held a headset and spare battery.  Carl had never been a survivalist but, if he were, this backpack is what he would ask for from Santa Claus.
     
                Carl was smiling until he thought about the things he wanted the most.  At the top of the list, of course, was his wife, Pricilla.  But he had come to grips with the fact that she was either dead or one of the monstrous living dead by now.  And that just made him want the other thing on his wish list more.  A gun.  Any gun.  With lots of ammo. 
     
    The pick axe was a nice weapon and had already proved capable of dispatching zombies face to face.  Carl had no doubt that the combo rock hammer and ice axe would produce equally effective results.  But he didn’t want to have to attack every zombie hand to hand and face to face.  He knew that he would be bitten, even eaten alive, if he ever tried to take on too many of them at once.  But he really wanted to kill them all, or at least as many of them as he could find.   Axes and hammers were not up to that task.  What he really wanted was a machine gun, or a tank, or God damned atomic bomb!
     
    Having none of those things, however, Carl contented himself with repacking the Search and Rescue Kit, making sure to keep the ice axe and handheld radio on top where he could access them quickly.  Then he paused and decided to make sure the radio was working.  He plugged in the headset, put the little speakers in his ears, and turned on the radio.
     
    “All units, be advised, the city and county of Los Angeles are under martial law and curfew.  All emergency services personnel are ordered to muster at police, sheriff, or fire stations to await orders.  Do not attempt to approach any hospital, urgent care, or medical center.  Do not attempt to assist any victims of violent assault, especially anyone who has been bitten by another person.  Avoid contact with anyone who shows any indication of violent intent, or does not respond to verbal commands.  All emergency service personnel are authorized to use deadly force to defend themselves from anyone, regardless of age or appearance, who poses any sort of physical threat. Beware of and avoid any large groups of people.  It is believed that many citizens have been infected with a virus that produces homicidal rage and spreads on contact.”
     
    Carl whistled very softly.  In a way it was nice to know that the authorities had finally figured out at least some of what was happening.  But it was terrifying to