Free Why I Quit Zombie School by R. L. Stine Page B

them. That was the one advantage of being alive. I was faster than them.
    I rocketed to the locker room door. Shoved it open with both hands and ran full speed into the gym.
    A few kids were still trotting around the floor. Coach Meadows looked up. He opened his mouth to call to me. But I was already out of there.
    I hurtled out the back door. The afternoon sun was low in the sky. Shielding my eyes, I ran toward the playing fields.
    Where was I headed? I didn’t know. I only knew I had to get away from these guys.
    Glancing back, I saw eight or ten of them come bursting out the back door. They weren’t going to give up. They knew they had a living kid in school.
    And they didn’t want me to stay alive for long.
    My sneakers slid on the smooth grass. I ran across the soccer field.
    Behind me, they grunted and groaned as they forced their dead legs forward.
    I had a good head start. And I could run a lot faster.
    But they didn’t give up. They just kept coming. Waving their arms in front of them as if ready to grab me at any moment.
    I was breathing hard. But my legs felt strong. I knew I could outrun them.
    I was nearly across the soccer field when I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head.
    I was hit. A soccer ball hit me in the back of the head. I stumbled forward.
    Fell hard.
    I was down. Down on the grass.
    Caught. The zombies had me.
    Their ugly grunts and groans grew louder as they staggered toward me.
    I raised my head, stunned. Pain rolled down my body. The back of my head throbbed.
    “Ohhhh.” A low moan escaped my throat as I spread both hands on the grass.
    I gave a hard push and forced myself to stand.
    Behind me, I glimpsed a zombie kid fall and start to roll toward me. Another guy tripped over him and went down. But several others kept coming, hands outstretched to grab me.
    I took a deep breath. I shook off my dizziness and took off again.
    But I didn’t have far to run.
    At the back of the soccer field, I ran right up to the tall black fence. It rose like a wall, high above my head. I glanced from side to side. The fence seemed to stretch forever.
    A cry of panic escaped my throat. The groaning zombies moved closer. They had me trapped against the fence.
    I turned and started to run full speed. I searched for a door … a gate … an opening … a crack. Anything I could slip through.
    Nothing. No way through.
    Behind me, I saw a zombie kid stumble and fall. Two kids fell on top of him. The others stopped to help them to their feet.
    I spotted a big, square rock poking up from the grass. Catching my balance, I gazed at it for a moment.
    Then, I didn’t think. I just moved.
    I took a few steps back. Came running at the rock. Took a long leap onto it. Hoisted my hands high over my head. And flew up to the top of the fence.
    I wrapped both hands over the top — and swung myself up.
    “Whooooa!” I uttered a long cry as I sailed over the top of the fence and dropped onto the dirt on the other side.
    “Oooof.”
I landed hard on my back. The collision with the ground knocked the wind from my lungs.
    I lay there choking and gasping. I could hear the low groans and muttering from the zombie kids on the other side of the fence.
    Did they see me hurtle over the fence?
    I was still on my back. I stared up to the top of the fence. I expected to see them follow me over it.
    But I heard their clumsy footsteps move along the high fence. Their shouts and groans faded. They hadn’t seen me. They kept running.
    With a sigh of relief, I stood up. My legs felt shaky. I steadied myself.
    I brushed dirt off the front of my clothes and glanced around.
    To my surprise, I was standing in a graveyard.
    Rows and rows of low gravestones poked up from the flat dirt. The stones were white and looked pretty new.
    The graveyard was completely walled in. The fence rose high above me, and I didn’t see a door or a gate anywhere.
    I was totally boxed in. Yes, I was safe from the zombie kids on the other side. But the sun was going