Free Hurricane Dan (A Zombie Novel) by Bret Wellman

the entrance to a subway station. A garbage can had been knocked over where a man was rolling across the ground, wrestling with a "zombie."
    Between Barns, Dan and Zoey, they had stomped the zombie to death within a minute and the bloody man on the ground thanked them through painful sobs. They left the man there to fend for himself as they descended into the subway.
    They ran down the steps, taking them two at a time. Dan was watching his feet, making sure he didn't miss a step and tumble down. He was concentrating so hard that he did not see the water until his ankle was entirely submerged. He tried to stop but his momentum carried him forward.
    The water was dirty, the slime and gunk from every orifice in the city had followed the rain and pooled in it. It was cold too, so cold that it confused Dan, making it feel like he had fallen into a lake of fire as he went under.
    He burst back through the surface, gasping in shock. His feet were touching and his head was above water and yet he still panicked, the cold taking over his mind.
    Barns went waist deep and helped yank him back up to dry land where Zoey was laughing hysterically.
    "I know this isn't the time, but that is way too funny," she said. Her laughter died just as quick as it had come and her face drew serious. "I think we have company."
    Dan looked back, into the dark subway, his teeth chattering. Three heads were wading through the water, ripples trailing them. They moaned, they were the sick, they were the zombies.
    "Damn it," Dan spat into the water. "I don't think we can fight them off in the water."
    "Den we best be gettin’ a new plan," said Barns.
    Zoey nodded, "Yeah, and fast."
    Heat, it was the first word that popped into his head, whatever the new plan was, it had to involve heat. He was beginning to shake uncontrollably. "We have to get back on the street, we can't do anything down here."
    That was when Dan realized he was no longer holding onto the briefcase. He must have dropped it when he had plunged into the water. He whirled around, there it was, floating between him and the approaching zombies. Dan didn't think twice, he just dove. There was no way he was going to survive the zombie apocalypse only to come out the other end, the same broke chump as when he went in. He would rather die.
    He swam, arm over arm through the floating sludge.
    "Get back!" he thought he heard Barns yell, it was hard to tell with all the water that was splashing over him.
    He reached the briefcase at the same moment as the zombies. They were pale and missing chunks from their faces, their bodies bloated from the water. It was hard to see anything else in the dark.
    Dan swooped up the briefcase with one numb hand and kicked off of the zombies. They grabbed him but he was able to slip away as the momentum from his kick carried him back towards the steps. He felt one catch his ankle, bringing him to a stop. Its hand was the same temperature as the water, it was hard and bony. Dan kicked with his other foot, knocking the zombie’s head sideways and jarring his foot loose.
    He paddled hard, ignoring the fact that the briefcase was slowing him down. He could feel the darkness closing in on him from behind, he had to get to Barns and Zoey, he had to get to the light.
    Barns caught his wrist first, yanking him up with the help of Zoey.
    "Are you out of your mind?" She looked more bewildered than angry.
    Barns nodded, "Oh he ah mad man."
    "Let's ge-get out of here." He was so cold, he could hardly talk.
    Looking back, he could see that the zombies weren't much farther than they had been when he grabbed the briefcase. They tried to walk through the water, something that slowed them down drastically.
    "Are you coming?"
    He turned at the sound of Zoey’s voice only to realize they were already halfway up the steps. He had the unnerving feeling of being left behind, there was nothing between the zombies and him. He couldn't feel his feet and his legs were stiff, but that did not