Free Hurricane Dan (A Zombie Novel) by Bret Wellman Page A

stop him from running to catch up.

 
    Chapter 12
     
                  Barns was one step from walking into the street, he did not see the car that was barreling towards him. The engine was roaring, it was an SUV, your average soccer mom vehicle. This one was covered in zombies, around five in total. They bashed their fists against the windshield, trying to get in. It looked like the driver was flying blind, desperately trying to get away from the attackers covering their vehicle. Spider web cracks were growing larger and larger as all the windows began to break.   
    Zoey was only slightly behind Barns, it was far enough that she would be in the clear, but not Barns. His body was far enough out that he was going to get clipped for sure.
    Dan jumped forward and grabbed a handful of Barns’s shirt, yanking him back to safety. The SUV went flying by, wind whipped across them and the noise reached its max with a whoosh. The SUV lost control thirty yards up the street and crashed into a store front. Glass and clothing tumbled across the floor as the car skidded to a stop halfway through the retail store. Dan spotted a police cruiser in a similar zombie situation, hauling through an intersection a few blocks up.
    "Whooo!" yelled Barns. "Almost lost my ass on dat one."
    Zoey grabbed him by the shoulders: "Are you okay?" To look him in the eyes, she almost had to stare straight up.
    Barns nodded, "It take mo’ dan dat to get me."
    Dan was pissed, "you have to watch where you are walking, Barns, we won't last till the night if you keep doing things like that."
    Barns looked sullen, "oh, I'm sorry, Dan, I didn't mean it. I do better, okay?"
    "Let's just get some weapons and find a place to hide. Sorry Barns, I don't want to see you get hurt, man, that's all," said Dan.
    "I know, I know, maybe we can get some flip flop when we get to where we are going," said Barns.
    "Hell yeah," said Dan.
    "I know where we can get some weapons," said Zoey. "I play Warcraft with a guy who collects swords. Considering the circumstances, I don't think he would mind us taking any."
    There was movement behind them, the man that had been wrestling with the zombie before they had gone into the subway was getting to his feet. It looked as though he was no longer in pain, it also looked as though he was no longer alive.
    His skin had gone pale white and black circles grew under his eyes, a string of drool seeping from the corner of his mouth. He stumbled and moaned, his arms trying to lift but only making it a foot or so away from his body.
    Zoey dropped to her side, hitting the ground hard. It looked to Dan as though she had done it on purpose, like she had suddenly given up. She anchored her whole body to the ground kicking out hard with her purple Converses. The blow landed right on the zombie’s kneecap, its leg folding in half in the wrong direction. Zoey rolled out of the way and back up to her feet as the zombie came crashing down.
    All three of them stepped back as the zombie tried lamely to crawl after them. It tried to stand up but its injured leg collapsed. It crawled a few feet before trying to get up again, only to be met with the same result as the first time.
    Zoey smiled, "That should slow him down.”
    "Wow," said Dan, thoroughly impressed.
    "He ain't got no knee!" cheered Barns. "Can't chase nobody if ya got no knee."
    "Come on you guys," said Zoey. "We have some swords to get."
    The zombie trailed after them but was falling farther and farther behind with every step. It screeched and bloodied its fingers on the pavement as it dragged itself along.
    "It's not far," said Zoey. "He only lives two blocks away."
    Only two blocks felt a lot farther than it used to, thought Dan, looking out at random scuffles and stumbling dead.
    "But first we better run in here," she went on, grabbing Dan by the hand and pulling him into a store they were passing.
    It was a clothing store selling men's business suits.
    "We don't have time for