Free Undead Rain (Book 2): Storm by Shaun Harbinger Page A

boat.
    “Everyone, get ready to bail,” Tanya said tightly. She pressed the brake, stopped the Land Rover and got out.  
    We all did the same. The zombies, seeing us on foot, moaned with hunger.  
    “What are we going to do?” I asked. “Just walk down there?”
    “Do you have a better idea?” Tanya arranged the straps on her backpack and set off towards the crossroads.  
    The herd was getting closer.  
    With the zombies behind us and the army in front of us, we were truly between a rock and a hard place. I felt my hands trembling. My mouth was dry and my stomach felt queasy. Why had I agreed to this?
    I held my baseball bat loosely, all too aware how useless it would be against guns.  
    The zombies had reached the Land Rover. They skirted around it, showing no interest in the abandoned vehicle. Their glaring yellow eyes were fixed on us, their intended prey.  
    “Let’s move,” Sam said, marching after Tanya.
    Jax and I quickened our pace and we caught up with Tanya. There was a tense atmosphere in the air and I knew it was because of the seriousness of our situation. We were walking into an outpost of soldiers who would not hesitate to shoot us.  
    The order must have gone out to kill any civilians not in the camps. As far as the authorities were concerned, we may be alive now but we were probably going to get turned sooner or later. Better to kill us now and save the army having to fight us later when we joined the rotting ranks of the undead.
    We reached the crossroads. The road ahead dipped down to the sea. A small white sign had the words, “Beach Road” on it in raised black letters. In days gone by, that sign had probably brought joy to the faces of children who had come here on holiday. Now, it made me feel sick to my stomach.
    We descended the slope to the street below. I had an urge to run to the marina shop and grab all the boat keys there but we had to slow our pace to make sure all the nasties followed us.  
    The street was deserted but I could see the beach beyond the shops. Soldiers milled about on the sand, guns slung over their shoulders. A collection of Land Rovers and APCs was parked on the asphalt and the sand.  
    A shout went up and the sound of shots cracked the air.  
    They had seen the undead herd.  
    As they ran towards us, I led my companions along the street, past the supermarket and across the road to the marina shop.  
    I risked a quick glance over my shoulder, expecting to see the zombies shuffling towards the soldiers but the sight at the end of the street made my blood run cold.
    The zombies were heading for the shops, shambling in through the open doorways.  
    They were easy targets for the soldiers.  
    More shots rang along the street and the zombies started falling as head shots blew their rotted brains out through their decaying skulls.
    “Why aren’t they attacking the soldiers?” I whispered to Tanya.
    “I don’t know,” she replied, “but this isn’t creating a diversion at all. The soldiers are just picking them off. Why are the zombies taking cover?”
    Then everything became clear as a cold drop of water hit my arm, followed by another.  
    Our plan had failed.  
    It was raining.

sixteen
    I pushed open the door of the shop and we got inside quickly, staying low and in the shadows. The shop was quiet and gloomy. I doubted anyone had been in here since I had hidden from the feral survivors.
    Outside, the rain came down with a vengeance, lashing against the windows and battering on the glass door.  
    We sat in the darkness, leaning against the wall. An air of frustration hung over the group and it was completely understandable. We had spent hours luring zombies here to distract the military only to have them take cover from the rain and cause no problem at all for the soldiers.  
    “Now what do we do?” I asked.
    “We could wait until it gets dark,” Jax suggested. “Sneak out there and try to get a boat before they spot us.”
    “Or just wait