Free The Zombie Virus (Book 1) by Paul Hetzer Page A

pawing and
clawing their way up my legs, one on top of the other. I kicked
frantically, connecting with the gruff face of one man and driving
it out the door, the other was trying to bite my legs but I kept
kicking, denying it the chance.
    Finally my heel landed a blow on its shoulder
and forced it backwards as the first Loony was trying to crawl back
in through the open door over the other’s back. I drew the Beretta,
pointed it toward the attacking creatures and pulled the trigger,
trying not to shoot my own legs in the process. I wasn’t sure how
many times I shot. I just pulled the trigger until the doorway was
empty.
    I sat up and saw the two Loonies writhing on
the ground in pools of bright blood, one with its lower jaw and
neck blown apart.
    I grabbed the door handle and slammed the
truck’s door shut. My ears were ringing loudly from the gun shots
and my heart trip-hammered in my chest. I was drenched in sweat and
nauseous with fear.
    Suddenly, one of the Loonies was up and
outside the window trying to claw its way in. Blood poured from
bullet wounds in its shoulder and arm. Others were arriving behind
it. I frantically looked around the truck, the interior was
empty.
    The keys were there, dangling in the
ignition. I said a quick thank you under my breath and holstered
the pistol. Now if only the battery still had enough juice in it to
turn over the engine after days of sitting with the door hanging
open.
    I said a silent prayer as I turned the
ignition key. The truck roared to life. Relief flooded through my
body until I glanced outside. The infected were swarming over the
truck. Several had climbed into the bed while others where clawing
their way onto the hood and beating on the side windows.
    I slammed the gearshift into drive and sped
off, spilling bodies around me. One clung tenaciously to the brush
guard until the large AT tire caught its foot and ripped its body
loose, crushing it beneath the tire when I accelerated. I had lost
one of my shoes in the fight and a pant leg was torn nearly its
entire length. Thankfully I hadn’t been bitten or had my skin
broken by their filthy fingernails.
    Three Loonies were hanging on in the bed of
the pickup while another had a tenacious one armed grip around the
driver’s side mirror. Blood coated the outside of the window giving
the creature even more of a macabre look. Its blood red eyes stared
at me through the window and the jaws worked in anticipation of the
kill. I threw the truck sideways and sped up the road at breakneck
speed.
    The creature lost its grip along with another
in the back of the truck bed. It landed face first on the road and
its head came apart. Both of them looked like rag dolls as they
bounced and rolled on the pavement. Neither one got up.
    I passed two more empty vehicles partially
off the road and slowed to a crawl. As I did so the two remaining
Loonies stood up in the truck bed and charged toward the back
window. I jammed the accelerator with my shoeless foot. The truck
lurched forward and both Loonies flew backwards over the tailgate
and landed hard on the pavement. They were up instantly and tearing
off after me, one with an appreciable limp. I quickly left them
behind and they were soon out of sight.

    Within minutes I was pulling into the road
that led to my neighborhood. I was exhausted. I wanted to wake up
from this nightmare. How could I keep on fighting these creatures
like this? Home was drawing me like a beacon with the thought of my
young wife’s arms and comforting smile waiting there for me. She
and my ten-year-old son were all the reason I needed to persevere.
They had to survive this. I would not let them become one of those
things, or food for them.
    I turned onto my street. There were infected
moving aimlessly throughout the neighborhood. As soon as they heard
or saw the truck, their pace picked up and it was as if I was the
Pied Piper with a horde of bloodthirsty human rats following me
down the road. I knew I couldn’t go