Free Contamination: Dead Instinct (Contamination Post-Apocalyptic Zombie Series) by T.W. Piperbrook

meandering creatures. No survivors.
    A block away, several creatures were heading for the commotion.
    "It's coming from that way," Isaac said, pointing east.  
    The scream was changing pitch and location, as if the girl were running. The urge to help her was overpowering Isaac's urge to be careful. His nerves screamed, begging him to move. Scotty joined him at the window, but offered no solutions.
    Isaac tried to convince Ferris.
    "We might be able to do something," he said. "We can't just let that girl die."
    Ferris grunted. "Do you know how many people I've seen die out there? If I'd tried to help every one of them, I'd be dead several times over."
    "But you saved me ," Isaac said.
    Ferris shrugged.
    "You just lucked out. We happened to be in the right place at the right time," Scotty answered. "Don't make us regret it."
    Ferris looked away, and Scotty walked back over to the couch he'd been stationed at. Isaac thought of a bunch of arguments to use on the men, but realized it'd be pointless. No matter how hard he argued, it didn't sound like they'd budge.
    He heard another shriek in the distance, and Isaac felt a surge of emotions—anger and helplessness chief among them. Before he knew it, he was heading toward the rear exit.
    "I'm going out there," he said.  
    He eyed the other men as he walked by them, half-hoping someone would offer to join him, but the men averted their eyes.
    He walked over to the fridge and began pushing it. The thing was heavy, and he steeled himself against the ground. He was still straining to move it when another pair of hands slapped against the side.
    "I'll help with that," Jimmy said.  
    The two of them slid the appliance across the floor, revealing the back entrance.
    "Thanks," Isaac said.
    Jimmy opened the door and held up his gun. Was he going with him?
    "After you."
    Isaac gave him a grateful glance. "Thanks."
    "Fuck it," Spencer said from somewhere behind them. "I'll come, too."

    Isaac, Jimmy, and Spencer crept around the back of the strip and made their way to the front of the building. Several creatures were still heading in the opposite direction, as if they were scouts in some communal mission, intent on leading the way.  
    Isaac glanced nervously at the rifle in his hand as he walked.
    "You ever fire one of those?" Jimmy asked, giving him a perturbed look.
    "No," he admitted.  
    "Do you even know where the trigger is?"
    Jimmy and Spencer laughed under their breaths. Jimmy gave him a quick tutorial. Afterward, Isaac fell in line behind them, following them across the parking lot and then across the street.  
    Isaac kept a quick pace, mindful of his surroundings, but careful not to move too fast. If there was one thing he'd learned, it was that visibility was key. Though he might not have weapons training, he knew that much.
    Since they'd left the building, the screaming had quieted, but Isaac could hear it picking up again in the distance. The sound should have filled him with dread, but it gave him a sense of relief instead.
    It meant the girl was still alive.  
    Having traversed the parking lot, they transitioned to the road, closing on the handful of infected ahead of them. The creatures were cutting through an alley, presumably taking the quickest route to their victim.
    Several tall commercial buildings lined the street.
    "Let's cut around that way," Jimmy hissed, motioning to the intersection just past them. "We don't want to get trapped in the alley."
    Isaac and Spencer concurred, and the three of them changed course. They'd lost sight of the infected, but they could still hear the din of hungry groans from the next street over. When their path was clear, they increased speed, running along the debris-ridden road.
    Isaac took a last glance behind him, catching sight of the tattoo shop in the distance. The building already seemed miles away. Would he ever make it back? He swallowed and ran faster.
    They bounded beneath a pair of unlit traffic lights, staring up the