Free The Reckoning - 02 by D. A. Roberts Page B

single zombie. I was starting to feel like the last living thing on the planet, when I saw a deer standing in the road. I stopped when I saw it and it jerked its head up and looked right at me. It was a beautiful eight point buck. During normal times, I’d have been glad to have scored a buck like that. I definitely would have shot it for the meat.
                  While I was pondering that, the wind shifted and the deer’s head snapped up and around the other direction. Its ears started twitching and the white tail came up like a flag. He was getting ready to bolt. Taking my cue from the deer, I slipped off the road and into the trees. Then I knelt down and watched.
                  From farther down the road, two zombies appeared. When they saw the deer, they launched forward. They were both Sprinters . The deer didn’t waste any time and took off like a bat out of hell. It was running towards the other side of the road and heading for the trees. It didn’t have any trouble staying ahead of the Sprinters , but they pursued it right into the woods. For several minutes, I could hear them crashing through the woods in pursuit of the deer.
                  I waited quietly, watching the direction that the two Sprinters had come from. When no more zombies appeared, I stepped out of the tree line and continued on. This time, I stayed in the ditch close enough to the tree line that I could duck in quickly. Around the bend in the road about half a mile ahead, I saw a house.
                  It was an older house with fading white paint and green shingles. I couldn’t see any cars parked in the area. It was on the opposite side of the road and I kept an eye on it as I got closer. The front door stood wide open and none of the windows appeared to have been boarded up. It looked abandoned.
                  As I came up even with the house, I could see an empty garage behind it. Still no cars to be seen, but I did see a mountain bike sitting in the garage. I thought it over for a few minutes before I decided to risk it. If I could get in there and grab that bike without alerting any zombies or getting into a fight, I could cover the distance to the gas station in no time. It was definitely worth the risk.
                  I glanced both ways, and headed across the road. When I reached the end of the driveway, I stopped and listened. I couldn’t hear any noise coming from the house, so I crept forward keeping my weapon at the ready. Moving slowly, I made my way to the back of the house. The backyard was clear, so I moved on into the garage.
                  As I was reaching for the bike, I heard a shuffling sound come from the back of the house. I spun around in time to see an elderly man in his pajamas come out the back door. It was clear that he’d been dead for some time. The bloody wounds to his neck and face had long since turned black and his mottled gray skin looked nearly putrefied.
                  I could tell by the way it moved that it hadn’t seen me, yet. It must have heard something when I walked by. I didn’t want to shoot it and make a ton of noise, so I grabbed my hammer and slipped the thong around my wrist. Gripping the handle tightly, I moved to the edge of the garage and waited. I didn’t have to wait long.
                  It came shuffling towards the garage and stepped around the corner. Before it could react, I spun the hammer once around on the thong to generate momentum and slammed it right in the forehead. The skull gave way with a sickening crunch and the old ghoul was propelled backwards out of the door and onto his back. He didn’t get up.
                  I stole a quick glance at the back of the house. I didn’t see any more zombies, but I didn’t plan on waiting around for more to show up. Grabbing the bike, I quickly checked the tires. They were both flat. The side trip had been