Free LEFT ALIVE (Zombie series Box Set): Books 1-6 of the Post-apocalyptic zombie action and adventure series by Jeremy Laszlo

danger.
    I hear the distant roar of an engine and immediately make for the side of the road. Dropping down into a crouch behind some trash cans made useless long ago, I watch as an old Silverado rolls by at a cautious pace. I see three men in the bed of the truck with a pile of supplies, their guns ready and their eyes scanning the darkness for danger. I begin to wonder if I am the only ‘normal’ person left in the world as the truck’s tail lights vanish over a crest. Then again, I did just pledge to let that ‘normal’ person inside of me wither and die. No, I am one of them now. I have to accept that.
    I walk until I find a subdivision around dawn. There is a house that had been boarded up and secured long ago. I want to avoid the house, but I don’t trust any of the other homes with the stench of death hanging around them. A boarded up house could draw attention. It shows signs of life, but from the film of ash and dust on everything, no one has been here in a while. I decide to take the risk. I am far enough away from the freeway to feel reasonably safe, and I don’t know how long I will actually sleep anyways.
    Finding the back door open, I clear the house and make sure I am alone. There is a stockpile of empty food containers and discarded or used supplies in one of the rooms, which rekindles my hopes that something useful might be left hidden in the home. I plot out my escape route should anyone stumble upon the neighborhood and when I feel completely alone and safe, I nestle in for a nap in the main bedroom.
    I lie on the bed for a few moments with nothing but a cold cavity where concerns and thoughts once buzzed freely. I am alone, even from my thoughts. I close my eyes and try not to cry as exhaustion embraces me.

Chapter Seven
    My eyes are forced open violently at the sound of something banging. It doesn’t take much to draw me out of sleep anymore and the slightest bang was enough. My eyes open, flooded by early morning light. It is blinding and poisons my mind. I can’t remember where I am or how I got here but I do know that I’m in a bed, which is always welcomed. I listen for the bang again, not sure if I had even truly heard it. I swing my legs over the side of the bed, quietly. I listen for something, a footstep, a grunt, or a whisper. I hear nothing, so I slowly stand up and touch my cheek, feeling the bandage. The wound hurts still, but it’s not nearly as sensitive as it was. I’m grateful to touch my face and not jump in insufferable agony. I don’t know what I would do if the infection went septic.
    Another bang draws my attention from my face to the boarded-up window. This was a noise that didn’t sound like a shutter banging the side of a house. No, this sounded deliberate. The key to sneaking is being deliberate, I try to remember this as I make my way across the room. I curse my footsteps. I know that they gave me up. Someone had to have seen them from the highway and decided to track me. A single target is so much easier than a group. They probably thought they could track me down, kill me, and take whatever I had with them after leaving this place. Thankfully, my footsteps were all over the neighborhood. I might have bought myself some time before they come across me. I brush back the dusty curtain and peer out through a slit in the boards. I can hardly see anything.
    The world outside is bathed in delicious, golden light. I can see the garage of the neighbor’s house and his trash cans sitting where they had been the moment he left them. He, I’m assuming it was a man. I can see an upstairs window, but the blinds are shut and there isn’t a sign that anyone has opened them in ages. The whole place looks like a vacant ruin. I try to get a better look from at where the sound came from, but I can hardly see beyond that which is straight ahead. The boom echoes through the abandoned neighborhood again and this time, I’m set to find it.
    I pass through the doorway, my ears ringing