Free The Reawakening (The Living Dead Trilogy, Book 1) by Joseph Souza

Ashes flew up and took root in the current, getting carried far up in the air. Upon approaching the car door, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys. Dar screamed from the other side as a formation of birds began to descend upon us. I unlocked the car, and the doors clicked open. We rushed inside and slammed the doors shut, and the BMW roared to life. Suddenly, we heard a loud series of thumping all around us. Metal popped and windows pinged.
    “What the hell is that?” I said, hunched down and looking around.
    “Holy crap!” Dar said, pointing towards the sunroof.
    The birds crashed against the windshield, along the windows and against the roof and trunk. Through the moon roof, I could see their continued assault. It looked like thousands of arrows raining down upon us. Their eyes looked ferocious, and they seemed intent on dying for their cause. Some of the birds survived and fluttered about on the blood-smeared windshield, their legs bent and wings broken at weird angles. I punched the gas pedal and peeled it out of there until I reached the paved road. Once we were safely coasting along, I breathed a sigh of relief. I turned on the radio to see if I could gather some news about the situation facing us, but heard only static. The road ahead was long and winding, and as I drove, I continued to scan the radio for any stations that might be airing news.
    “That was completely messed up,” Dar said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Why are they attacking us like that?”
    “That’s the million dollar question.”
    “I realize we’re in the middle of nowhere, but isn’t it weird that we haven’t even seen another car on the road?”
    “Everything is screwed up now.” I looked over at her. “How you doing?”
    “Much better than before.” Dar crossed her arms and stared out the window.
    “I’m really proud of you, Dar. You’re a lot tougher than I thought.”
    “Whatever.”
    “I love you, Dar.”
    “Cool.”
    We rode the rest of the way in silence. By the time we emerged out of the thick woods and into the clearing, we could see the general store at the end of the road. The parking lot was packed with cars, trucks and motorcycles, and a group of men milled around the store’s entrance. The sight of them caused my spirits to soar. I turned into the lot and saw the men shouting at each other, wielding guns and drinking beer from bottles. Some of the men pointed their shotguns skyward and fired into the air. Birds fell from the sky as they exchanged high fives. The sound of intermittent gunfire blasted in our ears, and I realized that many of the men were drunk. Dead birds, squirrels, raccoons and possum lay scattered over the blood-spattered parking lot and pushed off to the side. Someone was pouring gasoline over them and lighting a match. The men guzzled beer and bottles of liquor, oblivious to the carnage around them. I parked the BMW, got out, and approached one of them with my arms raised.
    “What’s going on? Is the store even open?”
    “Mister, you ain’t getting anywhere near that store. The Humphrey gang went in there and took the place over. Couple guys with guns tried to make their way past them boys, but they turned right around when they saw who was in there. They’re the ones deciding who gets what and when they get it.”
    “Why are they being such assholes?”
    “World’s going to hell in a hand basket, if you haven’t heard. You got your head buried in the damn sand?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Some people saying it’s the end of times,” the man said, taking a pull on his beer. “Them Humphrey boys dragged a few biker rivals inside and used them as shooting practice,” the man said, pointing at a bird on the pavement that was starting to reawaken. “See that critter? Fucked up, ain’t it! We just keep shooting them suckers till they’re good and dead.” He aimed at the bird and blew its head clear off.
    I turned to Dar, who was still sitting in