Dead Soil: A Zombie Series Read Online Free Page B

his car, his vision tunneled to the door at the end of the hallway that lead to the reception area.
    He looked over his shoulder when he heard Ronald cry out. His friend was spread across the floor and was trying to crawl in a scramble away from Dr. Hyde, who closed in on him. Ronald attempted to stand up, but slipped on the tile and fell back down onto his chest. Liam stopped to face his friend. “Ronnie! Come on!”
    Dr. Hyde threw himself down onto Ronald with his mouth wide open.
    “No!” Liam screamed, hunched over as his fingers pulled at his ginger hair. “Ronnie!”
    Ronald reached out to Liam from down the hall as Dr. Hyde’s jaw clenched the back of his neck. There was a blood curdling scream. Ronald’s mouth opened and closed with silent gasps. Dr. Hyde tugged at him until he was on his back, face up, to watch the horror he would behold. Nails dug into the helpless doctor’s face and shoulders and ripped the skin and muscles from the bones as his body jerked. Dr. Hyde groaned, his glazed eyes rolled back, as he shoved the flesh into his mouth. He chewed at it vigorously.
     
     
    Liam couldn’t move. He sobbed, repeating Ronald’s name in a whisper as he watched in disgust and terror. His friend had just been torn apart before his eyes and he’d done nothing to stop it. What could he have done?
    Once Ronald fell still, Dr. Hyde no longer dug into him. His head raised as his shark-like, dead eyes stared right at Liam. He pushed himself up off the ground and shambled down the hall towards the only live prey left.
    Liam couldn’t take his eyes away from what used to be his best friend lying broken and bleeding on the floor. He gurgled blood through his ripped throat and then, against all odds, rose slowly to stand up. Liam squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. He was sure he had to be seeing things. Ronald stood in a pool of burgundy blood that dripped freshly from his wounds and down his pale blue button up shirt. As he turned his gnarled face up to the ceiling, he let out an appalling shriek.
    Ronald started forward and passed Dr. Hyde as Liam ran for the door. He pushed on it and moved the handle up and down to no avail. Somewhere in the depths of his memory he remembered he had to pull the door in order to open it. He shoved his way through just in time to miss the superhuman grip of Ronald’s cold, dead hands.
    Liam’s breathing was labored as he ran at full speed out of the building and to his car. He let out gasping screams to the beat of his pounding feet. He felt his pockets for his keys and pulled them out, but the sweat in his eyes prevented him from seeing which button unlocked the doors. He pushed them all at random until he finally found the right one and heard the click as the locks popped up.
    Meanwhile, Ronald and Dr. Hyde were closing in on him at a hauntingly slow pace. Every time Liam looked over his shoulder they were a few paces closer, their mouths open and stained with black, dried blood.
    There was no one else around to help Liam. He was far into campus and students weren’t permitted to go near the labs unless it was for class. He was all alone. He yanked open the door, shut himself inside, and slammed the palm of his hand down on the locks.
    The thing that used to be Dr. Ronald Conrad made it to the car first and pressed itself against the window, pounding its fists into the glass. With each strike the window became streaked with dingy, darkened blood. The corpse of Dr. Hyde made its way over and followed Ronald’s relentless attack on the car to get to the meat inside.
    Liam’s hands shook violently and he struggled to put the key into the ignition while jaws snapped at the air. Putrid eyes locked onto Liam’s.
    “This can’t be happening,” he repeated as he sat in the car, his eyes squeezed shut, the sound of dead fists beating against the window a distant sound in the background. Somewhere, he mustered up the strength and courage to step on the gas and drive