Life Among The Dead Read Online Free

knee is on the floor, the other leg had somehow laid itself over the coffee table. Dan’s arms still hold the remote aloft. He rises slowly as if any haste might bring the noise back.
    The man tiptoes to the front of the house as if his silence and wishful thinking will make up for the noise he just made. He wants to take a peek out the window to see if his ruckus has brought their attention to him. Even before looking outside he knows they have heard him. He can hear them. Their moans are getting closer. A handful of them are coming towards the house, curious and hungry.
    The soldier runs to the couch and dives over it. He had left his rifle by the television leaning on the entertainment center. He tries to grab it with his left hand, but he’s still holding the remote tightly in his grasp.
    “ Fuck me.” He curses himself, absently pocketing the remote and taking up the weapon. He can hear them. The zombies are at the door and the windows. Their moans are like sad pleas. Dan is close to hyperventilating. He gulps air in ragged breaths, unable to get enough. Palms are slapping against wood and glass. He can see silhouettes against the curtains. He wonders how long the glass can hold them back. Their moans get louder and louder as more and more arrive at the house. It almost sounds like they’re inside already, Dan thinks, looking around for an exit.
    To the right of the television is another thick curtain that’s hung higher than the others, only an inch or two from the ceiling. On the adjoining wall Dan spots a door. He is relieved to have a few options. He is hoping the curtain is covering a door to the backyard of the dwelling, and a way out.
    On his way to the curtain the door next to it swings open. A blonde woman pushes through with her body. She is in a blue sundress and has a very classic look that reminds Dan of old black and white sit-coms. Detracting from her beauty and perfect make-up is the lazy way she walks towards him, her arms outstretched. Her subtle eye shadow is sullied by her vacant stare.
    The soldier takes a step back and aims his rifle. He only has the two rounds and is debating whether to use one on the ex-house wife or not. He takes another step back as she advances, wanting to maintain distance between them. His heel locates one of the errant toys and before he knows it he is falling backwards. His foot flies out from under him and he lands hard on his back, the impact causes him to tense his trigger finger, a shot is wasted into the ceiling. The rifle’s recoil makes it jump from his hand.
    The woman in blue is almost on top of him and he is without a weapon. He settles for the object that tripped him up. Dan takes hold of a large plastic train by its pull cord. He wraps the string around his hand few times as he scrambles backwards trying to keep away from the corpse.
    The man stands up and swings the makeshift melee weapon at her head as glass begins to crinkle behind him. The zombie takes the blow to her temple, becoming off balanced. Dan swings again, and again driving her back until she flops over the couch. She clumsily topples to the floor. The soldier discards the choo-choo and unsheathes his combat knife. The prone zombie is trying to get to its feet. Its arms flail grabbing the coffee table. Dan puts his knee to her back and pushes her down. He drives his blade into her skull. The tip of the steel only enters an inch into the bone. He has to shove his weight down on it and bounce until it buries itself to the hilt. She stops flailing.
    Pieces of glass fall from the window behind him. Dan’s knife remains lodged in the zombie’s skull. Hurriedly he places his foot to her neck as he pulls the blade free with both hands like King Arthur retrieving Excalibur. Her head pulls back with his movement until the knife is freed. Her face bounces off the floor.
    Dan rushes to the curtain by the entertainment center. He picks up his lost rifle and throws the fabric aside only to be startled