Ridgetown: A zombie apocalypse novel Read Online Free Page B
Author: Philip Radford
bent down, bringing the blade of the axe down with him and driving it into the zombie's skull. The kills were quick and clean, the axes cutting cleanly into the brains of the zombies and causing severe trauma. None of the three zombies would be getting up again.
The three survivors turned their attention to the vent that the zombies had been drawn to. Dennis and Helen stepped back, raising their weapons while Scott took a cautious step forward. The vent had a cover over it that was large enough for a human to squeeze into, although not very comfortably.
The lack of blood around the control room and the zombie's interest in the vent made it likely that their new friend was packed inside like a sardine. Scott dug his fingers behind a corner of the vent cover and steadied himself. He looked at Dennis, who nodded, and tore the vent off.
Revealing nothing inside.
The three of them stared at the empty vent confused, there was nowhere else the intruder could have been. He definitely wasn't dead because none of the zombies had been feeding, there was no body, plus they were definitely interested in the vent.
The cover to the vent was actually the end of the ventilation system, designed to blow cooling air onto the surrounding hardware. It didn't stretch below ground and the only other direction was straight up.
Helen had trouble believing that the slightly chubby gentleman on the camera had managed to squeeze into the vent to begin with, there was no way he could crawl vertically up an aluminium vent and into the maze of air conditioning that snaked around the ceiling.
Scott had taken his torch out of his bag and hesitantly approached the opening, illuminating the way with the powerful beam. He dipped his head inside and instantly pulled it back out, waiting to see or hear if anything moved. After a few moments of silence, he stuck his head into the opening again, this time shining the torch upwards and leaning in to investigate properly. He looked back at Dennis and Helen and shrugged his shoulders. They both looked as mystified as he did.
"Hello?" He called out. Even though he hushed his voice, it echoed greatly in the tight confines of the vent.
Immediately a bang of warping aluminium came from behind them, they turned and looked up to pinpoint where the sound had come from. A section of the vent above them sagged suspiciously compared to the rest.
Dennis took a step towards it and shouted up, "The zombies are gone. Why don't you come down?"
"I can't." Came the slightly muffled response.
Dennis stepped closer. "We just want to talk. Let's not let this misunderstanding stand in the way of a mutually beneficial partnership."
Helen winced when he said 'misunderstanding'. She knew he thought she was wrong to set the alarm off but refused to feel embarrassed about it.
"No, I can't. I mean I can't get back down. Every time I move, the whole thing feels like its gonna fall down."
Scott and Helen frowned at each other. Dennis betrayed a slight smirk.
"Okay, My friend Scott and I will see if we can find some ladders or something to get up to you." He turned back to Helen. "Make sure the air con stays off, we don't want him to freeze up there."
Helen rolled her eyes as Dennis and Scott walked out of the main control room.
"Is he joking? He's joking right?"
Helen walked over to the terminal and reached behind it. She felt around for the small Notebook she had left plugged into the system. She felt her fingers brush over it and carefully eased it out of its hiding place.
"Are you still there?"
"Yes." Helen thought about not answering but hoped responding with a minimal answer might keep him quiet for a bit.
"Erm, are you the voice from the speakers that tried to kill me?"
"Yes."
A few seconds of silence passed and Helen hoped that his enquiries had stopped. She turned her attention back to the Notebook and opened it, waking it up.
"Could you erm... You know.... Not try to kill me?"
Helen turned towards the vent with a
The three survivors turned their attention to the vent that the zombies had been drawn to. Dennis and Helen stepped back, raising their weapons while Scott took a cautious step forward. The vent had a cover over it that was large enough for a human to squeeze into, although not very comfortably.
The lack of blood around the control room and the zombie's interest in the vent made it likely that their new friend was packed inside like a sardine. Scott dug his fingers behind a corner of the vent cover and steadied himself. He looked at Dennis, who nodded, and tore the vent off.
Revealing nothing inside.
The three of them stared at the empty vent confused, there was nowhere else the intruder could have been. He definitely wasn't dead because none of the zombies had been feeding, there was no body, plus they were definitely interested in the vent.
The cover to the vent was actually the end of the ventilation system, designed to blow cooling air onto the surrounding hardware. It didn't stretch below ground and the only other direction was straight up.
Helen had trouble believing that the slightly chubby gentleman on the camera had managed to squeeze into the vent to begin with, there was no way he could crawl vertically up an aluminium vent and into the maze of air conditioning that snaked around the ceiling.
Scott had taken his torch out of his bag and hesitantly approached the opening, illuminating the way with the powerful beam. He dipped his head inside and instantly pulled it back out, waiting to see or hear if anything moved. After a few moments of silence, he stuck his head into the opening again, this time shining the torch upwards and leaning in to investigate properly. He looked back at Dennis and Helen and shrugged his shoulders. They both looked as mystified as he did.
"Hello?" He called out. Even though he hushed his voice, it echoed greatly in the tight confines of the vent.
Immediately a bang of warping aluminium came from behind them, they turned and looked up to pinpoint where the sound had come from. A section of the vent above them sagged suspiciously compared to the rest.
Dennis took a step towards it and shouted up, "The zombies are gone. Why don't you come down?"
"I can't." Came the slightly muffled response.
Dennis stepped closer. "We just want to talk. Let's not let this misunderstanding stand in the way of a mutually beneficial partnership."
Helen winced when he said 'misunderstanding'. She knew he thought she was wrong to set the alarm off but refused to feel embarrassed about it.
"No, I can't. I mean I can't get back down. Every time I move, the whole thing feels like its gonna fall down."
Scott and Helen frowned at each other. Dennis betrayed a slight smirk.
"Okay, My friend Scott and I will see if we can find some ladders or something to get up to you." He turned back to Helen. "Make sure the air con stays off, we don't want him to freeze up there."
Helen rolled her eyes as Dennis and Scott walked out of the main control room.
"Is he joking? He's joking right?"
Helen walked over to the terminal and reached behind it. She felt around for the small Notebook she had left plugged into the system. She felt her fingers brush over it and carefully eased it out of its hiding place.
"Are you still there?"
"Yes." Helen thought about not answering but hoped responding with a minimal answer might keep him quiet for a bit.
"Erm, are you the voice from the speakers that tried to kill me?"
"Yes."
A few seconds of silence passed and Helen hoped that his enquiries had stopped. She turned her attention back to the Notebook and opened it, waking it up.
"Could you erm... You know.... Not try to kill me?"
Helen turned towards the vent with a
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