Undead 02 The Undead Haze Read Online Free

its privacy. It hadn’t let me down. There was no sign of entry. Not a single Z wandered the area.
    When I cracked open the door to the bathroom where I’d left Pickle, I wanted to hear an angry scurry to the door. But I didn’t hear anything. She’d burrowed into the blanket I set in the bathtub. She lifted her head as I approached, her beady red eyes dull.
    “I’m sorry, girl,” I said as I picked her up. “I hope you weren’t worried.”
    I stroked her thinning white fur and kissed her head before putting her back in the blanket. There would be time for apologizing later. I needed to change my clothes, pack my gear, and keep on moving.
    I wasn’t sure who owned the house. There weren’t any family photos on the walls. Clothing in the closet and dressers indicated a man and a woman. No kids. As I sorted through moth eaten sweaters, I wondered if the house was empty before the apocalypse.
    The jacket, jeans, and sweatshirts I found were a size too big, but it felt good to shed my damp, urine scented clothes.
    I rummaged through the pantry and found two cans of soup with pop-tops. It wouldn’t last me more than a day and a half. I hoped I’d find more once I had the chance to stop.
    I cleaned my brand wound with rubbing alcohol and cotton puffs. They didn’t have bandages big enough to cover it. I made one out of duct tape and gauze.
    I placed Pickle in the top of my pack and left the zipper open a few inches for better ventilation. Then I left.

    Chapter 3
     
    Even though it felt like acidic tapioca coming up my throat, I coughed up another ball of phlegm and spit it in its designated bucket. After a few seconds of relief, more throat snot worked its way up until I needed to repeat the process. By now the aroma must’ve been beyond vile, ranging into intolerable. If I could smell it, I would’ve been disgusted with myself.
    A thick fog hovered outside. I couldn’t see Monte Cristo or any of the buildings past it. I vaguely saw the Parks building that housed the student store straight across from me. Today would be a good day to scavenge if I wasn’t on the verge of death. For all I knew I had some form of the bubonic plague.
    Somewhere under the desk, Pickle moved around, making herself more comfortable in the tiny bed she’d created over the weeks we’d been there. I found it humorous she had a better setup than me. My bitter laugh was cut short as I involuntarily hacked out another yellow package.
    Everett Community College was supposed to be a pit stop where I could rest and fend off what I thought was a head cold. After walking for a half a day and reaching the main city of Everett, I began feeling lightheaded. My throat itched and my nose dripped. I needed to stop.
    Just like I’d thought the gas station would be a quick stop, this also ended up being a bigger ordeal than I bargained for.
    I wasn’t familiar with the town itself, but I was drawn to the campus because I’d taken some classes there years ago. I knew its layout. Remembering the names of different buildings was comforting. Knowing the land didn’t hurt either. Any advantage helped.
    The campus was a ghost town, which was one of the reasons I thought it would make a good rest area. I was still running on the assumption I was just getting sick. Mildly sick.
    I’d spend just a day there. That’s all.
    Then, after searching a few locked buildings, I walked across a sky bridge which led to the second floor of a three story building called Rainer. The heavy glass doors downstairs were shut and locked, so I didn’t have to deal with securing more than one entrance. The only thing I worried about was the door I came through, which I locked with a crowbar, in addition to its normal upper and lower locks and their manual bolts.
    On day one I searched the bottom story. Day two my cold turned into something nasty, and that was it. No more searching. I whimpered like a baby as my nose clogged and my throat got dry. I grew afraid there were