Wake Up Dead - an Undead Anthology Read Online Free Page A

proactive in saving my life. You might want to give it a try,” Clare said harsher than she intended.
    Other people stepped forward and broke windows, while some gathered large items and worked together to toss them out to create some sort of barricade between the zombies and the large delivery doors.
    Clare was about to move to another window when Frank stopped her. Looking at him, she noticed he wasn’t looking at her with disdain, she thought there might even be some respect. A second later he glanced away, his face blank once more.
    He held a half-empty bottle of vodka with a rag wedged in the top of it. He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit it. Waiting a few seconds he finally tossed it out the window. Everybody crowded the window, wanting to see what happened when the cannibalistic monsters were lit up.
    The bottle cracked open on top of one of the zombies heads. The fire spread to several surrounding it, and then within moments at least a dozen were on fire.
    The smell of burning flesh horrid, but what was truly eerie about the sight was how they kept moving around, trying to break in. The fact they were on fire and slowly melting until they were nothing but smoking piles of charred remains, went ignored. Clare noticed they still moved their ashen bodies if the head was intact.
    Perhaps fifteen of the zombies were lamed, but fifty remained and the number was going up as they poured into the yard. The scent of the survivors was drawing them in.
    Clare watched in horror as the new arrivals feasted on the bodies of the burned ones. Others broke off into packs and took down some of the weaker ones ripping them apart, eating greedily.
    They needed to move the dumpster to block the hole, and take out the ones in the loading area before they could consider themselves safe, even if it was only for a little while.
    How was she supposed to protect her wife in this situation? The others went back to dropping items, and Frank went back to sharpening his knife. Clare went to Dana.
    “Hey you, how are you feeling?”
    “How bad is it?” Clare squatted next to Dana and brushed some hair out of her eyes, she noticed she was sweating.
    “Not too bad, we can handle it. Are you okay?” Clare started to panic, did Dana get bit?
    “Good, do you want the good news or the bad news then?” Clare didn’t want either.
    “Can it wait?”
    “Nope,” Dana exhaled loudly.
    Clare watched as a flash of pain crossed Dana's face.
    “What is it? Is it the baby?” Dana reached out and grabbed Clare’s hand as she let out a pained scream.
    “Yeah, she’s ready to come out.”
    “Okay, is that the good news or bad news?” Clare asked in a panic.
    Dana gave her a dirty look.
    “Right, that’s the good news, of course it is. So the bad news is?”
    “Unless your psychology training included a class on birthing a baby during a zombie apocalypse, I think we have a problem.”
    “I skipped that day.” Dana squeezed her hand once again followed by an agonized grunt.
    “Funny…” Dana’s breath was short and labored.
    “Trust me honey, let’s get you comfortable, then I’ll find someone who can help.”
    Clare began to manoeuvre Dana.
    Standing, she yelled. “Is anyone here a doctor? If not I’ll settle for a veterinarian, anyone who has been through the birth of a child, or seen a video.”
    The warehouse went silent, enough of an answer for her.
    “ Okay, I can do this,” she thought to herself.
    Clare kneeled next to Dana.
    “I need to boil some water, get some newspapers, something sharp to cut the cord...”
    Dana looked at Clare with a raised eyebrow. “Really, that’s your plan?”
    “Yes, it’ll work. I saw it on a television show. I’ll be right back.”
    Looking around she found some newspapers, and nothing else. With no way to boil water she could think of, bottled water at room temperature would have to work. As for the umbilical cord, she would chew through it if need be. For God’s sake women had