Run from the dead book 2.., p.1
Run from the Dead: Book 2: A Zombie Apocalypse, page 1
Run from the Dead
Book 2
Joanne Nundy
Copyright © 2021 Joanne Nundy
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by: Joanne Nundy
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Epilogue
Books By This Author
A Note from the author
Prologue
The tunnel attached to the dockside and ferry bounced and sagged like a rickety bridge, swaying and juddering as thousands of feet stampeded through it. Screams rang out through the corridor, amplified by the enclosed space. Growls entered the air from the back of the tunnel, accompanied by the smell of death and bodily fluids. Aaron clutched his wife’s hand for dear life, heaving air into his lungs, almost tasting the blood he could certainly smell. The terrified wails of different passengers echoed along the white walls of the passageway that were no longer white. Arcs of blood covered everything, stretching all the way to the ceiling.
“Help me, please!”
“Help!”
“My child, where is she?”
People pushed and shoved to escape the horrors erupting behind them. The sound of children’s cries tore at Aaron’s heart.
“KELLY! Stay with me,” said Aaron.
Kelly let her husband drag her along through the panicking people, where all sanity and decency had departed. Aaron noticed Kelly had choked back a sob. She didn’t want to leave anyone behind. She didn’t want to leave children behind. And neither did he.
“Mummyyy!” a young child cried out somewhere in the chaos. The young screams became louder, then pierced the air with pain and fear.
“Come on, Kelly, keep moving!”
Aaron hoped Kelly would only watch his back instead of the horrors all around them. She just needed to focus on his blue shirt and keep her eyes away from everything else. How can we leave crying children? He closed his eyes for a second. The smells and sounds only grew stronger. How can I help when we’re running for our lives as well?
“Watch out!”
Aaron jolted to a stop, clutching Kelly’s hand tighter as two writhing men fell into their path. Aaron darted to the side, then clambered over a prone body. Kelly looked at the person on the ground. She had paused not wanting to step over them. Aaron yanked at her arm, making her move again.
Kelly gasped as her foot slid on the blood pooling around the body; it was steadily pumping from the gash in the man’s throat. Aaron used his arm to steady her as she looked back at the trail of grisly footprints she left in her wake. I wish she’d stop looking at everything.
“Move, Kelly!”
She did when Aaron dragged her. Too much was happening at once. A gargled scream cut off abruptly from behind. A shouting man engulfed with rage yelled something incoherent. An old lady’s voice asking for help tortured Aaron. He gritted his teeth and tried to block it all out. He didn’t look back. He ran with his wife out into the daylight at the end of the tunnel.
Aaron raced along the tarmac, still pulling at his wife’s arm. They dodged around bodies littering the ground and those still trying to flee. The panic rose through the air as people darted about, trying to escape the carnage. More desperate pleas of help accompanied the screams that were a constant.
Aaron almost tripped over the leg of a man whose body was hidden behind another. Snarling and gurgling, followed by the sound of ripping flesh as the leg jerked, then stilled. He pulled Kelly forwards, away from the horror show.
Aaron squinted through the sun's glare, trying to make out a path through the chaotic surroundings of living and dead. He slowed, halted by a new scene before him. A woman kneeling with the body of a small child across her lap. The boy's blank stare and bloodied throat told Aaron that the boy was gone.
“Please help us! I’m begging you, please,” said the woman with her hair draped over a tear-streaked face. She clung on to her child, who lay limp in her arms with blood soaking his once white T-shirt.
Aaron slowed to a walk and panted out heavy breaths. He couldn’t take his eyes off the blood-covered pair. Kelly pressed herself against him. Her face reflected the horror and sorrow he himself was feeling. Tears coursed down her cheeks.
“Lady, I’m so sorry, but it looks like he’s gone. Come with us, you’ve gotta move or you’ll die too,” said Aaron.
Kelly screamed out and shoved into Aaron’s back, clawing at his shirt.
Aaron spun around at the same time a middle-aged woman reached out for Kelly. He pushed his wife out of the way and grabbed at the attacker. Blood covered her face and skin was missing from her forearm, making it difficult for Aaron to battle her. He had gripped her skinless arm, but couldn’t find any purchase on it, allowing the changed human the advantage.
Aaron tried to shove her away, but she kept on coming, teeth gnashing together like she expected to lock on to him any second now. Aaron kicked out at her knees with a crunch, making her drop to the ground, but she kept on coming. They’re relentless. All it did was make it more awkward to fight her off.
Aaron’s hand slipped on the bloodied arm, and the thing lunged for his leg. The weather report predicted a hot day, so Aaron had opted for a pair of grey shorts. Something he now regretted with all of his heart.
Her teeth sunk into the side of his shinbone and sent a jolt of pain straight up into Aaron’s brain.
“Aargh! Fuck!” Aaron yelled.
He let go of both of her arms and struck out with his other foot towards the female attacker’s head. He kicked four times before dislodging the deranged woman, then kicked out at her face again and again. She was flung onto her back, so Aaron ran over to her and stomped down hard with the heel of his foot. The crunching bone had him swallowing to stop himself from being sick. Or am I still horrified by being eaten alive?
Kelly ran to him and clutched his arm. “Aaron, oh my God. Oh my God, are you ok? She bit you, she bit you!”
“Calm down, Kelly, you’re freaking out. We’ve gotta get out of here.” Aaron looked over to where the crying mother had been sitting on the ground, but there was no sign of her or her child now. “Come on, we need to find a car or something.”
They hurried along the vast expanse of the dock and came to several cars all lined up. There were people in some of them, trying to turn around but penned in by the other cars behind them. People were running amongst the vehicles, weaving between the hunks of metal.
The sound of a horn rang out nearby, as well as crashing and crunching noises. People ran around in a crazed hysteria, either chasing or being chased. Fights broke out, people cried and yelled, and the unfortunate souls that couldn’t run fast enough were torn limb from limb. It was bedlam, complete carnage up and down the dock. A beast that was once human flew through the air straight in front of them and landed on a teenager running alongside his parents. The parents screamed and began attacking the deranged individual.
Aaron and Kelly came to a car with its driver-side door open and the boot lid open too. When they drew alongside it, Aaron discovered it empty but the keys still hung from the ignition. We needed a bit of luck if we’re to survive this. The front bumper looked to have taken a hit, but apart from that, it looked like it could be their escape from this hellhole.
“Kelly, get in here, quick.”
He made her get into the driver’s side, then ran around to join her in the passenger side. They slammed their doors in unison and Kelly twisted the ignition, bringing the car to life. It looked like a taxi inside, with its technology attached to the windscreen.
“Drive, Kelly!”
Kelly swiped at her eyes as she propelled the car forwards, then pulled the steering wheel to the right. There were so many people, she struggled to get through hitting no one.
She jerked at the steering wheel and the pedals, shunting the car forwards in a jumping motion. One of the deranged flung themselves at the windscreen, cracking it with the thud. It growled at them through the cracked glass and slammed its fists against it. It had a massive hole in its neck with thick, dark blood oozing from it in long droplets. Skin flapped away from the wound, exposing the collarbone and pinkish flesh. As gruesome as this
was, it was its face that you couldn’t tear your eyes away from. Bared teeth through a face covered in more blood and eyes that screamed of hatred.
“Aargh!” screamed Kelly.
“Just drive, go, go, go!” said Aaron.
Kelly rammed her foot onto the accelerator and forced the car forwards at the beast. Most of its body was already on the bonnet, so it didn’t move when the car did. Kelly swerved the car left and right, but the thing clung on to the windscreen wiper.
Thuds and bangs resounded as the dead things struck the car, but it was hard to tell what was happening because the undead body impaired their vision through the windscreen.
“Speed up,” said Aaron.
Kelly followed his instruction, then slammed on the brakes when he screamed at her to. The beast sailed through the air and tumbled along the concrete ground, rolling over and over directly in front of the vehicle.
“Now, go!” he shouted.
Kelly hit the accelerator once again and drove straight for the thing. The car bumped up, sending them both bouncing out of their seats when it hit the once human thing on the ground. They levelled out again, and Aaron looked behind them, watching the mayhem recede into the distance.
Aaron looked over at his wife to see her breathing stuttered.
“It’s ok, Kelly, I think we got away from it all.”
“But, but… what the hell just happened back there? One minute we’re walking through the lobby, then the next there’s people screaming from the down below corridors. I don’t understand what just happened.” She shook her head whilst keeping her eyes on the road they were using to leave the dock. Aaron watched her before answering, because he needed to compose himself first.
“I think people were getting attacked, bitten, then turned into those things themselves,” he said.
Kelly’s head spun towards him. “But, you got bitten.”
“Yeah, I know, honey. And the damn thing won’t stop bleeding.”
“Aaron, I got bit too.” Kelly looked straight ahead as she spoke, holding out her forearm, showing teeth marks and a slower stream of blood.
“Fuck…” Aaron slumped in his seat and closed his eyes before saying. “Then let’s go home.”
Chapter 1
“Marcus, your breakfast is ready. Put the laptop away,” said Judy as she shuffled across from the kitchen side of the room, into the dining area.
Marcus looked up to see his mum hobbling to the table with his full fry up. His chair scraped against the tile floor as he went to help her.
“Mum, you should’ve just said it was ready, and I’d have come and got it. It’s bad enough you insist on cooking the whole damn thing for me,” said Marcus, taking the warm plate and setting it down on the table. His mouth was watering; the aroma of frying bacon and sausage had been tantalising Marcus for the last ten minutes, and he couldn’t wait to tuck in. He could already taste the beans and eggs on chunky white toast.
“I am more than capable of cooking, thank you very much, Marcus. Are you trying to take everything away from me nowadays?”
Marcus towered over his mum—he had since he was thirteen years old—but she could still put him in his place with ease. A hard as stone glare was all it took from the little red-headed woman.
Marcus grinned, then nodded back at his mum. “Fair enough.”
“Now, put your laptop away like I told you to.”
Marcus let the lid tap shut as he closed it, emphasising it was now away. Work was never far from his mind, even on a Saturday morning. And now he was no longer in Sweden, it was more important than ever he stay on top of things. Fortunately, his employers were global and more than happy for him to move back to Yorkshire. The need for civil engineering was worldwide and always would be.
Marcus picked up the first sausage in his large fingers and took a huge bite. He groaned at the deliciousness he now pushed around his mouth.
“Marcus, did I raise you like that?” asked Judy.
“Sorry, Mum. I guess I’ve been too used to not being around you.” He chuckled. He had lived and worked in Sweden for the last three years. Only returning after the breakdown of his relationship and his Mum’s physical health. Marcus looked across the table at his mum, who was now boring into his soul with her light-blue eyes. He lifted the fork from the table and speared a large piece of bacon, trying not to make eye contact to avoid the upcoming lecture.
“All work and no play, Marcus,” said Judy, her tone becoming more serious.
His mum didn’t need to finish the saying. Several people had used the same phrase on him many times over the years, including his mum. He raised his eyebrows at her, then turned his concentration to the plate in front of him, choosing not to respond.
“Is it really over between you two? Can’t you give Klara a call at least?” asked Judy.
Marcus shook his head, then sighed before saying, “No, Mum, it’s over. There’s no going back. I’m here to stay in the UK. As soon as I find a house in Leeds, I’ll be out of your hair, but I can still be here quite often—much more than if I was still in Sweden.”
“I told you not to worry about me. Anna’s here in Hull, and I see her every week. You didn’t have to factor me in at all.”
“It’s time for me to come back to the UK whether or not you need me to. Sweden was good while it lasted, but I longed to be here. This is home for me. Klara and I hadn’t been doing too well for quite a while. She wanted things I didn’t, and that was never going to change.”
“Why are you so sure you don’t want children? A family and a life away from work?”
“Mum, it’s not for me. Alexandra and Jasper mean the world to me, and that is all I need. I love my work and my life as it is. I have no intention of changing anything at all. I need to do what’s right for me.” And you, of course, but I’ll never tell you that because you wouldn’t allow it.
“Having a niece and nephew that you barely see isn't the same as having a family of your own.”
Judy sighed and picked up her own fork, signalling the conversation was over, but only for now. Marcus’s mother could be like a pit bull when she got hold of something. He would take the small reprieve anyway and enjoy the plateful of food he had missed when he lived abroad. His mum knew exactly how to feed him up for sure.
***
Judy enjoyed watching her son mop the plate clean with a slice of bread, feeling a smile push up her cheeks. Satisfaction spread through her as he leant back in his chair and sighed. It was an enormous meal, but he was a big man and he could take it, at least for the short time he would be living here, anyway. The last two weeks had been wonderful having her son with her again, but she did wish he’d find a way to make a relationship last. She wasn’t going to be around forever, and Anna and the kids had their own lives. I’ll make him see that a proper life has people in it. I don’t have much time, either.
“Mum, you’re staring again.” Marcus didn’t look up from his laptop, which he’d pulled onto the dining table, pushing his plate towards the middle.
“Well, I was wondering when you ever put that laptop away. And if it’s not the laptop, then it’s your phone. There’s more to life than work, Marcus.”
“I know that, Mum, but fortunately for me, I love my work.”
Judy chose not to respond this time. She was good at chipping away over time. Slow and steady wins the race. No use going at him with a sledgehammer. Judy stood from the table and cleared the plates away.
“Mum, let me.”
“No, it keeps me busy, and it’s good for me. Leave me be.”
Marcus held up his hands in surrender, so Judy continued doing what made her happy, looking after her son and her home. She didn’t have much, but certainly had more than some people. She loved everything she had: Marcus, Anna, Alex and Jasper, and her little home.
“I’m going to pop to the shop for the paper. Do you need anything?” asked Marcus.
“I’ll have a packet of mints, please, son.”
“Ok, I’ll be back soon.”
She cleared the plates off the floral tablecloth, checking to see if it needed washing yet, then carried the pots over to the sink and set to work. The washing up liquid scent always brought back memories of washing the pots with her grandmother all those years ago. It was the reason she still bought the original scent instead of the new fancy ones.
