Читать книгу Respect the Dead - Shawn McLain - Страница 18

Beth realized she had been staring at the first three words at the beginning of the new chapter for about ten minutes. “This is ridiculous!” She thought slamming the book shut. “Everything is going to be fine! This is no different from Swine Flu, West Nile, SARS and all those other Epidemics or Pandemics or whatever. This is America we don’t die from that kind of stuff.” Beth told herself fighting the thoughts of death.

Giving up on reading she lay on her bed staring at the cover. A smile crossed her face as the words she had just thought met her ears from the TV in the other room. “Damn right.” She breathed. Reopening the book she found her place. It was at the beginning of the chapter. Five minutes later she had made it half a paragraph in.

“Errgh!” Roughly stuffing a book mark between the pages she slammed the book shut. IN frustration she sat up exclaiming to the stuffed rabbit beside her. “I’ve had enough of this. I’m going over there and settle this. His Stepdad is sick but he’ll be fine. Just like when Dad and Steve get sick. They are men." She grabbed the bunny by the shoulders staring it right in the eyes. "They act tough until they get the sniffles then they need all the help they can get. We’ll load him up and head out of town until this all settles down.”

She dropped the bunny when she got up. She grabbed her backpack off the floor slipped the book inside. "Hey Dad, I’m going to walk over to Wes’s and hang out for a little bit.” She yelled down the hall. She threw on her jacket and about to grab the backpack.

“I really don’t want….” the crash of shattering glass interrupted her father's response. “Who the hell are you?” Her father yelled. “Get the hell out of my house!”

Beth ran into the living room. Her sneakers skidded to a halt at the entry. She stood frozen as thhe scene before her eyes was impossible. Two men, covered in blood, were wrestling with her father. A woman stumbled through the shattered sliding glass door after them. Her bare feet crunched and cracked the broken glass. It was their neighbor Mrs. McGee, but there was something very wrong. Her face was torn and bloody, her arm had a piece missing and blood oozed from her cut feet with each step. She walked slowly, seemingly unaware of any of her injuries. The commotion of the struggle caught her attention. She turned. The bloodied woman shuffled quickly towards Beth’s father to join the others in the attack.

“Beth! Run! Get out! Get out!” Her father screamed. One of his attackers bit him in the face. Mr. McDaniel threw the man off. The body crashed onto the coffee table sending broken wood splintering across the room. Beth screamed. She took a step toward her father. He turned, pointed behind her. “BETH RUN!” He screamed with ferocity.

Mrs. McGee turned her grey eyes on Beth lunging at her. The woman who had once been her baby sitter, the woman who never missed Beth’s birthday, waved at her as she left each morning, was now coming at her with teeth bared. Her face was a mask of anger and hunger.

Mrs. McGee raised her arms reaching out for Beth. As the limbs came up her left arm cracked at the elbow. Beth cried out as Ms. McGee's forearm fell free of her shirt to the floor. Beth was pressed against the wall Beth. She saw past the approaching woman to her father. The man who had been thrown on the coffee table had a large chunk of wood sticking out of his shoulder. He leaned in and sunk his teeth into Mr. McDaniel’s throat. ;“Beth…Gooooo ARRRGG.” Blood sprayed the white living room wall. It looked like the two men were ripping him apart even as he fought them.

If it wasn't for Mrs. McGee’s fingers pulling at Beth’s hair she would have stood there watching the horror. Her heart pounding in terror Beth ran for the front door. She heard more glass breaking. Her head turned to the sound. In Steve's room she saw a girl from down the block trying to getting through the window. This girl was also covered in blood. Beth's shaking fingers fumbled with the dead bolt. It clicked free. Beth threw open the door to immediately freeze at the scene from war movie before her eyes.

Cars screamed down the street, people were running from their homes. Some people stumbled about bleeding. Across the street there were three people crouched over a fourth who was still clawing to get away. It looked as though they were trying to eat him. Their hands, covered in blood seemed to be pulling bits of him to their mouths.

Beth was pulled off balance as the shoulder strap of her back pack tightened. She didn't even remember throwing it over her shoulder. Beth stumbled into the door frame. Spinning around she saw Mrs. McGee lose her grip. Reality hit her hard in the face. Beth let out a scream. She shot ran from the door the backpack now swinging from her arm. Out in the yard she looked left and right and had no idea where to run.

A car tore around the corner. It sped straight toward her. It was coming fast as it jumped the curb and went into a skid sliding on the grass. The tires threw mud and grass into the air. Beth's feet slipped and slide as she stumbled backward, terrified of being hit yet not want to back to close to the house. The well manicured lawn was shredded as the station wagon skidded to a halt right in front of her. The passenger side door flew open.

“Get in! Beth McDaniel! Get! In! The! Car!”

Beth took a step cautiously. A howl from behind her snapped Beth out of her shock, she jumped in slamming the door. Immediately she was thrown back against the seat. The car accelerated for a moment. She was thrown forward as the vehicle suddenly stopped. More dirt and grass flew in the air as the tires clawed at the lawn trying to get traction. Beth urging the car forward as Mrs. McGee slowly approached.

The woman’s face smacked against the window, Beth yelped jumping away knocking into the driver who barely noticed. The front tires bit into the concert of the driveway Beth was again thrown back in her seat. The car lurched forward as it squealed back onto the street, leaving a muddy blood streak on the window from Mrs. McGee’s hand.

Beth watched her former neighbor grow smaller in the side view mirror as they sped away. Turning from the mirror to the window she watched the road as cars and people flew by. She looked down at her lap. She played with the clasp of backpack. Realizing she was in a speeding car she looked over at the driver.

“Mr. Reager?” She stuttered in shock.

“Are you hurt? Did they bite you?” He asked frantically.

“No…… Oh god noo, Dad!” She turned in her seat looking out the back window. She couldn’t see her house. All she saw was a chaotic street and an empty backseat.

“Where is Denny?” She asked turning back to the front. Mr. Reager didn’t say anything as he hurled the car down the road missing an oncoming truck by inches.

“Dead” he finally replied. He turned the car toward downtown and the road to the highway.