Colony Z: The Complete Collection (Vols. 1-4) by Luke Shephard Page A

one.
                 
    “Someone, please, help us!” He cried. But no one came.
                 
    Owen knew now that Eric had been right. They should never have come into the woods tonight. And now they would all perish…perish because of him. Because he was a terrible leader.
                 
    Because he had no right to tell them what to do. Maybe the island wasn’t a good plan either. Maybe everything Owen had ever thought was a lie.
                 
    But it didn’t matter now, as he ran on and on through the woods, the zombies at his heels. Another zombie-myth busted. The devils sure could run when they wanted something. And they wanted the three humans that now ran in front of them. Oh, they wanted them badly.
                 
    “Someone! Anyone! Hannah, James, Eric, someone help!”
                 
    Owen didn’t even hear himself yelling now. He was running out of breath. He would fall from exhaustion soon enough, and they would have them. Have them all.
                 
    They were within range to reach out a grab him. And, finally, one did. The tug sent the unbalanced Owen tumbling to the ground. He pushed his children out of the way so he wouldn’t land on them and hurt them. Thankfully, neither was harmed.
                 
    But they were on top of them. They would have them now, fall or not.
                 
    Suddenly, the shots went off. The creatures began to fall one by one. First, the three above Owen. Next, the two above Michael. And then, the biggest one over Judith Marie was hit.
                 
    But this one did not fall.
                 
    The gun pulled. The gun clicked. Nothing came out again. The shooter had run out of ammunition.
                 
    The zombie reached its head down, opened its mouth, and bit down on the three-year-old’s arm. She screamed in pain and flailed around, trying to get away. Owen stood and ran at the creature, howling. He tackled it and they went flying together. When they landed, Owen took his knife out of its sheath and stabbed it over and over and over.
                 
    Michael, who watched the horror unfold in front of his eyes, thought his father would never stop. The blood and gore from the dead’s body was soaking his father’s shirt. But he didn’t seem to care.
                 
    “Daddy?” Michael said quietly. “Daddy?”
     
    Still nothing.
                 
    “OWEN!”
                 
    Owen snapped out of his trance at the sound of his Eric’s voice. He ran to Judith Marie and bent down next to the unconscious girl.
                 
    “No, no, no…” He kept whispering over and over.
                 
    Owen took his shirt off, ripped it, and wrapped it around his daughter’s arm. Tears streamed down his face. She was alive, yes. But she had been bitten. And bitten badly. At her age…at her size…it wouldn’t take long…
                 
    No. He couldn’t even think it. She would be fine. She would live.
                 
    She had to live.
                 
    Owen pulled her into his arms and stood. Michael was shivering. Eric walked to him and scooped the poor boy up. He had been through a lot that night. It was time he got some rest.
                 
    “How badly was she bitten, Owen?” Eric asked softly, gingerly.
                 
    Owen could not answer. He could only look at Eric with the most vulnerable, heart-wrenching face any man could use to look at another man. Eric knew. It was bad. Very bad.
                 
    This was when Hannah and the rest of the clan arrived from their search party. At first, Hannah screamed of joy when she saw Michael. But her face went from happiness to terror in a matter of seconds when she saw her daughter lying unconscious in her father’s arms