Less Than Human by Tim Meyer Page A

saw the boy scramble to his feet, wounded, but still motivated by the hunger raging inside his belly. In that moment, Ben thought of throwing the car in reverse, running the little fucker over, making sure the tires crushed his skull in the process. Instead, Ben thought of Jake, wondering if the zombie had a father looking for him, and how he'd feel if he reached Pittsburgh and found his son in the middle of the street with tire marks over what was left of his cranium.
    Ben decided not to put the car in reverse. Alternatively, he circled the lot, honking his horn, warning Josh to hurry up. They had overstayed their welcome.
     
    “ D on't!” Josh said, but it was too late. Emily had opened the door, letting Jessica in. The recently-reanimated corpse lunged forward, mouth open, disease-coated saliva dangling from her blood-muddied lips. Emily screamed as Jessica tackled her, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Josh and Victoria rushed to Emily's side, but Jessica was quicker. Snarling bestially, she mounted Emily, bearing her tiny, yet incredibly dangerous teeth.
    Shoulder first, Josh rushed forward, colliding with the infected girl scout. He dislodged her from her prey, and Jessica fell to the floor. While the dead girl scout struggled to regain her footing, Victoria escorted her daughter away from the immediate danger.
    Josh hopped to his feet and saw Jessica had already risen to her own. The little bitch growled, crouching like a sumo wrestler waiting for the round to start. Josh backed away cautiously. Jessica followed him like a cat waiting for the precise moment to pounce.
    “ Still want to stick around?” Josh asked.
    Their silence answered for them.
    Before Jessica had the chance to fling herself at Josh, a deafening boom made their hearts dive unexpectedly. Jessica's head suddenly exploded into a million pieces, sending bits of brain matter airborne in a spray of red mist, splattering the oak paneling behind her. Her head had popped like an overfilled water balloon. Gore slowly ran down the walls.
    Ranger Steve held his shotgun, tendrils of smoke wafting from the end of the barrel. He shivered as if he had wandered into the winter weather, wet and unclothed. “Oh, God,” he muttered, then scurried behind the receptionist's desk, reaching the wastebasket in time.
    The gurgling sounds of Ranger Steve vomiting was interrupted by the shrill shriek of a girl scout who had nearly been eaten by her friend.
    Josh glanced at Emily. She pointed toward the sliding-glass door, mouth agape, unblinking. He turned to see what had caused her outburst.
    “Ho. Lee. Shit,” Josh said.
    At least thirty zombies were rapidly approaching the open doorway. Evidence that they had already eaten was painted around their mouths, yet their stomachs still growled in harmony. 
     
    “ C ome on!” Ben shouted. He continued circling the parking lot, wasting the gasoline he had just pilfered from people he would never come to know. He had a trail of dead folks in tow, their numbers growing with each lap. At least twenty of them followed Ben lazily, swaying drunkenly and gnashing their teeth together. Some of them approached head on. Ben avoided them by swerving around them. He knew he couldn't keep it up for long. Only a matter of time before a runner, or a really motivated zombie came to the front of the pack. The boy he thought about crushing was no longer a threat; he had broken his ankle during the fall, only able to crawl.  
    The internal clock in Ben's head rapidly approached zero.
     
    T he honking continued.
    “ Who the hell is that?” Victoria asked, yelling over the groaning horde, as they pounded on the glass door.
    Josh had been lucky enough to shut it before the pack of killing machines reached the doorway. He knew it would only buy them a few minutes. Had there been a runner in the pack, he probably wouldn't have made it in time. Josh watched with fascination as they hammered the door with their bloody fists, leaving