The Saga Of Tom Stinson (Book 1): Summer School Zombocalypse by Eric Johnson Page A

out the bottom of the gun. He learned that on this gun the lever wasn’t the safety. Picking up the magazine and seeing that it was full he inserted it into the gun.
    Anidea lost control of her bladder, a zombie stood in the doorway. “Don’t let me die.”
    Tom aimed and squeezed the trigger. The gun didn’t fire, and the zombie latched on to Anidea, pulling her in for a bite. Winston and Emmett hammered on the zombie's arms, trying to free her.
    He had fallen for the old movie trick. This time he pressed the right lever, turning the safety off. Striding up to the zombie he put the pistol to its head and pulled the trigger. A spray of purple and green spattered against the wall. Everyone’s ears rang, and the zombie fell back and slid to the floor convulsing.
    “ Let’s go,” Tom said.
    Anidea grimaced and wiped zombie goo from her face. In the hall, Tom rounded the banister and kicked the zombie at the top of the stairs, sending it tumbling down and crashing into the others that were behind it. The zombies lay in a pile at the bottom.
    They clambered down the stairs and jumped over the fallen zombies.
    Anidea grabbed her backpack off the coat rack and closed the door as they rushed out. She called to Tom, “Where are we going?”
    “ Follow me,” Tom ordered and led them down the street away from Anidea’s house. “I don’t know, and I don’t care where we go. We need a safe place.”
    “ Don’t run so fast, Tom,” Emmett said.
    “ Yeah, Tom,” Anidea said. “If you paid attention, you could see the zombies are slow. We just can’t get cornered.”
    “ Thank rotting flesh and rigor mortis,” Emmett said.
    Tom zigzagged down the street ahead of Anidea and the twins, moving from car to car. He pulled on door handles, hoping to find one unlocked.
    “ Don’t waste your time with the cars,” Anidea said.
    “ A car will get us away faster than on foot. Winston, Emmett, search the bumpers and wheel wells for keys, Anidea, get the glove boxes and check under the floor mats.”
    “ People just don’t leave keys in their cars,” Anidea said.
    “ We can’t run forever,” Emmett said as he ran his hand along a wheel well.
    “ Yes, they do,” Tom said.
    Emmett screeched and pulled his hand out from inside a wheel well, blood running down it. “You said you didn't want to drive again.”
    “ I don’t,” Tom replied. “But I don’t want to run more.”
    At the end of the block Tom found an unlocked car with the keys in the ignition. He got in, slid the seat as far forward as it would go and pumped the brakes. They seemed to work. He turned the key and revved the engine. “This one. Get in,” he ordered.
    Emmett and Winston squeezed past Tom into the back seat and buckled in. Anidea ran around to the passenger’s side and got in.
    Tom gripped the steering wheel and stared into the rear view mirror. A furrow ran across his forehead and he frowned.
    Anidea wrinkled her nose. “Aren’t we going?”
    Tom turned to Anidea and then to the twins. A level of seriousness that they had not seen before came across his face. He knew what they were going to do. “We’re going to my Dad’s work to find him. We’ll be safe there.”
    He shifted the car into drive and pulled away.
    “ We’re what?” Anidea said, “I thought we were going to drive out of town to somewhere safe, with people.”
    A desperate shout came from up the street. “Wait,” Anidea said.
    “ Who’s that?” Emmett said.
    Someone waved his arms in the air. Tom stopped the car and checked in the rear view mirror to see how close their pursuers were.
    “ That’s Jerrell Jules,” Anidea said.
    “ He looks like he has been through hell,” Winston said.
    Jerrell begged as he ran up to the driver’s side window,
    “ Please, please take me with you.”
    Tom stopped and rolled down the window.
    “ Hey Tommy, I knew you would make it.”
    “ I should leave you here,” Tom scowled. “This one. Get in, we’re going