The Zombie Virus (Book 1) by Paul Hetzer Page A

Holly leaned over and kissed me
on the cheek then opened her door and got out. Jeremy was also out
and scouting the area around the stalled cars. Good boy, I thought
to myself. I got out of the truck, leaving the door open in case I
needed to get back inside in a hurry.
    I walked at a low crouch up the bridge close
to the barrier wall scanning around me past the barrel of the
rifle. I could see some of the homes along the river but no
movement. I reached the top of the bridge and immediately saw why
the cars were backed up and abandoned going into Port Royal. Past
the foot of the bridge a small pickup had lost control and crossed
the center line, striking a tanker truck head on. There had been a
large fire spreading to cars on both sides of the accident. It
looked like there would be room to barely get our truck around the
burned twisted hulks.
    I heard another gunshot and this time zeroed
in on the direction. Off of the northbound lanes a hundred yards
past the bridge was a small red brick building that looked like it
had been a bar or diner at one time. A mob of infected were
swarming around the building trying to get inside. The shots were
coming from a broken window in the front.
    A Loony’s head exploded in a puff of red and
it dropped back from the window it was attempting to crawl through.
Someone was inside with a shotgun. I counted twenty-eight of the
infected around the building with more moving in from down the
road. Whoever was inside wasn’t going to be able to hold out
against that horde for long. I backed up quickly, crouched low so
as not to be spotted by any of the Loonies. When I was out of sight
of the building I ran the rest of the way to the truck.

    “I heard the other shot. Did you see where it
came from?” Holly asked as I approached.
    “There’s someone holed up in a building at
the base of the bridge. They’re being besieged by a mass of the
infected.”
    “Oh God,” Holly uttered quietly “We have to
help them.”
    “Yeah and soon.”
    Jeremy had come up beside us. “Well, let’s
go, Papa. I’m ready.”
    I smiled down at him. “I know you are,” I
replied, kneeling down and grasping his shoulder with my free hand,
“but I need you to stay here and guard the truck.”
    His face dropped.
    “Son, Mom and I and whoever is down there
will be coming back up here pretty fast and we don’t need any
surprises waiting for us here.” I looked him directly in the eyes.
“Can I count on you to defend this truck so we’ll be safe when we
get back?”
    He smiled. “You can count on me, Papa. I
won’t let any of those things near it.”
    I smiled back at him. “Good. Make sure of
your target and what’s behind it before you shoot at anything.” I
stood up.
    He nodded his head in acknowledgment. “I know
that, Papa.”
    “Do you have enough mags, Holly?”
    “Six,” she stated, patting the vest pockets
holding the 30 rounder’s with her palm, “plus two for the Para and
one for the Beretta.”
    “Okay, let’s do this.” I turned back to
Jeremy. “We won’t be long,” I told him.
    Two more shots reverberated through the
air.
    “Remember,” I said, looking seriously at them
both, “these things aren’t human anymore. Don’t hesitate to shoot.
They will kill you if you give them the chance.”
    I kissed Holly on the lips. “Be careful and
don’t get close to them. Kill as many as you can. CNS shots,” I
said, referring to the central nervous system which, when delivered
a traumatic injury, will usually drop a person in their tracks.
    We started walking up the span. “If it gets
too hot, we get out of there and we’ll figure something else out.
Don’t put yourself in any more danger than we’re already in.”
    “I won’t,” Holly said. “Don’t you go playing
hero either!”

    We cautiously worked our way down the slope
of the bridge, sliding over the concrete center barrier into the
southbound lanes which enabled us to use it and the burned vehicles
for