Trudge: Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse by Shawn Chesser

mouth. He pressed the SKS barrel to the top of her head and watched the thing gnaw on his boot. Careful to aim up and away from his toes, he pulled the trigger once. The little forehead absorbed the bullet and the rear of its skull blew off depositing chunks of brain on the ground. He used the smoking barrel of the SKS to pry the ghouls jaws open and extricate her teeth from his boot. A noticeable wet bite mark was left behind. Thank god for steel toed boots.
    Cade methodically fired his M4 across the hood of his truck; precise headshots dropped two of the undead tots next to their preschool van, three more fell at the trailhead.
    Ike and Leo had each attracted two of the undead kids and were anxiously playing keep away from them atop the picnic tables.
    Rawley painted the red laser beam on the two nearest to Ike, careful to avoid friendly fire he shot one round at each of their little skulls. One after the other they dropped to the grass. Blood leaked from the fatal head wounds and pooled around their bodies.
    Ike leapt over the little walker; she turned a clumsy pirouette while groping at thin air. A short sprint and Ike was in the Sequoia unscathed.
    Doing his best Walter Peyton impersonation, Leo hurdled over the zombies that were converging on him. He joined his brother in the Sequoia and slammed the door behind him.
    “Where the eff did those things come from?”
    “I don’t know Ike but even though mom and dad aren’t here, you still have to watch your mouth”
    “I said eff, not the actual word.”
    “You know what I mean little bro. I can’t believe we are arguing about some cursing when there are dead little kids walking around outside.”
    Leo made it clear he was the boss now. “Just don’t forget what they would expect from us now. If you do I will help you remember.”
    Cade was in the process of reloading his M4 when the rest of the walkers made him their target.
    Rawley started his truck, engaged the transmission, tromped the accelerator and aimed the truck at the group headed in Cade’s direction. Three of them disappeared underneath the front bumper, tiny limbs twisted askew before being brutally ejected out the back. Rawley wheeled around and drove over top of the little corpses once more for good measure.
    Cade finished reloading and started walking toward the vehicles. The tiny bodies strewn about the parking lot made for a grotesque obstacle course to negotiate.
    “Thanks Rawley, those little ones sure do scoot don’t they?” Cade said as he stepped over a mangled four year old. “Were even now right?”
    “You bet buddy. I would be still holed up in my house…or something’s dinner if it weren’t for your help this morning. I am forever grateful.”

 
     
    Chapter 22
    Day 2 Carolina Shores, South Carolina
     
     
    Carl threaded the Escalade through the remaining undead that roamed the Albertsons parking lot and then turned northeast on US Route 17.
    Fort Bragg, North Carolina was roughly 150 miles away if they went via the large main thoroughfares. He decided to circumvent the populated ocean front by staying on back roads and then cross into North Carolina on one of the rural routes that were less likely to be blocked by the Carolina National Guard.
    Raven was sitting up and taking in the scenery along Frontage Road. There were still pockets of undead but their numbers diminished the farther they traveled away from Myrtle Beach.
    Carl swerved the SUV around the larger groups of undead but couldn’t resist giving the lone walkers “love taps” with the Escalade. Every thump of Cadillac and zombie colliding provided Carl a little satisfaction. After seeing the little car high centered with the occupants surrounded by the undead horde, Carl did his best to avoid running over any zombies lest they befall the same fate. Even though the Cadillac was much bigger and had more ground clearance, if enough of them went underneath and got stuck he would be forced to stop and clear them out.