Brian Keene by Dead Sea

Author:Dead Sea
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-08-17T10:13:28+00:00

We should have smelled them first, but the breeze was blowing toward the shore. We saw them soon enough, though. Lined up along the ship's port side rail with several pairs of binoculars that we'd taken from the ship's displays, we stared in horror and disgust. The summer heat and exposure to direct sunlight and the elements had done a job on them. The dead looked like bloated, oversized ants shuffling along the beach. They crawled through the sand and sprawled in the surf, wandering aimlessly in search of prey. Seagulls darted down out of the sky and plucked away bits of rotting flesh and the insects that burrowed inside the zombies. Then they'd take flight again and fight each other in midair for the choicest morsels. Decaying ears, cheeks, eyeballs, and noses dangled from their beaks. Occasionally, a bird moved too slowly or sat on a zombie's shoulder for a second too long. Then, dead hands lashed out, seizing the birds-ripping and chewing in an explosion of blood and feathers. As we stared through the binoculars, we saw more zombies on hotel balconies and patio decks. Virginia Beach's boardwalk was actually off the beach, hidden behind a row of hotels and restaurants and stupid trinket shops. We caught glimpses between the buildings as we sailed by. Both the boardwalk and the streets were choked with corpses. I couldn't believe how many of them there were. We saw no signs of anyone still alive-the zombie's food source had to be running out. Why didn't they move on?

"Look at them all," Chuck gasped. "If you didn't know they were dead, it would be like a regular day at the beach."

Joan paled. "I can't watch. I'm going to be sick."

She handed her binoculars to Nick, and then leaned out over the rail and threw up. Nick adjusted the focus, peered through the binoculars, and then closed his eyes and turned away.

"Jesus." He sounded like he might be getting sick, too.

"I want to see," Malik said, reaching for my pair of binoculars.

"No," Carol admonished. "You don't need to see that."

"Damn straight I do. Let me get those binoculars, Lamar."

"Malik." Carol's voice grew stern. "What did we agree in regards to your cursing?"

"You said I shouldn't use swear words, but I don't remember agreeing to it."

Tasha slapped him on the head. "Quit being a dork."

"Stop hitting me! Lamar, Tasha hit me."

Sighing, 1 handed my pair of binoculars to Basil. Then I bent down and put an arm around each of the kids.

"Listen, guys. Mitch and I have got to go with the others to the mainland, so while I'm gone, you need to behave. Don't fight. Don't give Miss Carol or Miss Alicia any shit."

Carol pursed her lips and scowled at me.

"Urn, I mean, trouble."

"Why do you and Mitch have to go?" Tasha asked.

"Because we need stuff' Food, water, medicine. We don't want what happened to Stephanie to happen to anyone else."

Malik pulled away. "Can I go, too?"

I shook my head. "Not this time."

"But I can fight zombies.

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