The Hand That Feeds: A Horror Novel by Garza Michael W

Author:Garza, Michael W. [Garza, Michael W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severed Press
Published: 2013-12-05T08:00:00+00:00

16

John ran until his sides hurt. He got out of the housing track without any sign of the dead. He guessed they were converging on Dan’s house. A scan of the street outside of the track revealed the west end littered with rotting figures. He’d forgotten about the mindless mob at the gas station. It appeared they’d lost his scent when he went over the wall and returned to wandering around the area for a meal.

John crossed the street and took a knee behind a station wagon. He looked through the car’s interior for keys, but found none. He turned his attention on the two-story apartment building behind him. He had to get a vehicle if he hoped to survive, but the idea of storming in to one of the apartments wasn’t appealing. There was a good chance the occupant’s wouldn’t be open to receiving new guests, or worse, were already apart of the infected.

He got up to a crouching position and looked through the car’s windshield for a better view of the street. He counted more than a dozen dead to the west and another dozen further down the road to the east. He forced himself to keep moving, heading north through an alley between the apartment buildings. The street beyond was a narrow one-way with cars along one side of the road, but no sign of movement. The other side of the street was the start of the business district; most of the shops were small and locally owned.

John skimmed through the signs and focused on Ted’s Hardware. There were only a few rounds remaining for the shotgun and he would have to have something else to depend on. He crossed the street and approached the hardware store’s front door. He smashed the glass with the butt of his shotgun and stepped inside. A quick inventory brought a smile to his face. He grabbed a leather tool belt and strapped it around his waist. Once he was finished his shopping spree, nearly everything hanging from the belt could be used as a weapon in some fashion.

John secured the last clawed hammer in place, and then eyed the back door. He’d heard a sound from the rear of the building when he came in, but didn’t react. He was sure he’d heard it again. He eyed the door and froze in the center aisle. He raised the shotgun slowly, training the barrel on the door. He watched the knob in the hope that it would turn. The dead could not open doors, as far as he could tell, so he hoped whatever he heard could walk and talk.

It took several minutes of silence before his mind couldn’t take it any longer. He took one hesitant step forward then another. He was close enough to touch the knob when the sound returned. He froze again; close enough to tell it was not the shifting feet he’d heard outside the shop, but something moving an object aside. The door was unlocked and gave way after a hard push.

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