stopped to check now, they'd overrun her. Her leg felt like it was on fire. More heads exploded, their owner's bodies flopping to the ground. One zombie's right arm remained hanging by a thin piece of gristle. It gnawed at the flesh until the arm came free, then clambered after her again, swinging the appendage like a club.
'Double shit.'
Frankie's head began to throb and her left knee buckled, growing numb. She looked down to see that her entire pant leg was now scarlet. The severed arm crashed against her cheek, jarring her teeth.
An undead sparrow landed in her hair and tore away a strip of flesh from the wound there. Frankie screamed. Still firing, she beat at the creature with one hand. Immediately, her arc of fire dropped to ground level, sending clots of dirt flying. Arching her back, she readjusted her fire and snatched the bird from her head. She flung it to the ground and crushed it under her bloody boot.
A one-eyed, three-legged German shepherd stalked towards her, teeth bared. Another rock struck her between the shoulder blades. Her leg, arm and head pounded. Her vision turned red.
Frankie aimed at the dog and squeezed the trigger.
The magazine clicked empty.
'Triple shit.'
The circle of zombies tightened around her.
They had to shout to be heard above the noise in the garage. Outside, the creatures pounded on the door with sticks and crowbars and fists.
Danny clutched Jim's shoulder and Jim winced. The re-opened wound throbbed as Danny pressed harder.
'My God,' Martin breathed. 'They're all around us!'
'We've got to do this quick.' Don reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. 'You guys get in while I unlock the garage door. Be ready.'
'Who's driving?' Jim asked.
'I am,' Don answered. 'You get in the back with Danny.'
'If Frankie's alive ...' Martin began.
Don interrupted him. 'Even if she survived that fall, they've got her by now.'
'We don't know that.'
'Look, do you know how many of those things are outside that door? Get real, man. You can't be sure it's her out there just because you hear an M-16!'
'We've got to look for her,' Martin insisted. 'She'd do the same for us.'
Don sighed. 'Okay. When we pull out, if we see her, we'll stop. But let's be clear. If helping your friend is going to get the rest of us killed, then I'm not stopping.'
'That's bull!' Martin exploded. 'You cold-hearted son of-'
'Fine, Reverend. You go outside and get her yourself. Did you two really travel all the way from West Virginia just to see those things get Danny?
Martin didn't reply.
Don clenched his jaw. 'We don't have time to argue.'
Jim cleared his throat. 'I hate to say it, Martin, but he's making sense. I'm not sacrificing Danny. I'll sacrifice myself before I'll let those things get him.'
Martin shrugged.
'Of course. We can't do that. It just seems so ...'
'I know. It sucks.'
Don jangled the keys. 'Okay then. Here we go.'
He thumbed the remote. The alarm system beeped softly in the darkness as the doors automatically unlocked. Don tossed Martin the keys and then crept to the garage door.
'Don't start it yet,' Don whispered to Martin. 'We don't need to alert them.'
The Explorer had been backed into the garage. Jim buckled Danny into the backseat and sat next to him. Martin got in on the passenger side, slid the key into the ignition and gave Don a nervous glance.
Carefully, Don rotated the knob on the combination lock. Sweat dripped from his forehead, stinging his eyes. It was sweltering inside the garage, and the stench of rotting flesh overpowered the usual smells of motor oil, paint cans and lawn clippings. It took him three tries, but then the lock snicked open. He nodded at Martin and let the chains fall.
Swallowing, Martin turned the key. The vehicle roared to life as the heavy steel chains landed on the cement floor.
'They're inside the garage,' a zombie in the driveway shouted. 'Here! They're in here! Around front!'
Don sprinted for the driver's side and slammed the door behind him. The garage door rattled on its frame as the zombies hammered against it.
'You guys ready?'
Jim and Martin nodded.
With the press of a button, Don locked the Explorer's doors, sealing them inside the vehicle. He thumbed a
