Dan doesn’t wait for his dad to decide, but runs over and grabs his wrist. “Come on, Dad! We need to get inside! She’s dangerous! She wants to eat us!”
“Eat us?” his dad repeats. “Honestly, Dan …”
But he never finishes the sentence, because now Lone has crossed the street and is coming up the driveway, and she’s close enough for Dad to see that something is completely off—her always warm and friendly old-lady eyes are now empty, white balls rolling around blindly in their sockets, yet somehow still seeing.
Dad shoves Dan towards the door. “Hurry up, get inside.”
Dan runs to the door, just as Finn pops back outside. Dan’s grandma is trying to pull him back, but Finn has already seen his dead wife, and his expression turns blank as he mutters: “Lone?”
Dan pushes him back as he tries to go to her.
“No, get inside! Grandma, help me get him back inside!”
His grandma is already tugging at Finn, but he’s surprisingly strong for an old guy, and for a second all three of them are caught in a deadly stalemate right on the doorstep, Finn repeating his wife’s name. “Lone … Lone, I’m right here … I’m right here, Lone … I’ll help you …”
Dan is gripped by panic. “Get in, get in!” He shoves Finn in the chest hard enough to cause him to stumble backwards and would have fallen on his ass, if Dan’s grandma hadn’t been there to catch him.
“Dan, she’s coming!” his dad calls from behind him.
Dan turns to see Lone lunge at his dad.
“Dad, no!”
His dad catches Lone’s wrists a split-second before her long nails can scratch his face. He forces her arms back, but Lone in response flings her head forward, snapping wildly at his face and throat, her tiny teeth clapping just inches away from Dad’s skin. Surprisingly, his dad doesn’t seem to panic, but holds on to Lone firmly, keeping her at a safe distance. Dan just stares at his dad for a second, amazed and impressed.
“Get inside, now, damnit!” Dad roars over his shoulder. “And get that door closed!”
Grandma is still struggling to hold back Finn. Dan hesitates a moment longer, staring indecisively back and forth. He can’t just leave his dad out here, but he can’t really do anything to help him either.
Then he sees the paramedics—it’s a wonder he hasn’t seen them before now, really, since one of them is already halfway up the driveway. Dad is still wrestling with Lone, still shouting for them to get in and close the door, and he hasn’t noticed the newcomers.
“Watch out, Dad! Behind you!”
Just as Dan shouts, his dad shoves Lone away hard. She tumbles over and slams her head into the pavement with a sickening thud. She blinks, groans and flails her arms, trying to get back up, but seemingly unable to, as her brain just took a hit hard enough to knock a living person unconscious.
The quickest of the paramedics steps forward and plants his teeth right in Dad’s shoulder. He roars out in pain. The sound is mixed with Dan’s anguished scream. Then Dan’s body takes over. He jumps right into the action, grabs hold of the paramedic’s blood-stained shirt and yanks him backwards just as he’s about to bite down on Dad’s shoulder a second time. The zombie has caught hold of Dad’s shirt in return and holds on tightly, not intending on being dragged away from its first meal. But the short break gives Dad a second to react, and he doesn’t waste time; he turns halfway around, almost tearing his shirt, and starts bashing the zombie with both hands. A clenched fist right between its eyes causes it to let go and stagger backwards—but the other paramedic has now joined the fun and goes directly for Dan’s dad, who pulls back, clutching his shoulder, a look of terror on his face.
Everything slows down for a heartbeat, and Dan sees everything like from very far away. He sees paramedic number two lunge at Dad, who no longer has the strength to fight back. He sees the zombie sink its teeth in his neck, the blood spurting out, Dad screaming in pain.
And things might have played out just like that—had it not been for Lone, who at that exact moment, in an effort to get back up, rolls clumsily to the side. The paramedic doesn’t see her, trips over her legs and falls down face-first. Dan hears a couple of sharp snaps, and when the zombie a moment later cranes its neck back to look up at them, most of its teeth rattle out onto the pavement.
Paramedic number two is a bit more capable, as it manages to step past Lone, who’s still struggling to get up, and now the paramedic is blocking Dan and his dad from the doorway.
Dad sneers, holding a hand to his shoulder. His shirt has been torn, but Dan can’t see any blood—at least not yet. Maybe, just maybe, his dad was lucky enough that the zombie’s teeth didn’t break the skin. But with the amount of luck Dan has had lately, he doesn’t get his hopes up. And bleeding or not, his dad is obviously in pain.
“You stay back!” he shouts, kicking out at the paramedic. The zombie doesn’t seem to heed the warning; in fact, it sees the kicking leg more as an invitation and grabs at it eagerly, missing it by inches.
Dan and his dad back up farther, coming closer together. Soon they’ll be caught in the carport with
