He caught the faintest bit of movement, locking in on it and seeing a few more shadowy figures coming from the darkness, attracted to the noise outside. Finally the reflected light caught the flashy tennis shoes of a zombie, lighting up the area just enough that he could see a door frame.
Got it, he thought, and focused on what he could make out of the door, disheartened that it seemed to be wide open. The door opened inward into a stairwell, and his stomach sank when he realized he’d have to reach in to get at it. He watched for another moment, seeing a steady but not overwhelming stream of zombies coming out.
Before opening the door to the car, he reached up and yanked off the top light cover, smashing the tiny bulbs inside. The last thing he wanted to do was attract attention to himself by shining a light on his face.
He slid out the door, taking a knee beside the back wheel. He readied his knife, and unattached the top of his holster so his handgun was readily available just in case he needed it. He studied the situation, seeing half a dozen zombies streaming from the door, spread out about five yards or so from each other.
A quick scan of the lobby showed that it was the only source of the creatures. He looked outside, seeing the parking lot filled with them, the occasional gunshot and muzzle flash in the distance.
As he psyched himself up to go, there was another large explosion in the distance, rattling the windows of the building. If they weren’t coming before, he thought bitterly, they will now.
He immediately broke cover, moving to the back wall by the desk and trying to remain hidden by the darkness. When he reached ten yards of the door, he broke off, running over to it with his knife in the air.
The footsteps alerted a zombie a few steps away from the door, who turned and moaned, struggling to find the source of the noise. The lighting was just enough that he could see the monster, so he quickly stabbed it in the head.
More moans came from the door, as well as behind him as the body hitting the floor had drawn one of the zombies back. He darted around, grabbing the retreating zombie and throwing it towards the door, hoping that the impact would be far enough away that it wouldn’t bring back any others.
He stepped forward, stabbing the fallen creature. As he pulled the knife out, the first door zombie reached him, grabbing onto his knife hand with its rotted claws. Michael struggled to avoid the bite, twisting his wrist as he went. More moaning echoed in the stairwell, multiple mouths calling out in unison for a fresh meal.
“Fuck it,” he grunted, and drew his handgun with his free hand. He put it right up to the forehead of the latched-on zombie and pulled the trigger. The sound echoed loudly in the small space, and back into the lobby, immediately causing a number of creatures to reverse course.
Michael didn't waste time, knowing he suddenly had significantly less of it. He immediately dropped the knife to secure the handgun for better aim and opened fire on the zombies in the doorway. It took several shots to put down the trio in and around the area, but he dropped them.
Moans and footsteps grew louder behind him, but he was more concerned with the echoing sounds in the stairwell. He darted forward, shoving the dead creatures away from the door so he could close it.
There were several zombies on the landing above, staggering towards the last set of stairs. The excitement got to them, and the front couple bounced down the stairs, face first, bodies creating cushions for their excited brethren to slide down.
Michael went into overload, shoving the corpses as quickly as he could before grabbing onto the door and pulling it shut. One of the fallen creatures reached out, grabbing the base of the door as he tried to secure it. He kicked hard, freeing the arm, the sound of the door slamming like music to his ears.
He whipped around to face the half-dozen zombies within a few yards of him. He raised his gun and fired three quick shots, dropping the lead ghoul. He aimed at the next one, but when he squeezed the trigger, there was only a dull click.
He looked around frantically for his dropped knife, but couldn't find it in the darkness. So Michael did the only thing he could do, which was to try and escape. He ran to the back wall, moving up against it quickly to avoid being caught. The ghouls followed his footsteps, snarling with hunger.
When he reached the front desk, he looked outside and saw a small wall of creatures moving back towards him, drawn by the handgun fire. He hesitated, knowing he’d never survive fighting his way out.
He slid across the hood of the car, landing a quickly throwing open the door and leaping inside. He secured the locks and hit beneath the jacket again. He breathed heavily as one of the zombies reached the car, hands smacking wetly against the windows.
Okay buddy, he thought, I did my part, now hurry up and do yours so you can come rescue my ass!
CHAPTER SEVEN
Bryan watched his friend careening through the crowd of zombies in the sedan, disappearing into the lobby of the hotel. The bulk of the zombie horde in the parking lot began to turn around to follow the vehicle, prompting him to ready the hunting rifle.
He took aim,
