Cryonic by Travis Bradberry Page A

grabbed hold of Alex and went in for the bite, but Alex knew what to expect and held him back by the throat. Carson growled and shrieked. Alex’s pencil-thin arms looked like they’d give way at any moment. I looked for the gun and was contemplating bullet or bayonet when Celeste jumped onto Carson’s back and tried to pull him off Alex. The trio fell back onto the bed and rolled around wildly. I knew there was no way I could use the gun safely so I gripped the bat tightly and walked over to the bed. Carson was sandwiched between the two of them with Alex holding his arms from behind and Celeste pushing his face away from hers. I waited until they rolled onto their sides so that I could get a good look at Carson’s head. As soon as they did, I swung the bat down with all my might. I felt his skull cave in beneath the pressure of the bat. His arms were still moving so I hit him a couple of more times for good measure. Each stroke of the bat splattered Alex and Celeste with blood.
    I stood there, breathing heavily above Carson’s lifeless body. Alex and Celeste lay motionless on either side ofCarson, their faces polka-dotted with blood. The room was dead silent. We stared at one another until the adrenaline subsided. That’s when we heard it—a chorus of moans from the streets below the building. We ran over to the window. It was still dark out, and the building across the street, adjacent to the lab, was engulfed in flames. The blaze illuminated the swarm of undead roaming the streets below. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of them moving in every direction. The disease was spreading.

17.
    â€œWe better go check the barricade on the front door. You two come down with me, and we’ll make it stronger.”
    I grabbed the gun, Alex gave Celeste the bat, and we made our way out into the hallway. We heard thumping and screaming coming from one of the apartments at the other end of the hallway.
    â€œYou know your neighbors?” I asked Celeste.
    â€œYes, most of them, but I’m not sure which apartment that noise is coming from.”
    â€œMaybe we can check on them when we get back. We better go and take care of that door first.”
    â€œLet’s stay out of the elevators,” Alex said. “We don’t want to get stuck in there.”
    â€œGood thinking, Al.”
    After we passed the third floor, the concrete stairs were smeared with fresh blood.
    â€œLooks like your barricade didn’t hold,” Alex said.
    â€œCould be. Or maybe somebody brought it in the building.”
    When we reached the lobby, we found the barricade still intact. We went into the janitor’s closet and dragged the shelving out. We piled on toolboxes, paint cans, and anything we could find to add weight. The barrier left a lot to be desired, but we had very little to work with. A sea of infected made their way up and down the street on the other side of the glass. If something inside the building caught enough of their attention (or worse, someone opened thedoors), everyone in the building was done for. With that in mind, we tiptoed back into the stairwell.
    When we reached the second floor, I caught a glimpse of someone walking past the stairwell door. I stuck my face up to the tiny window to see what it was and was promptly greeted by a bloody, slobbering mess of bared teeth.
    â€œOh shit!” I screamed, jumping back in fear. “Looks like somebody brought it in the building.”
    â€œEither that or they got in through the parking garage,” Alex said.
    I aimed the rifle at the doorway and waited. Celeste joined me, bat in hand, and Alex stood in the corner looking nervously up and down the stairwell. The creature clawed and scratched at the thick steel door. It rammed the door violently with its head and shoulders, producing nothing more than a smear on the glass from the effort. It attacked the door so violently and screamed so loudly that we thought it would