The Demented Z (Book 3): Contagion by Derek J Thomas Page A

sprinted across the short space, running for
the hall.
    Hank army crawled over to the couch and got up to his knees.
  He started talking into April’s ear, but
nobody else could hear what was said.  
She seemed oblivious to his presence, her head still tucked into her
arms and knees. When several shots hit
right next to Hank’s exposed legs he threw his rifle over his shoulder and
lifted April’s small body off the couch.  
Holding her like a medicine ball he sprinted across the room toward the
hallway. Debris kicked into the air all
around him as bullets continued to rain down from outside.
    Hannah was slamming a fresh magazine into her rifle as Hank
rushed past. “Go, go, get
to the stairs.” She shouted.
  After charging her AR she looked over at
Tom. “Move your butt, I got this.”
    Needing no further encouragement, Tom turned and rushed past
Hannah, slapping a hand on her shoulder as he rushed past.
  She started pounding away with her rifle as
he made for the stairs. Axel was just
turning the corner for the stairs, Hank trailing about halfway down the hall,
struggling with the weight of April in his arms.
    Once Tom reached midway he turned and yelled to Hannah,
“Move…get to the stairs!” He stayed in
place and made sure she stopped her cover fire and turned to race after
them. Even as she ran he continued to
watch the rec room, making sure nobody rushed in behind her.

Chapter 10 - Tables Turn
    Kelly went in to check on Sam again.
  He had a terrible night, coughing and
wheezing almost constantly. The little
guy had been sick before, but never quite like this.
  The labored breathing was really worrying
her. Rapid short breaths; his lungs were
likely filling with fluid, the onset of pneumonia.
  In the days of hospitals and immediate
medical care this would have been easily taken care of, but now it could be a
death sentence and she knew it.
    Sam laid propped up on a set of pillows in the tiny
bedroom. His face was pale and lips were
beginning to blue from lack of oxygen in his blood.
  When he saw his mom enter he started
coughing. His cough had gotten much
worse just in the last half day. The
greenish mucus he hacked up had no end.  
With his symptoms getting worse and worse she knew he needed antibiotics
and breathing treatments with a nebulizer.  
His violent coughing continued as his lungs tried desperately to clear
themselves.
    “We’re going to get you some help honey.”
  Kelly said while rubbing her hand through his
hair.
    She headed back into the kitchen area and started digging
through the cupboards. On the table sat
her bug-out bag, full of everything she would need to survive a couple
days. Next to it sat her hunting rifle
and a box of ammo.
    After adding several final items to the backpack she stood
thinking of how to get the equipment and Sam down the mountain.
  The map Hannah drew showed the compound was a
good thirty miles away, too far to walk with a sick kid.
  Under a tarp out back was an old snowmobile
that Tom had parked in the fall. The
engine ran before parking it, but that was months ago.
    Cold wind smacked her in the face as she made her way out
the front door. It blew in the hopeful
smell of spring, yet its bite remained harsh and painful.
  She made her way past a long stack of split
wood. The snow on top still towered over
her head. Spring isn’t coming soon enough , she thought to herself.
    Just beyond the firewood stood a massive
mound of snow, hiding the buried snowmobile.
  With a shovel and a mom’s determination she
began chipping away at the mountain. The
snow was a layered mix of powder and rock solid ice. After an hour of digging
she had her coat and stocking cap off, sweat dripping from her face, nearly
there.
    Enough of the tarp was revealed that she set her shovel to
the side and began pulling on the corners to shift the remaining snow off to
the sides. With a final heave she got
the tarp up and over the handlebars.