The Grave: A Zombie Novel by Russ Watts Page A

months, years, until an inquisitive animal would foolishly get too close and then snap! Rotten black teeth would seize upon the hapless creature and drink down the blood from the animal’s still pumping heart. It didn’t matter if the meat was stringy or fatty, it was all the Deathless wanted. It was a curse they would never be rid of. And any creature in their path would be eaten. Those not killed instantly, any creature that might escape with just a wound from the dead would not last long. A bite or a scratch meant irreversible infection and an eternity of oblivious death. Once bitten, an animal would turn within a few seconds. The heart would implode causing agony and then it would be all over. They would return as one of the dead.
    T he Deathless followed the trail of smoke and destruction through the forest toward the crash site. They were like moths flocking to a flame and nothing would stop them. A burnt path led them through charred ground and past trees with broken limbs to the edge of the city. The plane had skimmed the tops of the trees and ended up in the town of Judgeford. Grass gradually gave way to gravel and toppled trees conceded ground to crumbling houses as the dead marched on in their search for the fresh meat that fell from the sky.
    The domes that had hastily been erected over some of the smaller towns had long since cracked and fallen. There was nothing to stop the plane’s catastrophic descent and so it had smashed through the town before finally coming to rest.
    The Deathless now controlled this land . Millions of them had been shipped there from all over the globe, a shunned race that were both feared and despised equally. Some of these people, these dead beings, were now on their way to Judgeford. They did not know the town’s name or need to. All they knew was that was where they needed to get to, because that was where food was.
     
    * * *
    Will staggere d from the plane and sank to the ground. Blood poured from a cut on his cheek and he held his hand to it trying to stem the bleeding.  He felt dizzy and spaced out, as if he had been inside a centrifuge on full speed before being abruptly spat out. He looked up and saw a row of houses, small low buildings and fences. The plane had come to rest in a residential street. Evidently, the pilot had attempted to land between the houses and had at least partly succeeded.
    Looking back at where they had come from, he saw a trail of destruction. Several cars and vans were flipped over and deep cracks in the road had been gouged out where the plane had landed. A couple of cars were burning. Will felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Tricia looming over him. Tears streaked her face.
    “Can you help me? We can’t get Wilfred out.”
    Tricia went back toward the plane and Will stood to follow her. The plane had been split in two, its fragile body breaking up on impact with the ground. The wings had sheared off and the sides of the plane had been peeled back, exposing the destroyed interior and ragged seats. Debris littered the area around the hull of the plane. In places, Will could see all the way through it to the buildings on the other side of the road. He looked at the empty row of seats inside and then saw the body lying on the ground at his feet: Josef.
    Will knelt down and examined his colleague. His first impression was that Josef was dead. His clothes were untarnished and his face calm and clean, yet he lay perfectly still. Will put his hand against Josef’s neck and felt for a pulse. It was strong. Will felt relief wash over him and was grateful that his friend wasn’t dead. Will shook Josef gently at first, then stronger, willing him to wake up. Josef began to stir and Will called out his name over and over. Finally, Josef sat up.
    “What happened?” asked Josef rubbing his head.
    “I don’t know, we just...I don’t know.” Will left Josef and headed toward the plane. He had to know what had happened to everyone else. Between