Resurrection (A zombie novel) #wattys2016

Chapter Six

Unedited. Please just enjoy, corrections would be made later.

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Shawn's mind raced through a thousand ifs and buts as he dashed towards his front door. The infected man that had once been his friendly easy going neighbor behind him in hot pursuit. He prayed the front door was unlocked as he ran up and tried the knob. Damn, it wasn't.

He flicked the safety button on the gun from red to green as he turned around while banging on the door with the heel of his boot. He hollered, "Annie!" as he lined up the sights of the gun with the approaching man,"...we don't always have to resort to violence now, do we?", he sighed resignedly as his finger settled on the trigger guard. The gun felt really heavy in his hand, weighed down more by thoughts of the lives he might have to take to save his family.

"Annie open the d@^^n door!", he roared, "...I'm not used to killing anybody yet." The infected man kept barrelling forward and Shawn sighed as he pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit the infected man in his midsection and he pitched backwards from the impact, straight to the floor. The loud report of the gunshot crawled into Shawn's ears and stuffed them with cotton wool dipped in wax, making him feel only a buzzing sensation as all other sense of hearing deserted him completely.

The door swung open almost immediately and he could only see the man pick himself up before he fell into the house, the gun still in his hand. "Damn, how to you shake off a point blank gunshot to the chest", he wondered.

Annie pulled him up into a tear-filled hug immediately and he hugged her back fiercely,

"I was worried", she moaned in his shoulder.

"Daddy!", Jo squealed as he ran up to Shawn, "...you've got a gun!?", he paused as he noticed the gun in Shawn's hand. The accusation brought Shawn back to the present.

"We've got to leave, honey...something weird is going on". Shawn said, referring to Annie. Her smile melted into a frown almost immediately, "Yes...yes...I packed a few things already." Shawn offered a thank-you-Jesus-for giving-me-this-kind-of-wife muted prayer to God. "Get them", he said as the jeep revved up outside.

Annie had barely moved before the jeep rammed into the door, pulling it completely off the hinges as it backed up more than halfway into the living room, stopped sharply on the brakes and hummed with impatience.

"Let's move, Shawn", Bob hollered,there was commotion outside and Shawn guessed what it was. He tucked the gun in the waistbands of his jeans as he flung the boot of the jeep open and motioned for Joseph to come over. There was tension in the air, enough to pluck out and building sleeping bags for all of them and keep them locked forever, imprisoned by their own fright.

"Come on", Bob strained, half-turned holding out hands ready to receive the boy while keeping his eyes locked on the guy who was relentlessly flinging himself against the vehicle.

"We've got to go now", Kevin half-whined, half-screamed as window on his side cracked up due to the incessant beating it had received.

Bob received the boy and set him on the seat while Shawn and Annie clambered with much difficulty into the vehicle while Kevin geared up and set the vehicle into motion.

"Go go", Bob urged as the jeep slowed down when it hit and bumped over a few people. Kevin eventually shot clear of them and lowered his speed.

"Thanks", Shawn patted Bob on the shoulder and then Kevin, who cracked a half-smile through the rear view mirror while Annie and Jo stared at the crazed crowd they were leaving behind.

"Waoh", Jo said, astonished then he whipped around excitedly to face Shawn, "...it's not Halloween today, is it?"

Shawn nearly cracked a smile .but the worries of the moment choked it down,"what a relief that would have been",Shawn sighed to himself before turning to Jo,"...No,it isn't Halloween day today."

"But Dawn had a really cool mask on", Jo pouted, not wanting to be put off easily.

"The boy hasn't seen any zombie movies, has he?" Bob chipped.

Shawn wanted to ask who Dawn was but opted to answer Bob instead,"They aren't zombies", he retorted almost menancingly.

"Ok ok", Bob threw his hands up,"...we'll save that discussion for later".

Shawn tsked disapprovingly at Bob before Kevin asked, "Where to?", looking through the rear view mirror. Shawn could feel all eyes on him, as if he had been elected decision maker.

"Let's just get out of the complex first", he muttered, not sure if that was the right decision to take.

"Same thing I was thinking", Bob chipped in.

"Okay, I know a fast way out", Kevin agreed choicelessly and swung the jeep between two houses as he turned back to face the road.

Shawn then turned to Annie who had leaned her head into the headrest and closed her eyes, almost asleep, he reached across Jo and tapped her lightly, "Annie, what happened?"'

She opened her eyes and looked at him without moving her head, "where?"

He turned his head to the back windshield and lifted his chin as if signifying his house which had been far left behind.

"Oh...", She sat up straight.

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