Read Phase One: Identify (Territory of the Dead) for Free Online

with him.
     
    He was nearly to the entrance of the station. I could see chairs placed in the lobby, and thick panes of glass behind them. People were rushing out the double glass doors, desperate to get away from the horror within.
     
    I slowly stood up, completely in tune with his desperate flight. The door was only a few feet away now, and I began to think he might make it. Suddenly the camera stopped, though, and fell to the floor. When it did, the lens cracked.
     
    We couldn't see anything but feet, but we heard plenty. A man screamed, a terror-stricken sound of pain and desperation. Somehow I knew it was the cameraman, and my eyes briefly slid shut in dismay.
     
    There was a loud thud from the screen. A man lay there, an eye staring unblinkingly right at us. The other eye was gone, and his expression was forever locked into pain and agony.
     
    “My God,” Dad whispered, aghast. “They've taken the police station.”

Chapter 4
     
    The three of us were up the rest of the night, although Mom was able to sleep through it all. It was a long night, filled with pain, despair, and hopelessness. Dad left the television on, hoping something would change.
     
    The police station eventually grew quiet, except for the sounds of the zombies groaning and snarling. The man that died eventually changed, his blue eye turning red. It was scary to see such a close up of madness, for that was what it was. There was a complete lack of humanity in his gaze.
     
    Growling, he raised up. He hit the camera unintentionally, causing it to spin in a different direction. The room was total and complete carnage. The white floor was filled with body parts, chunks of flesh, and blood. The amount of red that was visible from the angle of the camera was mind-boggling. With that amount of blood, I couldn't see how anybody could have survived.
     
    There weren't any bodies left, although the zombies were moving around. You knew it was them. They just walked in a different way than someone alive did. We never saw the cameraman again, and hopefully never would. Now that he was dead, he wasn't a person I'd want to encounter.
     
    Dad tried repeatedly to call out through those endless, dark hours of the night. My grandparents lived in Illinois, and they were elderly. We didn't know if they were dead or alive.
     
    Dad tried to get Jayden to call his family, but Jayden declined. Eventually Dad asked if he could, which Jayden agreed to. No matter what number he tried, all he got was a busy signal. He gave up, frustrated.
     
    “ Dad,” I finally said, unable to bear the silence anymore. It was those still, silent moments right before the sun started to rise. A new day was dawning, but for what? There wasn't anyone but the dead to enjoy it. “Do you think everyone out there is dead but us?”
     
    He shook his head firmly. “No, there are bound to be others out there. We just have to find them. They are probably holed up somewhere, much like we are. I refuse to believe that we are the only survivors, and I don't want you thinking that way either.”
     
    An urgent, but quiet knocking on our front door jerked us all to our feet. Dad moved toward the door cautiously, while Jayden and I followed close behind. He turned and held his finger to his lips, warning us to be quiet.
     
    I exchanged a puzzled look with Jayden, who looked like what you'd expect from someone who'd just survived a night of hell. His hair was unkempt, and he had dark, purple circles underneath his eyes. The whites of his eyes were extremely bloodshot. Even then though, I had to secretly admit he was still hot.
     
    It was an odd thought to have when you didn't know if you'd live to see another night. The normality of it, though, made me feel better. At least, slightly better.
     
    “Do you think zombies can knock?” My voice was the merest of whispers, so soft I wasn't even sure if he'd heard me.
     
    He gave a quick shake of his head. “No,” he replied, his voice as low as