Read The Dead Walk The Earth II for Free Online Page B

grumbled to himself as he prepared himself for the coming sprint.
    Marty placed his finger into the ring of the pin that held the fly-off lever of the grenade in place. He stood up, identified his point of aim, and then nodded to the others as he stepped out into the open. Before any of the infected saw him he pulled the pin free and cocked his arm back. With a powerful heave, he hurled the grenade to the far side of the street where it landed with a thud amongst the overgrown lawns of the houses facing them.
    The infected closest to where it landed immediately turned and moved to investigate but before they had taken a step, the fuse ignited. A loud pop and a hiss was quickly followed by a piercing crack and a bright flash that momentarily lit up the entire street like a bolt of lightning.
    Thousands of pieces of glowing phosphorous shot out in all directions at incredible speed, trailing clouds of white smoke behind them as they ploughed into the mass of reanimated corpses around the epicentre of the blast. Anything within a few metres of the explosion was instantly reduced to ash and charred remains. Further out, while a billowing pale cloud grew outwards across the street, the lighter particles of phosphorous reached the bodies that had remained unaffected by the initial detonation. They landed on flesh and cloth and instantly began to burn through their clothing and decomposing tissue. Within seconds, a number of staggering human forms were ablaze. As the soft tissue was melted away from their bones they continued to move, colliding with the others close by and spreading the fire from one to the next.
    “Go,” Marty hissed, “go.”
    The three of them jumped from cover and ran into the street. They turned to the right and began to sprint passed the infected that stood motionless all around them as they stared at the dazzling bright flames that were quickly spreading through their ranks.
    A number of phosphorous particles had ignited the long, dry grass in front of the houses. The orange flames quickly burst to life and grew in size as more of the immediate surroundings caught fire. For the past two weeks the heat wave that had been slowly roasting the country and leaving everything parched made the housing estate easy prey for the flames and soon, the buildings closest to the heat were beginning to smoulder.
    “Fucking hell, Marty, we only needed a distraction, not a full-on bonfire,” Bull remarked as he looked back over his shoulder at the individual fires that were rapidly developing into a mighty inferno.
    More of the reanimated husks of humanity spontaneously combusted as they crashed into one another and blindly staggered about, oblivious to their impending demise. While the three men thundered along the road, barging their way through dozens of frozen and mesmerised rotting statues, the area behind them became a blazing furnace. Everything that the flames came into contact with was engulfed and soon burning out of control.
    Some of the infected took note of the animated men as they passed. Grasping hands thrust out in vain attempts to grab hold of the soldiers as they weaved their way through the crowd. The sluggish reactions of the dead were far too slow and Marty and the others easily avoided becoming ensnared. Figures toppled as the three men ploughed their way to safety, leaving numerous squirming bodies on the floor behind them. Against the backdrop of the bright glowing flames, the majority of the entranced cadavers failed to notice the warm flesh that was within their midst.
    “Through here,” Danny whispered and turned into an alleyway. He had a rough idea of where they were and found a place for them to go static.
    Marty and Bull saddled up beside him in the gloom of the alley. Overhanging hedgerows that had grown out from the gardens on either side of them helped to keep them concealed as they sat watching the scene that they had created.
    Out on the street, the flames roared and crackled as more