Read Zombie Surf Commandos from Mars! for Free Online

not a total zombie yet. He’s still human!”
    â€œWell, let’s not get carried away,” Liz whispered under her breath.
    A moment later, Principal Bell was at the wheel of the old truck. Liz, Jeff, and Holly were crammed into the seat beside him.
    â€œTo the end of the street!” shouted Liz.
    â€œStreet,” Mr. Bell droned, jamming his socked and sandaled half-zombie foot to the floor.
    They rounded the corner from the alley and ran right into the Martian commandos.
    RRRRRRRRR! went the truck.
    Beep! Beep! went the horn.
    â€œOhhhhh!” went the zombies.
    Principal Bell cranked the wheel and spun the truck around as dozens of zombies charged.
    A Martian lunged for the truck and grabbed the door. Mr. Bell veered sharply again, and the Martian fell off. Well, most of him did. A flaky gray hand dangled from the door handle.
    â€œThey want us!” cried Jeff. “We’ve got the only living brains in a hundred miles that are good enough to eat.”
    Liz knew he was right. Kid brains were the best. It was all that reading for Mr. Bell’s program. Mr. Bell — if he was ever Mr. Bell again — would be proud.
    The zombies abandoned the truck and charged once again at the helpless townspeople.
    Poor Zoners, thought Liz. Even they deserve to live! She glanced back at the giant donut. Two minutes left! And only the most impossible luck would keep her incredibly complicated plan from falling apart like day-old zombie skin!
    KRRRRAACKKKK!
    Principal Bell burst through the giant gates of the Drive-in and screeched to a stop at exactly one minute before eight. “Movie!” he droned.
    Jeff jumped out and shut the iron gates.
    Liz jumped out and opened them again.
    â€œHey,” Jeff yelled back. “Close those! The ugly dudes will get in.”
    â€œThat’s the idea!” Liz called out.

11
    Zombie Fighters!
    Liz grabbed Holly and ran straight for the old wooden ticket booth just inside the gate. Holly’s father, Mr. Vickers, was inside. He screamed when he saw his zombie daughter, then reached for his video camera. “Holly, don’t move.”
    Jeff tumbled into the booth. “Mr. Vickers! We’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is you’ll get a lot of people at your movie tonight. The bad news is — they’re dead!”
    The man beamed. “As long as they pay!”
    Liz ran back out to the gates and looked with terror on the scene before her. Men, women, parents, old people, kids, cats, dogs, gerbils, hamsters — all running from the zombie commandos pointing at their foreheads.
    Jeff stood next to Liz. “Your plan will work. I’m sure it will.”
    Then — it happened. Everything at once.
    Bong! sounded the Double Dunk Donut.
    Ssssss! went Usher’s pancake pan.
    â€œEight o’clock!” Liz shouted.
    THONKA-THONKA-THONKA!
    A terrible tornado of noise roared over them!
    â€œIt’s Mom!” yelled Jeff, waving to the black chopper as it roared by overhead. “Coming home from the shoe store right on time!”
    As soon as they heard the horrible noise, all the people of Grover’s Mill dropped instantly to the ground. They lay perfectly still, as if they were dead.
    â€œPerfect!” yelped Liz. “Everybody drops just like you said, Jeff! Now I hope it works!”
    The zombies stopped in mid-shuffle. They looked at each other. Skin fell off. They looked at the people lying motionless on the ground. More skin fell off. They didn’t know what to do. “Dead brains — no good — yuck!” one of the creatures snorted.
    â€œYes!” cried Liz. “Zombies don’t like dead brains. Only living ones!”
    With that, Liz sprang into action. “Mr. Vickers, you take Holly and, when I give the signal, you do the total gross-out, skin-crawling scare you talked about. Jeff, you wait in the ticket booth and close the gates behind the zombies.”
    Jeff