Read Zombies! Episode 1 - Shawn of the Dead for Free Online Page A

that guy, the zombie guy. He had a
wife and a little girl and they were both…well…I was bitten."
     
    "Bitten?" She seemed so confused. "Bitten by
what?"
     
    "By the girl. The little girl bit me. She's a
zombie."
     
    "Johan, you're not making any sense. What do
you mean she's a zombie. You mean she's sick?"
     
    He breathed. "I mean she's dead and she bit
me and now I'm locked up in quarantine."
     
    "Quarantine? Are you sick?"
     
    He hesitated, not sure what to tell her. He
could feel his body fighting the infection. He could feel it
losing.
     
    Eileen's breath became heavy and ragged then.
He started to say her name but she cut him off. "Aren't there
doctors? Can't they do something?"
     
    "They're trying."
     
    "Trying? That's it? Where are you,
Johan?"
     
    "It's not important."
     
    "It damned well is! I need to be with
you."
     
    "Eileen!" he shouted, frustrated. "You can't
come here. You just…you just can't, okay?"
     
    "What am I supposed to do, then? What do I do
now?"
     
    "I'm sorry, Eileen. I'm so sorry."
     
    "You're sorry? Tell that to your four daughters! You tell them you're sorry."
     
    "Please…"
     
    "How many times did I tell you to give up
that job? You could've retired years ago but you had to go on…"
     
    "Eileen, don't do this!" he cried.
     
    And then he cried .
     
    And then she cried.
     
    They spent long minutes crying together
before Eileen finally pulled it together and pulled him together.
"What else is there to say, then?"
     
    He breathed. "Can we just talk like we always
did? Can you tell me about the bills or the kids or maybe we can
just reminisce a while?"
     
    She started off tentatively, just mentioning
the high electric bill and how it was definitely Lucia's fault
because she was always on the computer. He agreed and promised to
have a talk with her but then caught himself up. They tried like
that for a while and then settled into the talking about the past.
Talking about the past was easy. They'd had such good times
together. It put him at ease to sort out the memories of his life
with Eileen. It made the hurt in his leg and his heart go away for
just awhile. So they talked and they laughed and they cried. And
every time there was a lull in the conversation, one of them was
quick to pick up the slack and make sure no one remembered why he'd
really called.
     
    They did that until the battery in Anthony's
phone started to give off warnings. After that they said their
goodbyes together and hung up so that they could each weep in
private.
     
    ***
     
    HERON lingered outside the door to the
ward a moment, wondering whether to search out the captain or just
wait for Stemmy to finish. He thought about his partner's situation
and how he would act under the same circumstances. What would he
say to Alicia if he was in Stemmy's place? He couldn't even
fathom.
     
    With these thoughts in his head, he chose to
look for the captain. Standing alone outside the ward would just
force him to dwell on it and that wouldn't do. Stemmy was going to
need him.
     
    At first he walked back the way he had come.
Most of the laboratories were empty now. He passed a janitor and
asked him if he'd seen Captain Naughton but the janitor either
didn't know who the captain was or didn't speak English. As he
walked, he marveled at the complexity of the installation. It was
almost entirely self-contained and he was sure that it was
outfitted with a top of the line lock-down mechanism. He wondered
what it would be like to be trapped down there for an indefinite
period of time, trying in vain to unriddle a deadly plague. He
supposed it would be better than being trapped outside.
     
    At long last, he found someone who could lead
him to the captain. The man was a lab technician, working late on
something. He was young, but looked old. He wore a grizzled beard
and sported a significant paunch. He didn’t know the captain but
was sure that any police officer, especially a high ranking police
officer, would be in