Box of Zombies: Rise of the Dead Volumes 1-3 Read Online Free Page B

her weight and she stopped, waiting. The windows remained dark.
    The door to the kitchen was open. This didn’t surprise Savannah in the least. Who would actually steal from these people anyway? They had nothing worth taking, and their watch-zombie was much more effective than ADT.
    She slipped into the kitchen and was immediately struck by the stench of overused, burnt fat. Mamma must have fried everything they ate. Healthy eating wasn’t at the top of her list of concerns, obviously. The floors creaked under her again. With every other step, Savannah stopped and waited to see if she heard anyone.
    In the living room, she padded around the sofa, careful to stay on the nasty braided throw rugs in order to stifle any sound of her walking. Grit dug into her bare feet; she might as well have been on the dirt outside. The heavy, salty metallic odor of copious amounts of blood hung in the air. Towels covered the pools left where Morgan had died, soaked through with black blood.
    Shadows were as thick as ink in the corners, but the moonlight bled silver through the windows, offering just enough light for Savannah to see her way around without smashing her toes or tripping. On the far end table, something glinted like a treasure. It was Johnny’s truck keys. She held these up to the window—three keys. One that had the inscription “Ford” on the base, a rusted house key, and a smaller one. This one had to be for the padlock that kept Mikey in his chains in the backyard.
    Draped over the back of Mamma’s recliner was a flannel shirt. Savannah grabbed it up and slipped it on, relishing the warmth, but wanting to gag from the smell. It clearly belonged to good ol’ Uncle Levi. Still, it was better than parading around in the nude.              
    “ Whatcha doin?”
    Savannah stiffened and slowly turned around. Lacy stood in the hallway, a spooky little figure in pale thermals and halo of tangled air.
    “Lacy. You scared me.”
    “What happened to your friend?”
    “Shh. You don’t want your family to know you’re out of bed, do you?” Savannah whispered.
    The little girl shook her head slowly. “Uncle Levi’ll whip my legs with a belt. He did last time.”
    Frowning, Savannah took the kid’s warm hand. “We don’t want that to happen, do we?”
    “No.”
    “Listen to me. I want you to go out to your brother’s truck and wait there. Can you do that for me?”
    “How come?”
    “I thought we could go somewhere. Maybe get some shakes and fries. You like shakes and fries, don’t you?”
    Lacy face crinkled into a confused grin. “Sure, I do. Daisy Queen. Nobody ever takes me there, though.”
    “Well, your mamma said it would be okay. As long as we don’t stay gone too long.”
    “Do I need to change my clothes?”
    Savannah knelt down in front of the girl. “N-no. Just grab your coat and go on out. Okay?”
    Lacy nodded and started to run toward the door. “Remember. Quiet,” Savannah reminded her softy.
    Savannah stood a moment, waiting, certain someone was going to wake and find her in the house, alive and uneaten. She tiptoed through the kitchen and to the back door. In the yard, Mikey still strained against his chain, lowly grunting.
    Just out of Mikey’s reach, Savannah sprinted toward the tree where the zombie’s chain was anchored. Thumbing the smallest key up, she plunged the key into the padlock.
    “Hell yeah,” she said under her breath as the key slid home and turned. The padlock fell away, the chain following. Mikey was free.
    But he was also fucking quick! He was on her in an instant. Savannah darted under his lunging arms, leaving him hugging air for a moment. She hustled toward the house, turning at the steps and waiting.
    “Come on, Mikey, you ugly bastard. Come and get me!”
    Mikey loped after her, growling like a mad dog. He stumbled up the porch steps behind her, closing, his cold, fetid breath bathing the back of her neck. Again, she ducked away from him and sprinted