The Saga Of Tom Stinson (Book 1): Summer School Zombocalypse Read Online Free

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CHAPTER FIVE
THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN
    Tom threw a chair at the zombies and dove into the vent shaft. Six feet in he hit his head on the shaft wall. The shaft turned right and sloped upward. Shrieks and howls echoed after him as he scrambled into the darkness. Turning left at the top he followed the shaft blindly, feeling the way with his hands. He couldn’t tell how far he gone in the dark.
    The metal of the air duct creaked and popped as he squeezed around a corner to the right. Insulated from the outside world by the walls of the shaft, he couldn’t hear anything but the push of air past his ears. The air was cool and he felt safe with the metal around him. He stopped and listened.
    Ahead, a vent grate appeared in the floor of the shaft. Peering down, the hallway below was lit by the sun shining through the brick glass windows of the stairwell. He was near the front doors.
    Figures moved in a strange dance, flicking in and out of the shadows. Shivers ran up his back. He moved on. Up again, right, and then left. He must be on the second floor by now. If he found a junction where he could go to the right, the library wouldn’t be far.
    His shoes squeaked as he pushed himself along. Over the rush of air past his ears he could hear muffled voices, and the smell of antiseptic stung his eyes. Where was he?
    Light shone through another vent cover. He pressed his face to it, hoping to see out. It was the school nurse’s office; no other place in the school smelled as bad. He was on the wrong side of the building. Through the vent, the nurse sat on the sick bed, holding down a figure. A blood covered cloth slopped onto the floor. “I don’t care, Jack. Give me your shirt, I need more bandages,” she pleaded. “We have to stop the bleeding.”
    “ But...,” replied a shaky voice.
    “ Damn it Jack. Now!” she ordered.
    Tom punched the vent open and wiggled free, dropping down onto the floor hands first. He was glad not to be confined by the vent any longer.
    At the same moment that he hit the floor, the nurse saw him. Her voice pierced Tom’s ears, and she picked up a crutch in her blood soaked hands to charge at him. She clubbed him and thrust the crutch like a spear, knocking him back into the wall.
    Tom held up his arms in defense. “Stop! Wait!”
    Seeing that he wasn’t a zombie, she dropped the crutches and blinked. “What were you doing in there? How did you...? You could have been hurt. It’s dangerous in there.”
    Silent, Tom stared at her.
    “ What class did you come from?” she asked.
    The walls were painted light green, and an eye chart hung above her desk. He leaned to his side to see past the nurse at the boy on the bed. She leaned in front of him, blocking his view.“Go over there and sit down.”
    A cough came from behind; he stiffened and turned. Principal Davies stood in the corner of the room by the door. He held a clipboard over his head like he was ready to strike. His shirt was untucked, and his belly hung out. Even after their meeting earlier Tom was relieved to see the principal. Principals were trained for emergency situations, and this was definitely an emergency. He stepped forward and smiled weakly.
    Principal Davies dropped the clipboard and grabbed him by the arms. “What have you seen, Stinson? What’s going on out there? Tell me now.”
    “ Let him sit down, Jack. The boy is in shock,” the nurse said.
    Tom recoiled, breaking free from Principal Davies’ grasp with a tear in his eye. His voice shook. “I failed. My class is dead.”
    “ Figures you’re the one who would run,” the principal said, reaching to grab hold of him again. “Tell me what you saw?”
    Tom took a couple quick steps back and crashed into the nurse’s desk. A bottle of antiseptic fell to the floor and shattered, vapor rose up and stung his eyes.
    “ You mess up everything you do. Don’t you take the time to think?” Principal Davies snapped.
    “ The plane crashed,” Tom said. “I tried to