Zombies in Paradise (Love in the Age of Zombies Book 2) (32 page)

“Shh!” The three of them stood still.

“I hear it now,” said Kevin, hearing a low rasping, buzzing sound. “It’s coming from straight ahead. What is it? It doesn’t sound like any kind of machine  .  .  .  or insects  .  .  .  ” They continued on even more cautiously. Doc pointed the flashlight straight ahead. Soon the flashlight dimly revealed a set of double doors at the end of the corridor.

“The gymnasium, I expect.” Doc murmured. The closer they moved, the louder the sound became. “I hear it now. These old ears don’t work as well as yours.”

They approached the double doors nervously. By the time they got close enough to touch them, they were even more confused by the sound. It sounded like the low murmur of a large group of people, and yet  .  .  .  not like that at all. As if the voices were distorted somehow. Doc shined the flashlight through the glass plate on the door, but all they could see was an eight- or ten-foot cinder-block foyer. At the end of the foyer was a set of doors. A door was centered in each of the walls leading to the gym, one labeled
Gym Coach
, the opposite door marked
Equipment
. As Doc’s flashlight played over the small corridor, Kevin checked the latches on the doors. They were both locked. He tried his key; it fit.

“Now what?” he asked. “Should we go in?”

“Let’s not be hasty,” Doc suggested. “Let’s look around.” Doc used the flashlight to illuminate the walls and corridors around them. He stopped when the light revealed a small floorplan mounted to the wall. “It’s a map of the fire escape routes,” he announced. A small
You Are Here
dot indicated their position.

“Look, it shows a stairwell leading to the gym balcony,” Michelle pointed out.

“Wouldn’t they have bleachers? Why a balcony?”

“This is an elementary school, not a high school. I doubt they had a lot of sports competitions in a gym this small. From what I see on the floor plan, there’s no access to the balcony from inside the gym. Let’s check it out.”

The map guided them to the stairwell. Above the single door was a plaque reading
Gymnasium Balcony
. Kevin tried the door. It was unlocked. He pulled it open and the three of them looked at each other, bewildered. The stench wafting through the door was exceeded only by the increased volume of the buzzing sound and high pitched rasping.

“That almost sounds like—”

“Zombies,” Michelle said, eyes wide with horror. “
Zombie
children
.”

“Many zombie children,” Doc chimed in, feeling sicker by the minute. Kevin pulled the door open and they looked into the dim stairwell. The odor was so strong Doc began to gag. Together they walked through the open door.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is a writer and graphic designer who spends much of his time engaged in his favorite hobbies; photography, singing bass in several choral groups, hydroponic gardening, brewing and drinking beer, and perfecting his Zombie Blood hot sauce
(“Reanimate Your Taste Buds”)
. He lives in Athens, Georgia, with his wife, Gretchen.

For news about the continuing saga of
Love in the Age of Zombies
, including bonus material and information about the finale,
Zombie Destruction,
scheduled for release in October, 2016, join the author on
www.jameskevans.com
.