Page 83 of Grave Danger

“I want to go a little farther,” Oliver said over his shoulder. “You can go back if you want.”

“Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you, Ollie?”

“That question feels like a trap, so I’m not going to answer,” Oliver said.

“Smart,” Dave said.

Demetrius was about to say he agreed with Dave when his foot splashed into the creek. “What the heck?”

“You slip?” Cody asked.

“No. I think the water’s rising.”

“I think you’re right,” Agatha said. “Hey, guys.”

Oliver and Dave stopped and looked back. “What’s up?”

“The creek’s rising,” Cody said.

They all looked at the creek, and Demetrius saw now that the water level had truly risen. The stones that might have before been exposed, were all under the surface. Water had crept up higher onto the banks as well.

“I think we should turn back,” Cody said. “The storm’s getting stronger.”

As if to reinforce Cody’s point, thunder crashed, making them all jump.

“Cody’s right,” Demetrius said. “We should go back.”

Oliver and Dave approached, and they all turned to go back. The storm clouds had thickened even more, dimming the light in the woods and making it difficult to see. Cody was in the lead with Demetrius behind him. Moving a few feet away from the bank of the creek, Cody led them deeper into the trees to avoid the rising water. Lightning sparked across the sky, the flash illuminating the area even there beneath the trees. Cody stopped suddenly, and Demetrius ran into him.

“Oh, sorry,” Demetrius said. “What’s wrong?”

“We’ve got trouble,” Cody said.

“The water rising faster?” Demetrius looked down at the ground, but the flooding didn’t appear to be much higher than before.

“Worse,” Cody said.

“What’s going on?” Dave said.

“We’ve got company,” Cody said.

“Company?” Agatha moved out from behind Demetrius. “What do you mean? Oh.”

Demetrius looked around Cody and felt a chill go through him. Figures approached through the trees and along the creek. Their steps were slow and plodding, movements jerky. The dim lighting made it hard to see details, but another stutter of lightning provided a quick look, and Demetrius felt an icy fist clutch his heart.

“Zombies,” Agatha said.

“What?” Oliver exclaimed as he moved up beside Demetrius. “Holy shit.”

“That’s a lot of… them,” Dave said. “How many are there?”

“A lot,” Cody said, taking a couple of steps back. “More than I want to mess with.”

“Let’s keep following the creek,” Demetrius said. “It’s got to come out someplace we can find help.”

Cody turned to him. “Sure about that?”

Demetrius shook his head. “Hopeful, not sure.”