Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven, Part 4 Sneak Peek (Patreon)

This is a new scene from chapter 17 where you are investigating a hardware store:

You step through the doorway with Rachel close behind, both of you moving slow, weapons raised. The smell hits first—a thick, sour stench of rot layered with chemicals. It clings to the back of your throat, and it's sharp and greasy, like spoiled meat soaked in bleach.

The room is dim, lit only by the slanted beams of sunlight filtering through boarded windows. A low groan comes from the far corner. You swing towards a welded cage and what’s left of a zombie. Its torso drags sluggishly against the metal grate, arms twisted at odd angles, one eye milky and unfocused. It has no legs, only a shredded waist and dried stains smeared across the floor.

Around the room, makeshift tables sag under the weight of equipment: old lab trays, jars filled with cloudy liquid, and rusted surgical tools arranged in tidy rows on bloodstained cloth. A whiteboard hangs crooked on one wall, crowded with faded notes and drawings. You spot a diagram of a human skull, portions circled in red. Beside it, someone’s written: “Conscious? Repeating patterns? REMAINS?”

The zombie groans again, low and guttural, dragging one arm toward the bars. A length of rebar runs through the cage door, jammed tight with wire.

On another table, papers are pinned down with pliers. You glimpse the name “Mr. Tom Whittaker” written across a torn substitute teacher badge. Nearby, a jar holds a shriveled organ, maybe a heart—dunked in a cloudy yellow solution.