New World, New Rules

The day the world ends starts just like every other day.

The double door was closed but the two arched windows on either side of the steps were broken out. The windows extended almost all the way to the ground. Scott climbed off his horse and Ham climbed off Cheval. They both grabbed their spears from the straps on their saddles and slowly approached the opening. Ham pulled out the flashlight.
"Careful." Jahda called.
Ham shined the light into the darkness. Rows of benches lined either side of a central pathway to a raised platform. Nothing moved. She tapped the flashlight against the side of the window. Nothing moved. She tapped again. Nothing.
"Let's open the door. I don't think we can crawl through right here." Scott said.
They moved around and up the steps to the door. Scott grabbed the handle and it gave way. The door swung open. He pushed the other one but it didn't move. He looked just inside and found the latch holding it at the top. He slid it down and opened it. The light flooded halfway into the sanctuary. The wooden floor was slick with mildew and the smell of animal feces filled the air. She swept the flashlight across the room as they stepped just inside the entrance.
The pews were swollen and misshaped from the moisture that dripped from the leaking roof. A large puddle gathered on the floor just in front of the pulpit. An old pipe organ sat in the corner. The pipes leaned and twisted as the organ suffered from the same saturation as the pews. Everything felt moldy. She shined the light up. Nests were built in the rafters and she could see pinpricks of light where the water came in. It had been almost a week since the last rain but water still dripped from the crossbeams.
"There's nothing here." Ham said.
"Did you think there would be?" Scott asked.
"No, I just wanted to see what it looked like." She said. "Now I've seen."
She turned and walked back down the steps. Scott joined her. The unmistakable sound of a deadun, that hissing growl, came from the side of the building.

New World, New Rules is book 17 of the Marionette Zombie Series by SB Poe