CHAPTER FOUR

The Unread

A group of hooded monk-like figures stepped out of the darkness. They wore tattered, shabby robes that hid their faces. Baru counted nine of them shuffling toward the writers’ group and the Pages.

One of the monks moaned and held a twisted finger in their direction. His fingernailwas long and jagged. It looked as if it had been torn and chewed by a nasty creature.

Another monk held a stick. Without warning, the end of the torch ignited.

“Fire,” said Charlotte in a shaky voice. “I don’t care for fire.”

“Um, Baru?” Jordan asked. “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” Baru replied. “I swear!”

Mary, Ann, and Charlotte gathered up their notebooks and backed away from their chairs. Charlotte kicked the table over, slowing the monks’ advances.

The monks groaned and kept coming. One tried climbing the overturned table. As it did, a jagged splinter caught its robe, tearing it off.

Baru was horrified—and also fascinated—to see that it wasn’t a monk after all. It was a worm-eaten zombie!

“Wow!” Baru shouted. “Rotten monks!”

Javier and the other Pages stepped forward, armed with heavy books they had picked up from the floor. Hoping to keep the zombie monks at bay, they threw the books at them. A giant book smacked one of the monks in the head, knocking it from its shoulders. Its head hung from its neck by strings of rotting flesh.

“Nice shot!” Baru shouted.

“Thanks,” said Javier. “I think that was War and Peace!”

“If we don’t do something pretty soon, we’ll all end up in pieces!” Kelly shouted. She flung a smaller book at the monsters. A zombie caught it and began to gnaw at the book’s binding with its rotten teeth.

“Perfect,” Jordan groaned. “These things eat books!”

Baru watched as the three authors kept backing up, clutching their notebooks tightly.

“How do we stop them?” Cal asked. “These hooded horrors just keep coming!”

Mary shook her head. “As I said, it’s impossible to stop them. They crave the freshest literature they can get. That’s why they want to eat our work.”

Baru was stunned. Zombies in books and movies only wanted to eat the freshest flesh and the tastiest brains. These zombies were looking to eat . . . words? Well, words come from brains, he thought.

“I suspect they like to eat people too,” Ann added. “We just haven’t tested that theory yet.”

“Let’s not do it now,” Kelly replied. “We should get out of here!”

Lightning flashed, lighting up the entire ruined cathedral. Rain came down in sheets, soaking them instantly. The women tucked their notebooks under their arms.

“There’s nowhere to go!” Baru cried. The wind plastered his wet hair to his face. “This cathedral is the only shelter we’ve got!”

The zombie monks advanced, passing the overturned table. They lurched closer to the group. Rain soaked their robes. The wind blew more hoods off, exposing their rotten faces.

“Is there nothing else we can do?” Javier asked. He threw another book at the zombies.

Ann and Charlotte both turned to Mary. “You must show them your secret,” Ann said to her. “It may be our only chance.”

“Yes, of course. You’re right,” Mary said, glancing at her fellow writers. “Even if it seems rather foolish.”

Without a word, Mary led the group through the shelves and toward the back of the cathedral. There, she climbed a long flight of stone steps. The women’s long gowns didn’t keep them from rushing up behind her.

“This leads to the choir loft,” said Javier.

“As long as they don’t expect me to sing,” said Jordan.

Finally, at the very top, Mary led them around another shelf and into a wide-open space. Baru gasped at what he saw.