Affliction Z: Abandoned Hope (Post Apocalyptic Thriller) by L.T. Ryan Read Free Book Online Page A

her judgment. His long arms could generate plenty of torque,
provided he had the room to maneuver, which he did. She had to switch their
positions somehow.
    He lifted an eyebrow and repeated his demand. “Take off your
shirt.”
    “Screw you.”
    He smiled as he took a step closer. “That’s the point.”
    Addison strafed to her right, angling her body when she
reached the corner. He continued to come toward her. She crossed her arms and
reached for the bottom of her shirt. Slowly, she pulled it up, stopping right
above her navel.
    His smile broadened. “More.”
    She shook her head while forcing a smile. “I’m not that kind
of girl.”
    “The world’s gonna end soon,” he said. “I think you can make
an exception.” He reached across his chest with his right hand and lifted the
strap of his messenger bag over his head while supporting the bag with his left
hand. He then shifted the bag from his right side to his left. The bag never
left his grasp.
    What did it contain?
    “If you want something, you’ll have to come get it,” she
said alluringly.
    He dropped his head an inch and voiced his agreement.
    Addison waited for him to draw closer to her and the wall.
His left arm was occupied by the leather bag. His right arm now swung freely
inches from the brick facade. Any hitting motion that could generate enough
force to knock her out would be disrupted.
    She hoisted her shirt while studying his eyes. They widened
as her bra was revealed. She whipped her right leg forward, aiming for his
groin. The guy jumped back at the last second. She connected, but not as well
as she’d hoped she would. His feet were off the ground and he bowed over at the
waist. He looked like a plastic bag caught in the wind. The messenger bag fell
to the ground. She figured he did it on purpose so he would hit the ground with
both hands available to break his fall.
    She reset, prepared to strike again. A second after he
landed, he lunged toward her. She spun to the side, sending him careening into
the wall. He let out a grunt as his right shoulder smashed into the brick wall.
With his left hand, he reached out and snagged her from behind. His weakened
right arm wrapped around her neck, pulling her toward him.
    Addison closed her eyes. She’d been in this same position
over a hundred times in self-defense classes. At the urging of her father,
she’d started taking them in the months prior to leaving for college. She still
attended weekly.
    Instincts took over. Addison lifted her right foot and drove
her heel down into the guy’s instep. He grunted and his grip around her became
noticeably weaker. Then she twisted her body to the left and whipped it back to
the right, slamming her elbow into his solar plexus. A hollow gasp escaped from
his mouth and his arm fell across her chest. She brought her hand down in a
quick movement and struck him in the groin. His arm completely slipped off her.
She took three steps forward and then spun around. He was bent over in front of
her.
    “I’m gonna kill you,” he said.
    She stepped forward with her left foot and kicked with her
right, catching him in the face. He rose slightly and she delivered another
kick to his groin. He fell back against the wall, and then slid down to his
knees.
    Addison checked over her shoulder. The alley was empty. She
saw his gaze fixed on something on the ground. She followed it and reached down
for the messenger bag. Opening it, she discovered the guy had two pistols
tucked inside. Her eyes grew wide. She pulled one out, astonished and wondering
if the guy planned on using one of them on her.
    Anger welled up inside of her. There was a time, like eight
hours ago, when she would have dropped the bag and ran. The world was different
now. She extended her arm and aimed the gun at the guy. He began to cry and
fell forward so that he was now positioned on his hands and knees, as if he
groveled before his queen.
    Addison shook her head, tucked the gun back inside the
messenger