Dead Hunger II: The Gem Cardoza Chronicle by Eric A. Shelman Read Free Book Online Page A

closed to within five feet, she put it through her forehead.  Almost as soon as the piercing wound killed the zombie, Charlie had the arrow extracted by virtue of her boot and a strong grip, and let the same arrow fly at another of the things.
    But from the direction of the plane crash, several others moved toward us.  Maybe they’d been feasting on some of the dead passengers who had been scattered around the fuselage, as they were covered with gore and blood.
    This brought the total to closer to twenty-five, over half of them already lying still.  As good as Charlie was, and even with Hemp’s and Flex’s help, she’d underestimated, and there were five more zombies coming up on her sides and behind her.
    I was out and running, careful to stay out of the lines of fire from Flex and Hemp.
    “Heads up, Hemp!” I shouted, running with my Uzi toward the most distant creatures, coming fast.
    “Go, Gem!  I got these!” Hemp shouted.  But Charlie was in his line of fire.  “Charlie, drop down, now!” he shouted, and she glanced back and hit the concrete quickly.  Hemp took aim and destroyed two more of the creatures with two three-round bursts.
    Charlie leapt back to her feet and said, “Thanks, babe!  You’re a lifesaver!”
    I reached the group that had come around the corner.  Two were in lab coats, and to my great fucking relief, neither of them was Max.  I could now see light at the end of the tunnel full of zombies, so just for kicks I started at the first technician’s torso and stitched a line of hot lead up the thing’s neck and right between its eyes.  The others I wasn’t so creative with.  Using two-round bursts, I unceremoniously laid out the other four. 
    Charlie took out two more, and suddenly, thankfully, we were at peace again.  Her quiver was empty.
    So was my Uzi.
    Start to finish, it had taken less than seven minutes.
    Charlie looked at me and smiled timidly.  “Sorry, Gem, but I really needed to take some of these fuckers out.  It makes me feel like I’m doing some good in the world.”
    “I know,” I said.  “It’s therapeutic.  But I’ve gotten a bit attached to you now, so don’t get yourself killed, okay?  Or turned into one of them.  I’ve had to kill people I love already, and I don’t look forward to ever doing that again.”
    Charlie nodded.  “Got it.  I’ll be more careful.  Promise.”
    A second later Hemp was by her side, his arm over her shoulders.  “Charlie,” he said.  “Are you okay?”
    “Yeah.  I . . . thanks, babe.  Without you guys, I—”
    “It’s okay.  I just don’t want to lose you now or ever,” he said.  He pulled her to him and hugged her, and she wrapped an arm around his neck.
    Flex approached us and Charlie withdrew from Hemp’s embrace with a soft pat to his chest.  She turned toward Flex.
    “Sorry, Flex.”
    “For what?  If we wanted to get inside, we had to put these things down.  This is just part of life now, Charlie.  Thanks for having the balls to get the process started.”
    “You’re welcome, Flex,” she said, breathing hard.  “Thanks, all of you.  I’ll go get Trina.”
    She walked to the car and tapped on the glass.  Trina’s head sprung up, and with a relieved look on her face, she unlocked the door.  Charlie picked her up and carried her along with me, Hemp and Flex toward the building’s entrance door.  We stepped around the mass of dead zombies, careful to watch for live heads.  There were none.
    Bunsen stayed in the mobile lab.  The stench didn’t seem to bother her or the pups.
     
    *****
     
    We approached the building and Flex pulled the door.  It opened.
    “Shit,” he said.  “Power’s out.  We need to be careful in here.”
    Hemp looked at the door handle.  “No muck on the door pull.  I don’t think these things get the process of opening a door yet.”
    “Yet,” Flex said.  “And let’s hope they don’t learn.  We know enough scary shit about these