Infection Z (Book 5) by Ryan Casey Read Free Book Online Page A

infected. But it just grabbed his hand, pushed it back down to the ground.
    And then its attention turned to Hayden’s torso.
    To the insides within.
    Hayden’s heart pounded. He knew he had to do something. Try something. The knife. Yes, the knife. He had to use the knife. It was in his back pocket. He could reach in there. He could…
    The infected opened its mouth.
    Pressed its teeth against Hayden’s belly.
    Hayden kicked at it. Kneed it right in the side of its head. Knocked it off balance.
    The infected snarled. Looked him right in the eyes, like it had some level of cognisance that he’d never witnessed in the undead before.
    And then he saw it.
    He saw the infected’s face clearly. He saw exactly who it was.
    It was Michael. The same man who always called up when he was on the wall, asked how he was doing. He’d spoken to him just days ago. Spoken to him just after he’d cured him.
    As Michael pinned him down, as Hayden struggled to fight his way free, reaching for the knife in his back pocket, a sickening thought hit Hayden square in the gut.
    What if the immunisation did this?
    What if the immunisation turned Michael into one of these monsters?
    He didn’t have much time to check Michael for wounds. Not right now.
    He just kept on punching back. Kicking back. Hitting at Michael’s head as hard as he could. He couldn’t delay much longer. He needed to get back to Miriam. He needed to know she was safe; she was okay.
    Michael pressed down his right arm.
    Moved in with his teeth.
    Hayden took the opportunity, as risky as it was.
    He reached for the knife with his left hand.
    Grabbed it between his fingers as Michael’s teeth tightened on his arm.
    And then he swung it at Michael’s neck.
    At his head.
    Harder, harder, harder.
    He could still feel Michael’s teeth clamped down on his arm. He wasn’t sure if he’d been bitten; if he’d drawn blood. All Hayden could do right now was keep on stabbing, keep on hoping, keep on doing everything to get Michael away from him.
    He stabbed. Stabbed, and felt Michael’s blood spilling over him. Tasted its saltiness on his lips. All around him, the stench and sound of death grew.
    And then Michael’s body went limp.
    Hayden dragged himself from underneath Michael’s body. He stood. Brushed back his hair, which was glued together with setting blood. He looked down at Michael. No way of telling if he was bitten or not. Not while the infected were in the streets. No time to waste.
    He looked at his arm. He could see indentations, but he couldn’t see any blood coming from the wound. Of course, his arm was covered in the splatters of blood after he’d attacked Michael, but none of it seemed to be trickling from his own arm. Besides, it didn’t feel like he’d been bitten properly. Not the way he always imagined it’d be. He hadn’t felt any skin break.
    Didn’t matter if he had.
    He just had to get to Miriam.
    He caught his breath. Ran up the street. His legs were a little shakier than earlier; his head was spinning. But he kept on going. Kept on going despite the sounds of footsteps in the streets beside him. Despite the bodies of the fallen living rolling over, writhing in agony.
    Hayden felt a lump swelling in his throat as he ran through the bloodshed. He wanted to help these people. Put them out of their misery. They didn’t deserve to die in agony. That’s not what they’d fought for, what they’d worked for, in this place.
    But he couldn’t stick around. Because he had to protect those who had survived.
    He hoped Miriam was one of those people.
    He prayed to whatever god might be up there that Miriam was one of those people.
    He heard another crack behind him; an echo splitting through New Britain. He knew what it meant. More infected were inside. More of them had found their way into this place. He didn’t want to face it. Didn’t want to accept it. But denying it was stupid. Denying it was naïve.
    This place was invaded. Something alien was