Kick at the Darkness by Keira Andrews Read Free Book Online Page A

face. Parker wanted to say something, because it had to really suck to be separated from your girlfriend when this shit was going down, but they were supposed to be boyfriends. Besides, what could he say? It sucked for all of them to be separated from people they cared about.
    “Do you have the key for the shells?” Adam asked Carey.
    She hesitated. “I do, but…are you sure it’s a good idea? Do you guys know what you’re doing?”
    Parker found himself laughing. “Of course we don’t. But there are zombies out there, for lack of a better word. They’re killing everyone, or infecting them, and I think we can skip the background checks.” His laughter echoed.
    The girls edged away, eyeing him uneasily, and Parker recognized there was a tinge of hysteria to his giggles. Yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Then Adam was there, standing right against him, his palm cupping Parker’s cheek.
    “In and out.”
    His breath was warm on Parker’s face, and Parker closed his eyes, leaning into him for a moment. He opened his eyes and looked into Adam’s. “Okay. I’m good. Sorry. I won’t freak out. How are you so calm?”
    Adam smiled for a moment. “I told you—I’m not. But we can’t fall apart right now.” He dropped his hand from Parker’s face.
    “Right.” Parker glanced at the girls. Carey and Daniela watched him warily, each with an arm around Lauren, who was crying. “I’m sorry. It’s going to be okay. We’re all scared. I was being a douche.”
    Lauren sniffled and wiped her nose. “Are those people really zombies?”
    Parker shook his head. “They’re…something. We don’t know.”
    “I can’t get in touch with my parents.” Lauren hiccupped with fresh sobs. “I can’t get in touch with anyone. None of us can.”
    “Me either. I talked to my brother for a minute, but that’s it.”
    Daniela looked to Adam, who stood awkwardly by the shotguns. “What about you?”
    Adam shook his head.
    Carey blew out a loud breath and knotted her hair into a bun with lightning-fast fingers, the pink stripe hanging down by her cheek. “Okay. Let’s do this. Guns, bullets, knives. What else?”
    “Food and water,” Daniela suggested.
    Parker realized he wasn’t hungry, which was a bad sign. He was always hungry. He surreptitiously felt his forehead. Was it warm? He felt tired and shaky all over, but that was to be expected, right? 
    Carey started handing out orders. “There’s a bunch of granola bars and chips by the cash, and some soda and water. You guys eat, and I’ll get the keys for the ammo.”
    “Oh!” Parker called after her. “You don’t have any swords, do you?”
    Carey grinned humorlessly. “This is your lucky day.”
     

     
    “That’s not how it goes.”
    Adam gave him the stink eye. “Yes. It is.”
    “No. It’s not ,” Parker insisted. “I know you’re a real tough guy, what with your leather jacket. I mean, as tough as a documentary MFA candidate can get, that is. But that’s not the way it goes.”
    “Fine.” Adam handed over the twelve-gauge semi-automatic shotgun and scope he’d been attempting to mount for five minutes. “Please show us all how it’s done.”
    With a flourish, Parker lined up the scope, slid open the joint, and snapped it into place. “Voila. Please hold your applause until the end of the performance.”
    Daniela giggled, and to his credit, Adam actually cracked a smile.
    “Have you handled a lot of shotguns?” Lauren asked.
    “Nope.” Parker waved the manual. “I just read the instructions. It’s a bold choice, I know.” He handed it to Adam with a smirk, and Adam began poring over the pages.
    Carey returned from the storeroom with a box of protein bars, which she dumped in the middle of their circle. “There are a few more back there. I guess it just depends how much we can carry.”
    They’d barricaded the front and back doors and created a nest of sleeping bags in the rear corner of the store by the emergency light. In