Mail Horror Bride (One Nation Under Zombies Book 1) by Raymond Lee Read Free Book Online

Paul at her birth that if anything ever happened to him, he’d take care of the girl.
    The growling wail grew louder as he traveled the hall and he discerned which door it came from. The second from last.
    “Angela?” he called as he gripped the knob. “Angela, it’s Hallelujah Brown. I’m an old friend of your dad’s and your godfather. Are you in here?”
    “Yes,” came a small trembling voice.
    “I’m coming in, honey.”
    He turned the knob and pushed. The first thing he saw was Angela, sitting in the corner of the room in a black T-shirt, jean cutoffs and black hiking boots. She sat huddled in the corner with her knees pulled up to her chin, hands clasped in front. Her eyes darted from him to the other side of the room, tears making them glisten.
    Hal stepped inside and turned to see the rest of the room that had been hidden by the door. He cried out in alarm and sheer disgust as his gaze settled on the crib and the tiny cloudy-eyed monster growling inside it. “What is that?”
    “My little sister,” Angela answered. “I think she’s hungry.”
    “Lord help us,” Hal whispered, walking toward the crib.
    The baby, no more than a year old, stood and gripped the bars, moaning and growling. A face that should have been sweet looked anything but. It snarled at him viciously as drool dripped from the corners of its mouth. Its skin had a slight greenish tint and he knew the few teeth he could see protruding from its gums as its lips pulled back to make monstrous sounds were deadly weapons. This thing was not a child, not in any human sense, but he realized that Paul and Angela would have trouble seeing that. Now he knew what Paul had been referring to when he’d asked Hal over the phone to do what he could not.
    “Where’s your father?”
    Angela sobbed. “He tied himself up in the basement with Elena after he killed her. He had to. She was going to kill us all. He told me you would be coming for me and to wait here.”
    “Did he turn?”
    Angela shook her head. “I heard the gunshot. He made sure you were coming first, then he killed himself down there so I wouldn’t see.”
    “He killed himself.”
    “He stopped himself from becoming a monster. I wouldn’t have been able to kill him, even if he tried to eat me.”
    Hal looked at the baby monster again, his stomach rolling. “Have you touched her?”
    “Daddy said not to, no matter what. She can hold bottles on her own so I tossed one in the crib but she hasn’t picked it up. She won’t stop crying. She sounds hungry.”
    “Oh, she’s hungry all right.” Hal ran his finger over his gun’s trigger, remembering the zombies who’d attacked him at the gas station. They were all hungry.
    “You’re going to kill her, aren’t you?”
    “Yes and no.” He looked at Angela. “Your little sister already died. That thing is not her. Call it a zombie if you like. Call it a demon. Either word fits. There’s nothing that can be done to save your sister. She is in God’s arms already. That monster in her body needs to be destroyed.”
    “I can’t watch.”
    “I wouldn’t allow you to. It’s bad enough you have this memory of her. Just remember it isn’t her. Remember her the way she was.”
    Angela nodded and stood. “Please make it quick.”
    “I will. She won’t suffer.” He met Angela’s eyes, eyes that had seen far more than any twelve-year old should have seen. “I promise.”
    “My dad said you were a good man. I trust him so I trust you.”
    She left the room, shutting the door behind her.
    Hal looked back at the baby. It continued snarling at him, drool spilling down its cheeks. “I’m sorry, Paul. You just find your peace, brother. I’ll take care of your girls.”
    He walked over to the crib, placed the gun against the baby’s tiny forehead and pulled the trigger, putting it out of its misery like the rabid animal it was. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    II
    Survival

 
     
    The streets were silent. Deadly silent.