Mercy (The Last Army Book 1) by John Freeter Read Free Book Online Page B

the demon’s weight. The monster parted its cavernous jaws and roared, the sound as loud as a freight train’s horn. Its foul breath enveloped me in the stench of putrid meat.
    The demon clamped its jaws on Mr. Jenkins’s head and tore it off. I screamed as it feasted on the rest of his body.
    A loud blast went off behind me. One of the monster’s eyes exploded, discharging ribbons of black blood. The demon howled, stunned. Martin dashed forward until he stood next to me, holding a gun. He kept a steady aim on the creature’s head and squeezed the trigger again and again with a deliberate calm, betrayed only by the horror in his eyes. The demon’s long fangs shattered as the bullets struck them. Three more of its eyes burst under Martin’s barrage.
    The handgun’s empty magazine clinked on the pavement. The monster gathered its strength and advanced toward us with forceful but uncoordinated strides, growling as torrents of dark blood oozed from its face. I shrieked as it swiftly closed the gap between us. The beast’s two remaining eyes burned with murderous intent.
    Another magazine clicked into Martin’s handgun. A torrent of blazing lead checked the demon’s advance, scattering its brains across the street. The creature collapsed on its side and swiped the air, clinging to life, but its large purple tongue soon flopped onto the pavement.
    Martin slapped another magazine into the gun and trained it on the demon. A few seconds went by, and the creature remained still. Martin lowered his weapon and took a couple of long, slow breaths with his eyes closed.
    “What the hell’s going on?” Martin asked himself. He brushed back his short black hair. “Are you hurt?” He looked down at me and offered to help me to my feet. I took his hand. The warmth of his touch restored some of my strength, but my legs still shook so badly I barely managed to get up. Martin approached the demon’s corpse, the gun clasped in his hands, finger on the trigger. I followed him, keeping his broad shoulders between the monster and myself.
    The reek of rotten eggs rose from the dark blood pooling around the demon. Clusters of jagged holes covered its face. I saw no exit wounds. The beast must’ve measured at least ten feet from the tip of its mangled snout to the end of its lion’s tail. The fur on its stomach and behind its legs was a dark grey rather than pitch black like the rest of it. Martin crept closer to the demon, and as he stepped on its blood, the sole of his boot fizzled. He pulled it back right away. The smell of burnt rubber briefly overpowered the demon’s stench.
    “Stay away from it—it’s dangerous,” he said.
    “You don’t say?” I took a deep breath. “Sorry… it’s just that—”
    “I know. It’s okay.” His lips briefly twitched into a smile.
    “What… what is that… that thing?” Karla asked as she inched forward, tears still trailing down her cheeks.
    I was surprised to find her still around. The school’s security guard trailed behind her, staring in awe at the lifeless creature. Everyone else had fled.
    “Lala! Are you okay?” I asked, rushing to her.
    “No,” she whispered. Although she stared me in the face, it felt as if her light-brown eyes looked right through me. I squeezed her between my arms and patted her back.
    “Don’t worry, Lala. We’ll join up with the others, and then we’ll look for your dad, okay?”
    Martin walked up to the security guard and handed him the gun. The guard took it as if it were a bundle of poison ivy, barely raising his hands. Martin gave him a nod and turned to me.
    “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Rebecca. We’re practically out of the city. Our best bet would be to push on eastward, head for some open ground.”
    Karla stiffened. She pushed me out of the way and marched up to Martin. “No, we’ve got to search for survivors around here and then find the others.”
    “We should get out of here—right now,” Martin said.
    Karla