MZS: Philadelphia (Metropolitan Zombie Survivors Book 3) by K. D. McAdams Read Free Book Online Page A

hoped it was the man and not the child? There may not be honor among thieves, but even during the zombie apocalypse, are there people who could intentionally kill a kid?
    Being near the hotel does not assure my safety. The shooters appear to have lines of sight over a wide area of the square. Stepping out from behind the door could make me the next target.
    Susan speaks to me again. “Help them.”
    Maybe my fight isn’t for justice. Maybe my fight is for survival.
    There needs to be a distraction. If the shooters have more to deal with, the runners will have a better chance. The gunfire from the Humvee has paused; maybe he has a problem or ran out of bullets.
    Next to nothing is at my disposal. Damon had a knife. I could have used that to reflect the light into the shooter’s eyes, but I don’t even have a watch to try that tactic out with.
    If I leave the window by the door, I won’t see what happens to the runners. That may be a good thing, but it feels like I’m giving up on them. Standing here watching in fear is not helping, though.
    In the stairwell under the last flight of stairs is a sign with two cinder blocks. The sign reads “Hotel Monaco Main Entrance” with an arrow underneath. My guess is they place it down on the corner to direct traffic from the side street when business is slow.
    With the horde of zombies milling about in the lobby, I suspect most people would prefer to avoid the main entrance. If only there was a way to get the shooters to take care of the zombies.
    There is.
    I grab one of the cinder blocks and the sign. My plan is insane, but it’s probably the only chance I have at succeeding.
    The door is open wide and I wave wildly. Screaming at the top of my lungs only adds to the cacophony; there is no way they can hear me over the gunfire. I achieve eye contact with the man in front, the one who is carrying the lifeless body of the child.
    When I am confident that they are coming toward me, I place the sign between the door and the jamb and heft the cinder block out to the sidewalk. Satisfied that the door will be open when I return, I take off down the sidewalk toward the hotel entrance.
    I choose a large window and stop. Banging on the glass gains the attention of the zombies inside. After a few seconds of nothing, the horde becomes organized and heads toward the window. I step back to the street and swing the heavy block in my right hand.
    As soon as I let go, I start to run. The sudden movement saves my life. A bullet whistles past my back and digs into the pavement behind me.
    The cinder block bounces off the plate glass and falls uselessly to the ground.
    Shit.
    Even though there are people shooting at me, I’m committed. I have to see this through.
    I go back to the cinder block and lift it again. Careful not to step back all the way to the street, I swing the block once more. This time I don’t let go. My hand carries the block to the surface of the window and through the glass.
    The window shatters and falls down around my arm like rain. Now it’s time to run.
    Glancing back over my shoulder reveals that the zombies are faster than I expected. There are at least ten of them out on the street now and more pushing through the open window.
    Up in front of me, a young woman is just getting to my door. The man directly behind her is close enough to touch her, but there is another man just passing the Humvee.
    The man in the gun turret lets fly with an extended burst of gunfire. Expended shell casings clatter off the roof and fall to the ground with a pitch high enough to break through the explosive sound of their other half. I cannot see his face but have an impression that the man in the turret is perfectly calm.
    I arrive at the door in conjunction with the fourth runner and we both push inside.
    My ears are assaulted with a new sound: screams and cries. I forgot how long I had been alone in my room without stimulation.
    “What the fuck!” screams the man close to the