Omega Virus (Book 1): Beta Hour by Jake A. Strife Read Free Book Online Page B

me.
    Wesley
had been right; we weren’t alone.
     

 
    LEVEL 07 – LOADING PVP
     
    My companions
were knocked out cold, and taken hostage.
    “Crap,
crap, crap! What do I do?”
    Taking
a silent breath, I closed my eyes.
    Figuring
out their numbers would give me a chance. The reality remained, they had what
looked like assault rifles. To try and fight them on my own would be suicide.
The exact reason PvP sucked. I always ended up without a team, in games, and in
life.
    “What
now?” I whispered.
    I
could barely swallow the sobs rising in my throat. If Jessie were captive,
would I be hiding like a rat? Of course not. If it
were Jessie, I would’ve run up the escalator going full attack mode. She'd do
the same for me, but Tiffany or Wesley would surely leave me to die.
    I
rocked back and forth, my arms wrapped around my knees. “Get a grip!”
    In
my mind's eye, Tiffany stood back at the school, wearing her violet t-shirts,
baggy jeans, and black hat. She needed a cut, but she had lovely, long, golden
hair. She didn’t often smile, which made her cuter. She didn't wear makeup. I
hated makeup and anything that made a person fake. I shook my head. Jessie or
Tiffany, what did it matter? They needed my help.
    I
checked my pistol; fully loaded with the safety off. “You don’t need a reason
to help someone,” I repeated several times.
    A
Corpse's groan came from nearby. I turned to find a child crawling towards me
from the shadows. I stared in terror. He had a good chunk of his lower face
ripped off, and bloody pieces of skin scraping the
floor with each pull.
    I
swatted the air between us. “Go away!”
    He
groaned louder and kept coming. Corpses weren’t dogs. They didn’t obey
commands.
    Dull
thuds banged down the escalator. I sucked in my breath and drew my dagger. I'd
become trapped between an undead and some freak with a rifle. A man grunted and
leaped over my head, clearing my feet by mere inches. He
stood straight and tall, wearing a flannel shirt torn in several places. The heavy stench of alcohol soaked the air.
    As
he cracked his neck, I watched for a chance to flee.
    The
guy reached down, picking up the undead child by its hair.
    “What
do we have here?” he asked, his voice deep and gruff.
    The
Corpse snapped and snarled, trying its best to grab him. The guy laughed and
ripped off one of its arms.
    “The
hell you doin’?” A deep voice bellowed from upstairs.
    He
ripped off the Corpse's other arm. “Havin’ some fun!”
    “Well
hurry up! This lovely little thing is piping hot; I don’t think I can’t take
any more of just starin ’.”
    The
guy before me ripped off the Corpse's head and shouted back. “She needs to be
purified first!”
    I
started to crawl away but froze as he turned and looked upstairs. “Only Pa can
purify the sinners!” He slammed the corpse’s head on the escalator railing,
squishing it like a melon.
    “Oh, cmon .” A girl said. “She’s too young.”
    “Ain’t no laws like that no more!” The upstairs guy chuckled.
    Anger
swelled up inside. They wanted to hurt Tiffany. I wouldn’t let them touch her,
and I sure as hell wouldn’t let them purify her.
    In
an instant, I rolled to my knees and stabbed my dagger right into the guy's
crotch. The scream would haunt me forever.
    He
fell to his knees, grabbing at the remains of his manhood. He sobbed violently,
thrashing about in pooling blood. Fury ran deep in my veins as I thrust my gun
to his forehead.
    He
finally saw me. His large, shaking pupils showed only confusion. He looked
broken; I didn’t know if I could finish the job.
    “Jus’
kill me,” he said. “Finish me off, you dirty little piece of crap!”
    He
could barely raise his voice above a whisper. I didn’t have it in me to pull
the trigger. I couldn’t kill someone, not like Wesley. I didn't have a murderer
within.
    “Hear
that?” The guy upstairs yelled. “Sounds like Henry got himself bit!”
    “Good
riddance to the hog.” A deep, almost