Scavengers: July by K.A. Merikan Read Free Book Online Page A

into its head, immobilizing the zombie in an instant. The man shifted his gaze to him, breathing heavily.
    “Fuck,” he breathed, quickly helping James back on his feet. “You’re hurt!”
    “Oh God! He scratched me! He fucking scratched me!” It was slowly sinking in and James’ thoughts started running wild with panic, but he was also gripped by a strange pang of despair as his gaze swept over his brother’s corpse. They shared so many memories and to have seen him in this ungodly state was just too much!
    “Fuck... fuck!” Ira cursed in a low voice, grabbing him by the arms. He swallowed, clenching his jaw for a moment.
    “This is the end, isn’t it! It wasn’t worth shit!” shouted James with anger and a sense of failure. He would now die here and his wife and son would never get the life they deserved!
    Ira breathed angrily and shook his head. He seemed to be lost in thought.
    “Promise you will get some of the jewels to my family! Promise!” James grabbed him by the front of his jacket, looking him in the eyes with determination.
    “You said there's a blacksmith,” the other man sighed. It seemed his train of thought was different from James’. “Take me there.”
    James nodded his head and went forward, right to a small, but sturdy door. “The ladder is there,” he said in a suddenly quiet voice. He didn’t want to be, but he was also frightened. What would happen to him? Would he get sick first? For now, a weird sensation of stiffness spread all over his body. Was that fear or the first symptom?
    “Block the door,” said Ira, walking around the dark room. It only had two small windows and a large two-leaf door that presumably could be opened, but they would not risk it. He gathered some dry wood, paper and other things that could burn easily and began to stoke a fire and soon, James saw the flicker of a flame. Strangely, Ira seemed much more focused on this task, than on finding the jewels.
    James looked at him blankly. “A fire?” he raised his eyebrows and rigged the door with a big log of wood. “In the attic, there is another way down, through a latch in the floor,” he explained, “but you will need to jump.”
    “Yeah, fire. You’re not dead yet,” Ira said calmly, shooting James a long gaze. “I ‘eard it might ‘elp if you burn the scratch”.
    “What...?” James’ eyes opened wider as he stood leaning on the door. He met Ira’s gaze, as the man picked up a metal rod from a hanger on the wall and put its end into the fire.
    “You wanna live?” he asked.
    “Yes...” James whispered, feeling no power to argue. He took off his leather gloves and touched his face as his body was becoming cold with fear.
    “Now you clean it off,” Ira commanded, gesturing towards a water pump at the other end of the room, which was already becoming hot from the rising flames.
    James moved towards the pump to clean his face. Fortunately it was still working. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” he asked quietly, relieved at the cool sensation of fresh water on his skin and tongue.
    “No, but it’s worth a try” the other man said, opening his leather jacket and placing it on a dusty table.
    Upon hearing those words James became more frightened and found it harder and harder to breathe. “Did you ever see it work?” he whined as his eyes focused on the metal rod in the fire.
    The other man shook his head, stripped completely and folded his clothes into a neat pile. “But I saw it done” he answered, apparently hoping this would cheer James up.
    “You’ve never seen it work!?” James shouted, his body starting to shake uncontrollably. “What is this!? Some kind of sick torture before I die!?”
    Ira took a deep breath and walked in his direction. “How can I know?! Not like I’m stayin' to see!” he spat, slightly frustrated.
    James looked like a frightened animal, as he sat on a massive anvil, holding his face with his hands. He had no better idea for a course of