The Dead Walk The Earth II by Luke Duffy Read Free Book Online Page A

mind.
    “Don’t cry, Chris,” she said quietly in a voice that she hoped would sound caring and soothing to him.
    “I can’t help it,” he stuttered between sobs. “You were really cruel.”
    “I know, but they were chasing us and they were getting closer. I had to try something and words were all I had.”
    “You called me names and I honestly believed you would leave me behind,” he whined in a high-pitched tone. “You’re my sister and you’re supposed to look out for me. I’ve never heard you speak like that and your words really hurt me, Tina.”
    His voice was beginning to irritate her. Even now he did not grasp the severity of the situation they were in and the consequences of his actions. He was filled with too much self-pity to be able to see the bigger picture and he was too self-centred to understand that the world did not revolve around him. Still, she attempted to swallow her simmering rage and keep her emotions on an even keel. She did not want to hurt or upset him but on the other hand, she did not want him to sit feeling sorry for himself and playing the role of the victim. The more he wept and bleated about how much her words and actions had hurt him, the more she struggled to keep her blood from boiling over.
    “Why did you say those things, Tina? You hit me and said some nasty things. I thought you were really going to leave me. I felt worthless and that you didn’t care anymore.”
    She took in a deep breath and stared at the window in front of her. Her right index finger continually tapped against the radial artery in her wrist as she attempted to keep her cool. She concentrated on controlling her breathing and blood pressure. She had learned a few tricks over the years on how to deal with her anxiety and compulsions but at that moment, it was her burning rage that was threatening to get the better of her.
    “Mum would never have said things like that to me. She wouldn’t have threatened to leave me behind. She would never have…”
    “Mum’s fucking dead, Chris,” Tina suddenly exploded as she sprang up from the couch, “and if it wasn’t for me, you would be dead along with her.”
    She vaulted over towards his end of the settee. Her dark silhouette loomed over him menacingly as he recoiled back into the cushions under the ferocity of her outburst. Even in the near blackness he could see her clenched white teeth and imagined the sneering grimace that was etched across her face.
    “For twenty-seven years she wiped your arse for you and fed you to the point where you could barely stand,” Tina growled into his face as she raised an accusing finger towards him. “You have never done anything for yourself and chose to stay at home, playing fucking computer games like a retarded Japanese kid while the rest of us real people went out and lived our own lives. You have lived your entire life like a parasite. Then all this shit kicks off and it was up to me to pull your huge arse to safety.”
    “But…” he sputtered back as he attempted to defend himself.
    “But fuck all, Chris. Mum died slowly and painfully while you did nothing to help her. You kept her locked in her room while you sat crying and wallowing in self-pity. It was me who put her out of the misery she was in. You’re lucky I made it home when I did because you would still be there now, wasting away with no one to look after you. Or worse, ending up as food for mum.”
    She paused and pulled away from him. She sighed heavily and placed her hands on her hips as she stepped back away from the couch.
    “Look at yourself. You can’t and won’t do anything for yourself. You’ve always been that way. You expect everyone else to take care of you and wrap you up in cotton-wool.”
    “But…”
    “We nearly died yesterday because of you, Chris.” Her tone had calmed slightly. “I had to drag and push you all the way here. You’re a grown man for fuck sake, and you weigh more than three times as much as me.”
    She