The Fall (Book 2): Dead Will Rise by Joshua Guess Read Free Book Online Page B

the discomfort.
    The shots came from the west, which means I should be safe...
    Kell rubbed his second weapon down his chest, then lobbed it at the closest zombie as he backed down the eastern side of the road. The small hill leading down from the highway, plus the height of the RV, should have offered him enough cover to avoid the shooters.
    The blood-soaked sponge his people used as bait smacked into the face of a ghoul already backing away from the fresh bout of ammonia. The thing had the thickened gray skin and intelligent eyes of the New Breed.
    Still backing away toward the woods, Kell screamed.
    “Now!”
    Gunfire erupted from the far side of the huge truck, and just as Kell lost sight of the group as he staggered backward down the incline, he saw them move. Hopefully toward the doors of their vehicles. The small swarm of zombies did not fall from his sight, however; they were moving toward him at a brisk pace.
    Turning to run along the edge of the woods at the base of the hill, Kell stopped. He hadn't paid attention to the area ahead, which was impassably choked with cars pushed off the main road. By the time his mind processed that information, the swarm was nearly on him. He spun to fight only to realize hands were both free.
    In his haste to throw his other weapons, he'd dropped the spear next to the RV.
    The dead moved with all-too-graceful steps, faster and more deadly than the rest of their kind. Maybe smart enough to get his armor free, should he falter, and win the tasty person within it.
    Whatever Laura and Kate thought of his motives, in that moment he knew one of their chief concerns was wrong.
    Kell wanted to live.
    After the briefest hesitation, he turned on his heel and dashed into the woods as fast as his feet could carry him. In the greater scheme of things it wasn't all that fast; his boots were tough but inflexible, making each bounding step a labor in itself. At least the ground at the edge of the woods was clear, making the way forward easy enough to traverse.
    Behind him, the roar of engines filled the road, only audible between bursts of gunfire. Thankfully, this very situation had come up in their discussions about the migration. Should one of them become separated from the group, the person should expect the group to stop ten miles south of where they lost him.
    Kell repeated that standing order in his head as his feet pounded twigs to dust. A brief glance over his shoulder showed only trees; the foliage was too dense for him to even see the road. That quick look also brought some relief, as the zombies behind him were losing ground. The gap between them had been less than five feet when he took off at the closest approximation of a sprint his footwear would allow. Now it was almost twice that.
    Granted, he'd run at least a hundred yards, but still. Progress. He tried to ignore the stitch creeping up his right side and focus on the positives.
    With a grim calculus, Kell debated whether he should toss another ammonia grenade. He was tired, hungry, and while years of effort built tremendous stamina and toughness, he was wearing nearly every piece of survival equipment he owned. The effort of running with it all was already setting his muscles on fire.
    Reluctantly, he pulled another sphere from his pouch, waiting to drop it until the perfect moment. He had no idea when that might be, of course, since this area of highway was virtually unknown to him. He could be heading for the nearest stretch of road, or for all he knew dashing madly toward the deepest part of the forest. The only thing he knew for certain was that the trees were growing thicker, and the land had begun to slope downhill, ever steeper.
    Someone blessed with less attention to detail might have missed the sharp twist in the foliage ahead, but Kell caught it in time—barely. The sound of running water caressed him between the basso drumbeats of his falling boots. Another backward glance showed a distance of about fifteen feet