Tome of Bill (Companion): Shining Fury by Rick Gualtieri Read Free Book Online Page A

them.”
    I found myself skeptical as to her motives. We were already running up against more delays than I’d hoped. If things were going according to plan, then Bill and his group were rapidly approaching from the north. I was going to question Bernadette on that, but then held my tongue. What I’d been about to say had been accusatory in nature, a potentially disastrous thing to do considering the stakes at play.
    Instead, I asked, “How bad are the rest?”
    “Bruises and scratches mostly. We’re triaging them now. Normally it wouldn’t be a concern, but the nature of these creatures has me worried.”
    “I can help.”
    Kelly strolled over, having obviously caught the last few moments of our conversation. “Anyone bitten?”
    “No.”
    “They should be fine then.”
    “Really?” Bernadette snapped. “You’ll forgive my skepticism in your opinion since the creatures we fought were not dispatched as easily as you had led us to believe.”
    “Sorry. I’m just going by what I know from the movies. This sort of magic, it’s not something any Magi I know of has delved all too deeply in.”
    “Then how can you possibly give advice on the care of their victims?”
    “Well, it sounds logical to me.”
    Bernadette opened her mouth, no doubt to say something scathing to Kelly. However, at that moment, Meg joined us. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
    “So are you going to give me a lesson in logic, too?” Bernadette asked.
    “Nope. Just fact. Christy told me that her fiancé was bitten by a zombie last year.”
    “I didn’t see a ring on her finger.”
    Meg shot Kelly a withering look. “As I was saying, she found out about it several days after the fact. She put him through an entire cleansing ritual to be safe, but said she was pretty sure it was unnecessary.”
    “A full cleansing ritual?” Kelly replied. “Ouch.”
    “Bad?” I asked.
    “Think of yourself as a dinner plate and it as a dishwasher set to scalding.”
    “More or less,” Meg acknowledged. “Anyway, nothing came of it. I don’t know what these things actually are ... maybe some kind of flesh golems or vampires that didn’t take, but whatever the case, I’m thinking we can toss out the Night of the Living Dead rulebook.”
    Bernadette appeared to consider this. “I won’t let you touch my brothers with dark magic.”
    “Trust me, the feeling is mutual,” Meg replied, her tone tinged with acid. “It would kill the better part of a day anyway and I don’t feel like wasting the effort.”
    “How about this?” I offered. “I’ll mend their wounds. It’ll only take me a few minutes. After that, we’ll keep an eye on them. If anything starts to look weird, we can discuss our options.”
    “I will not allow my brethren to be bewitched.”
    “Nor am I suggesting it,” I said. “I’m asking that we keep an open mind just in case. It’s only a precaution.”
    Bernadette didn’t look pleased, but she replied, “Very well.”
    “Good. Now let’s divert some more men to burying the remains. We need to get moving before someone notices we’re h...”
    The hum of engines rumbling in the distance caught my ear, and I spun to see multiple sets of headlights turn onto the street from several blocks down.
    “Oh crap,” Kelly said. “I’m pretty sure it’s too late for that.”
    A moment later, any questions as to their identity were answered as red and blue flashing lights lit up the pre-dawn street.
    Considering we’d all driven up in stolen cars and had recently set the street ablaze as we fought off a small horde of the undead, I had a feeling the next few minutes were going to be quite interesting.
     

CHAPTER 10
    “Need us to dissuade them?” Meg asked, her hand igniting in a pale blue glow.
    “I will not be party to your wanton murder,” Bernadette snapped.
    “Do I look like Jeffrey Dahmer to you? This is a stun spell.”
    I hated to admit it, but that didn’t sound like a particularly bad