Wake the Dead by Gary F. Vanucci Read Free Book Online Page B

using air quotes and almost losing her balance from her perch on the bough. ”I was contemplating killing them before they had the chance, but…I don’t know.”
    “Real nice guys,” Alex quipped, not offering any information on the subject. “And there aren’t any more in your group?”
    “My sister was…and so was my husband up until a few weeks ago. He was one of the ones who were killed in that last attack. And these two promised to keep me safe. At least I think it was weeks ago. Maybe even a month by now, I can’t really remember. I think my sister might still be alive out there somewhere, too….”
    She appeared to Alex as if she was going to divulge more of that story, but no more words passed her lips. He did not pursue it.
    “And these two were the only ones left?”
    “Yep. And I guess they were getting tired of what little chivalry they had left.”
    “Well, they didn’t do a great job,” Alex said sarcastically. “Protecting you, that is.” She turned a pained expression upon him then, and he realized that whatever had happened to her in the recent past was all too fresh for him to make light of it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—“
    “It’s okay,” she said. A moment of silence passed uncomfortably. “Is that blood from you?”
    “No. It’s from that jackass over there. The one with the gun,” he added moving to stand before the deceased man. “So, they were going to…?”
    “According to what I overheard. Tonight probably would have been—”
    “Why didn’t you run?” he barked angrily and with much more ire than he’d intended.
    “Run where, man?! Into the arms of one the fucking zombies?! In case you hadn’t noticed—“
    “All right, I’m sorry. You’re right.”  He stared at her as she hung there in the tree branch, and she was clearly upset. “Really, I get it.” She nodded and looked around, her eyes landing on the wolf.
    “He won’t hurt me?” she asked him nervously.
    “I don’t think so. He hasn’t hurt me yet.”
    “That’s comforting.”
    “It’s either that or you can stay up there in that tree the rest of your life,” Alex said matter-of-factly as he turned and walked away.
    “Can you put him on a leash or something?” she called after him as the distance between them grew.
    “No. He’s as free to come and go as you are,” he was quick to reply as he made his way inside, Shadow following right behind. He closed the door and watched out the window as the woman climbed down hesitantly, dropping her back, and then losing her footing. She fell rather unceremoniously to the hard ground.
    Alex flung the cabin door wide and ran out to check on her and when she got to her feet, she was laughing.
    “I guess you are fine?”
    She fell to her knees again and waited as the wolf emerged from behind him and approached her.
    “Get up, stand your ground, and don’t be submissive to him and you’ll be fine.”
    “Easy for you to say,” she said as she regained her footing. She removed her hands from her jacket pockets and brushed dirt from her jeans as Shadow approached her. He growled at her initially until Alex stepped in front and helped her to her feet. After that, Shadow trotted back toward the cabin door and lay down.
    “I gotta bury these bodies. Can’t keep risking a huge fire like before,” he mentioned, as if she had some kind of frame of reference as to what he was referring. Then, realizing his mistake in that, made another guess. “It’s probably how you guys found me, am I right?”
    “No,” she stated frankly. “It was dumb luck.”
    “Dumb luck,” he repeated with a wide smile. “Dumb luck, indeed. Got any weapons in that pack?”
    “No,” she said, unzipping it and holding it open for him. “Just some odds and ends. You wanna check it? You gonna frisk me next?” Alex walked over, leaned over the pack and gave it a glance, not seeing any weapons visible inside. He gave her a once over and with the jeans and shirt