Chrysalis Young Read Online Free PDF Page B

would quickly change to running and screaming shortly after she brought the sword out, which was likely to be very soon because she had reached the back of the store, and there were no obvious exits. She looked up at the ceiling. Security cameras everywhere. There was nothing she could do about this. She cast about for somewhere to make a stand. She headed sideways towards the TV and stereo section which looked to be deserted and was. She now had about 15 zombies trailing after her.
    She took one last look around. The TV and stereo section also had high racks of shelving which obscured the view from the rest of the store, although every aisle had security cameras.
    “Sword.”
    She sliced up through the nearest zombie, cutting him in half from his crotch up through his body and out through the top of his head, ignoring the blood spraying out of him and all over her. Zombie blood. Except that these weren’t exactly zombies. There was no virus, so the blood didn’t matter. Without pausing, she brought the sword down on the top of the head of the next one and down out through the crotch. She had to admit that the new sword gave her much more reach and felt good in her hands as though they had been made for each other.
    She pirouetted across in front of three zombies, using the reach of the sword to decapitate them in one sweep, beyond the reach of their grasping hands. It did mean less body parts on the floor which had to be a good thing, if only so she didn’t trip over them.
    She slashed her way up and down the aisles and it was over in less than a minute. Now the TV and stereo section looked like a slaughterhouse. She was still not used to the length of the new sword and had also cut indiscriminately through the stock on the shelves and many of the shelves had collapsed. Today she was glad of the ultra-loud music from the store speakers which made normal conversation difficult in Jonks. And hid any other sounds too.
    Amanda vanished the sword. She found her phone. Chrysalis was still on the line. Amanda showed her the carnage.
    “You have to get out of there,” Chrysalis said.
    “Yeah, got that,” Amanda said.
    Now she noticed the fire alarm box on the back wall of the store. ‘In case of emergency break glass.’
    One thing was for sure, this was the mother of all emergencies. She smashed the glass and pushed the button.
    Grumbling, the customers and the staff left the store. Amanda waited until she was amongst the last. The security staff were still on the doors, checking people out. They stared at her blood-soaked clothing and face.
    “Zombie promo,” Amanda said.
    They waved her through the security screens. Outside the door, Amanda hooked right, away from the crowd gathering at the assembly point in the parking lot. She hurried to a belt of trees fringing the parking lot. The sirens of the fire trucks swelled in the distance.
    Amanda peered out from the trees, looking back at Jonks. The fire trucks were beginning to arrive.
    As she had thought, the Jonks’ building was entirely surrounded by the parking lot. She showed the entire scene to Chrysalis. “You’ve got to take the building out,” she said. “Bomb it. Super ray gun or whatever. But, absolutely, you must not hurt any of the people in the parking lot or the fire fighters and the rest of them.”
    “What!” Chrysalis said.
    “The place is full of security cameras. They see those pictures, I’m in jail. And then it’s no more watching your back, little cocoon girl.” The firefighters were climbing down from the trucks. “This has got to happen now.”
    “I’ll talk to the minder,” Chrysalis said.
    “Don’t make it a long conversation,” Amanda said.
    Seconds later, the most tremendous blast levelled the Jonks’ building. A hailstorm of debris ripped through the trees, throwing Amanda to the ground.
    When she was finally able to sit up, her ears still ringing, she could hear Chrysalis saying loudly down the phone. “We’re coming to