DEAD: Confrontation Read Online Free PDF Page B

foolish enough to count on such things. He gave a slight tug on Valarie’s hand. This time, she did not budge. He glanced at her to discover that she was staring off to the right. Kevin looked, his heart daring to hope. In the books and movies, this would be where he conveniently crossed paths with his friends that he had sent on ahead. Just once, let this be like the movies , he prayed to whatever might be answering those calls these days.
    He turned and scanned the horizon. He didn’t see anything other than more snow. The landscape was unremarkable. Nothing was moving. He looked back at Valarie who still seemed intent on the distant hills of white that were in the opposite direction of the sign that he was pretty sure would put them back on Highway 16. That was the road back to Newark and towards Willa’s group. That was where he sent his friends. That was where he needed to go.
    He tugged again, but this time, Valarie pulled away and started walking in the direction that she had been looking. A nother look back at the oncoming zombie wave offered little comfort. They were not moving fast, but they were still coming. To make matters just a bit worse, Valarie’s path would actually angle them towards the horde.
    “We can’t go that way, Valarie,” Kevin called, moving to get around in front of the girl.
    She stopped and stared up at him with her chocolate-brown eyes that almost matched her skin tone. Her face broke into that smile that made him think of his sister. He didn’t know what it was about people affected with Down’s, but they had a smile that shot from their eyes and went straight to your heart.
    “We need to go this way,” Valarie insisted.
    Okay , Kevin thought, so far, the mantra about how things were not like in the movies had held true . Yet, wasn’t this about the time when people started tapping into their psychic abilities? Besides, Valarie was already known to have delusions about dead people talking to her. Maybe this was that moment.
    “Is somebody telling you that we need to go that way?” Kevin asked.
    “No,” Valarie’s face scrunched up and she looked around. “I am alone with you. Who else is there?”
    Hmm, scratch that . “Okay then, “ Kevin said with a nod as he cast another glance at the wall of undead that were still coming despite this little scene break. “Why do we need to go that way?”
    “If we go back up that hill over there, we can go behind the monsters and get Shari.”
    Kevin felt his chest tighten. He’d had to put a bolt from his crossbow into her head. He’d used a sleeper hold to but her out first. But then he had covered her face and shot her. She’d busted her leg to the point where she could no longer walk. The house they were in was surrounded and there was no way she would make it out. Rather than let her be eaten, he’d killed her.
    His mind would not let him try to find a nicer word to place on it. It hadn’t been murder. She’d insisted. She knew that her fate was sealed. She knew she was going to die and had chosen a quick death versus being eaten alive.
    “Shari is gone, Valarie,” Kevin placed his hands on the girl’s arms and looked into her eyes. “She won’t be coming back.”
    “But she promised that she would stay with me,” Valarie insisted. She looked up at Kevin with that childlike innocence. It was the same look he saw every time he thought about his sister.
    Kevin wondered if she had continued to insist that he was coming back. He wondered if, just maybe, somebody was taking care of her wherever she was at.
    She’s dead, you idiot , a voice in his head screamed, and you will be too if you don’t move your ass!
    “She couldn’t come,” Kevin insisted, pulling Valarie just slightly in an attempt to get her to start coming his way.
    “But she promised,” Valarie repeated as a tear welled up and cascaded down her cheek.
    “I know, and she is really sorry. But she asked me to have you watch over her little sister for