Dead Days (Book 2): Tess Read Online Free PDF

turns her head at the last instant and takes the blow on the cheek rather than the nose, but as it connects, she goes limp against the car.
     
    I stop thinking.
     
    My hand brings up the metallic object, Ken’s own gun, and I pull the trigger.  I have no idea if it’s loaded or if the safety is on.
     
    I’m not ready for the recoil, and instead of taking him in the body, where I was aiming, the bullet hits Ken in the throat.
     
    He jerks away from Rhona, looking at me with wide disbelieving eyes.  His hand is clamped over the wound, but I see blood pumping steadily though his fingers.  He starts to stagger towards me.
     
    I pull the trigger three more times. 
     
    I’m close enough that the first two bullets hit him in the chest.  The third pull on the trigger produces nothing but a dry ‘click’. 
     
    The gun is empty, but two bullets are enough.  Ken lands on his back, his hand falling away from his throat. 
     
    Oh God what have I done?
     
    Rhona groans and pulls herself upright.  She sees Ken lying on the ground, and me, the pistol still smoking in my hand.  She walks over to me a little drunkenly, and puts a hand on my shoulder.
     
    “Let it go Tess…..Come on you can put it down….”
     
    My body starts to shake, I feel tears on my cheeks and for a moment the whole world goes grey and I think I’m going to faint.   Rhona grabs my chin and turns my face towards her. Her cheek is already swelling and her mouth is bleeding, but her eyes are clear again.
     
    “You cannot go to pieces on me right now.  We have to move.”
    “I k-killed him-”
    “Yes you killed him.  You also saved our lives.  Now get up.” 
    She pulls me upright.  My legs are still shaky but I don’t think I’m going to faint.
    “Get the food.”
    I do as I’m told as she goes to check on Pat. 
    I climb back into the car as Rhona gets into the drivers seat.  She turns to me.
    “You did what you had to.  He was infected and he lost it.  He’d have killed me, and you, and Patrick.  He might have regretted it later, but we’d be just as dead.  If we’re going to survive this, we’re both going to have to get a lot tougher very quickly, do you understand?”
    I nod.
     
    God I feel like I could throw up.
     
    Rhona starts the car.
    “Mum-”
    “Hang on a second Pat-”
    “Mum, the man! ”
    There is a resounding crack against the passenger window.
     
    How the fuck, I shot him three times!
     
    But whatever was left of Ken is long gone.  He’s changed, his mouth opens and closes convulsively as if he’s trying to bite the glass, his fists are beating against it, spattering his own blood across the window.  His cloudy eyes are locked on Patrick who is frozen in complete, all encompassing terror.
     
    Rhona slams her foot onto the accelerator and Ken stumbles as the car pulls away.  I see him stagger after us in the rear-view mirror and I shudder.
     
    But he was dead, I know he was.  Even if he survived there’s no way he could of-
     
    “It’s ok Pat, it’s ok, don’t cry, the bad man’s gone it’s ok-” Rhona is saying, as Patrick is huddled into the car door, his face buried in his hands, whimpering softly.
    “Can you drive?”  Rhona asks me?  Her eye is now nearly swollen shut.
    “Yes I think so.  You’ll have to direct me though.”
     
    Rhona get’s into the back with Patrick, cradling him in her arms as I shift into the driver’s seat.  I haven’t driven for a while (I sold my car a while ago) and I nearly stall the bloody thing, but then my body seems to remember what to do, and we pull away steadily.
          I can hear Rhona whispering soothingly to Patrick and I feel a pang of Jealousy.  They have each other, I’m the outsider here.  I think about Mike, wondering if he’s at home or whether he went out to look for me. 
         I hope to God he’s alright.  I don’t want the last words I said to him to be the last words I’ll ever say to him.  I reach into