DeadEarth: Mr. 44 Magnum Read Online Free PDF

into the foyer. Rikka stepped out with two guns drawn and
aimed at the doorway to the office and family room. Even in the dim
light, Shade could see the lifeless glint in her eyes as she glared
at her. With the grace of a feline, Rikka closed the few yards
between them, easily avoiding the creak in the floor. Shade stood
and lowered her weapon. When Rikka was near enough, she lifted one
of the pistols and thrust it harshly against the soft under Shade’s
chin.
    “Get your ass back in the bunker. Now,” she
hissed.
    There was no doubt in Shade’s mind. Rikka
would kill her if she didn’t cooperate. But she wasn’t afraid. Her
sister showed that side of her too often for her to still fear it.
Without so much as lowering her gaze, Shade pushed the barrel of
her weapon against Rikka’s stomach.
    “Who’s going to take care of Lou if we’re
both dead?” she whispered.
    The lifelessness in Rikka’s eyes faded for a
single second. That was all it took for her to lower her weapon and
step away from her sister. Shade lowered hers as well, but
questioned the gesture once her sister’s soul evaporated in a
blink.
    Rikka stared at her for a full minute before
finally signaling her to hold at the entrance on the other side of
the stairs. Shade complied, making sure to avoid the creak in the
floor. With her weapon at the ready, she stepped past the stairs
and peeked into the small office that connected the foyer to the
living room. A hefty, middle aged man sat at the desk. His
shoulders rose and fell evenly as his head rested on his double
chin. The computer screen illuminated his unshaven face and the
thin line of drool that dribbled onto his tank top.
    Shade held up a finger, signaling that the
room had one occupant. Rikka dragged her finger across her neck
then put it to her lips. The order was clear: kill him. Silently.
Shade swallowed. She turned and peered back in the office. With a
sigh, she slowly eased inside, praying to every god she knew that
the floor wouldn’t groan underfoot. It didn’t, but that didn’t
lessen the tension gathering in her chest.
    Though she kept her footfalls light, Shade
was sure the man would awaken from the thunderous hammering of her
heartbeat. She raised her pistol. She knew she couldn’t shoot
him—even with the suppressor, the noise would be too loud—but
having her weapon trained on him was the only way she could keep
her courage from abandoning her. When she was within striking
distance, she lowered the pistol and pulled a small knife out of
her side sheath. Putting it through his cerebellum was the only
completely silent way to kill him.
    Altering her grip on the knife, she crept
behind him. The angle of his head resting on his stomach gave her a
perfect shot at the area just above the nape of his neck. She
stared at it, willing herself to be cold and emotionless as she
plunged the knife in. But then the blood came to mind. It wouldn’t
be much if she didn’t pull the blade out, but what if she needed to
make another silent kill? Sure, she could probably do so with her
bare hands, but they weren’t squirrels or chickens. They were real
people. She didn’t know if she had what it took to kill a person
with her hands. Hell, she didn’t even know if she had what it took
to kill a person with a knife. She wasn’t Rikka. She wasn’t that
strong or sure of herself. The only reason she mustered up the
courage to leave the bunker was because the hum of the generators
and the eternal exhale of the exhaust fan were driving her mad. And
she didn’t even want to get started on the tasteless MREs
    Now, here she was, standing behind a sleeping
man, seconds away from ending his life. That wasn’t what she had in
mind. She just wanted some fresh air—a change of scenery.
    Shade closed her eyes and shook her head. She
lowered her knife, and in one quick motion struck the man across
the back of the head with the butt of her pistol. It was a better
fate than death, and one Shade could live