Death After Life: A Zombie Apocalypse Thriller Read Online Free PDF Page B

relief, Myra tried to embrace her but the doctor deflected her with a wary glance around the curtain.
    “Myra. Please. Around here, acting happy is very suspicious.”

    #

    Winter picked his way through the lunar terrain of the ruins, following Nic. Neither had said a word since she’d euthanized the teenager.
    Winter saw Gary Smith and Juan Ortega standing over the bodies of three civilians. Beside them, an HD camera was smashed in the street.
    “Well well, it’s the Wonder Twins,” Gary said, nudging Juan. “Where you been hiding?”
    “Nowhere, mormally we just see you first,” Winter said. “Don’t worry, won’t let it happen again.”
    Gary Smith was husky, blond, and usually sporting a shaggy porn ‘stache. Even by his standards, today it was pitifully unkempt. By way of answer to Winter’s volley, he aimed his service pistol at one of the corpse’s heads and pulled the trigger.
    Juan, baby-faced but hard, squatted beside one of the bodies. “Hey… Wait a second. This used to be Jeanne Moreno. Channel 4, dude!”
    “She’s looked better,” Gary quipped.
    Juan cackled at that. “Yeah, celebrities never look as good in person, you know?!”
    Winter winced. Juan was as funny as a heart attack. Nic gave Jeanne’s remains a clinical look. “Headshot killed her, pre-infection. High-caliber round. Gotta be police issue. In the old days somebody’s ass got nailed to the wall for this sorta cluster fuck.”
    She gave the police still clearing the area a hard stare. Pointed at the dead reporter and shouted, “Not the kind of story we wanted on the news tonight, huh?”
    Gary snorted. “So it was friendly fire. Shit happens.”
    Winter saw a rare burst of emotion from Nic. She looked like she wanted to attack him. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?!” she hissed.
    “Well lookie here,” Juan said, piggish little eyes amused. “Somethin’ finally got to Frozen Waters.”
    “And you know what it was, bro?” Gary added, obviously building to a punchline, “Bastards dusted a pretty girl!”  
    Juan laughed uproariously.
    “That’s the only way you could hit one, isn’t it Gary?” Nic began. Winter knew he’d better intercede ASAP. He’d never seen Nic this volatile. He stepped between them, keeping his tone light, but all he wanted to do was roundhouse kick this clown right on the button. “All right, that’s enough. How about some respect for the dead here, huh guys?”  
    Gary turned away contemptuously. “Why? They got no respect for us. Death ain’t what it used to be.”
    “Yeah well, neither are you, Gary,” Nic muttered and kept walking.  
    “See you, boys,” Juan said, falsetto, and gave a girlish little wave.
    Winter trudged after Nic. They passed a riot cop whistling a cheery tune as he shot corpses in the head.

    #

    There was no doubt about it. Even with a patient of his own just down the aisle, Dr. James Voskuil saw Gladden issue the broken-down old lady a health certificate. She proudly showed it to the door guard to be let out. Though the woman’s clownish makeup made her age relatively indeterminate, she was obviously a v-risk. Some crone who keeled over watching her “stories” wasn’t gonna wait for the neighbors to wonder what stunk in apartment 237. She would lurk outside their door and wait for someone to come out.
    Voskuil sighed and adjusted his slipping eyeglasses. He’d worked with Gladden long enough to know she was soft. Though he genuinely liked the woman, a bleeding heart could get them all into trouble.  
    He turned back to the anemic child he was examining. Borderline malnutrition; a neglect case. He’d clear her this time, but given her condition and threadbare clothes, he had a feeling the child would be back. Her deadbeat parents might just get her sent to the camps. And rightfully so. Even a kid was a danger to society. Voskuil had heard of six-week-old feeders crawling onto their parents’ beds and, even with no teeth and the tiniest of