Demon 04 - Deja Demon Read Online Free PDF Page B

when it rushed me, arms outstretched, and then barreled right into me, toppling me over and grabbing me around the neck.

    Beside me, Allie screamed, and I saw her clap her hand over her mouth and cast a quick glance back toward our still thankfully darkened house. Then she raced toward me even as I was scrabbling to grab hold of the knife still protruding from the zombie’s eye.

    That’s what it was, of course—explaining the vacant expression, the fact that it survived a poke in the eye, and the oozy, decaying face. Frankly, it also explained the costume, because a rotting body can’t wander the streets of suburbia without being noticed. Not even in California.

    The zombie verdict also explained the lack of fight until I’d come near to taking it out. Zombies are controlled by a master. Once the master’s out of commission, they exist in a pretty much mindless state, clinging fast to their last order, but not sure what they should do next, much less why they should do it.

    Attack them, though, and they fight back. Self-preservation is a strong response all across the universe.

    This zombie had no deficiencies in that area, either. He was determined not only to survive, but to make sure that his attacker didn’t. Since that role fell on my shoulders, I was the one he was currently choking, the dead, cold flesh of his fingers tightening around my throat.

    Have I mentioned that zombies are preternaturally strong? Even more so than demons in human form?

    A rather inconvenient factoid under the circumstances, and I fought to stay conscious, willing my fingers to close around the handle of the knife. I tugged the blade out of his eye, realizing as I did that the pressure around my neck had decreased. Allie had jumped on her attacker from behind and was now jerking and yanking and kicking, all in an effort to get him off me.

    It worked, too, because the creature lost his balance, his fingers loosening enough for me to break free. “Stand back,” I said as I climbed to my feet. She did as I asked, and as the creature lunged for me once again, I caught it in the chest with a solid round kick, sending it toppling to the ground.

    I didn’t wait for it to react. I jumped on it, my knees on either side of its hips. And as its arms thrust up, trying to grab me, I plunged the knife down and through its abdomen, the eight-inch blade cutting easily through the soft flesh to lodge firmly in the gravel and hard-packed dirt of our yard.

    The zombie flailed arms and legs, then grabbed for the knife.

    “Dammit,” I said, smacking his arms away. “Stop that.”

    It blinked stupidly, completely uninterested in minding. Beside me, Allie bounced up and down, all the while making little grunting noises.

    “Are you okay?” I asked, shifting my position so that my feet were on one zombie hand and my own hands were holding down his other. He was strong, yes, but not unbeatable. And without leverage, he was going to have a hard time regaining the upper hand.

    She nodded. “Yeah. Sure. No problem.” She leaned closer, trying to get a look at the thing in the dark. “But shouldn’t you cut off that arm or something?”

    Exactly the response I didn’t expect. “Excuse me?” I blurted.

    “He’s a zombie, right? So you kill ’em by cutting off their heads and arms and stuff, don’t you?”

    I squinted at her, bouncing a little as the zombie fought to get his limbs free. I smacked a flailing arm back down and readjusted my position. “Have you been in the attic? I thought we agreed you’d only read what I assigned or approved.”

    “I have ,” she said, standing taller and looking downright offended. “I totally swear.”

    “Then how—”

    “Come on, Mom. It’s not like I never watch cable.”

    “Cable?” I repeated, wondering what exactly they were airing on the Discovery Channel these days.

    “Movies, Mom,” she said, in such an exasperated tone that I had to assume she’d read my mind.

    “Right.