Elements of the Undead: Fire (Book One) Read Online Free PDF

been—”
    “Well, turn it on. Now.” Jack’s mother was not one to argue with. At sixty-four, and after raising six children, she knew what she wanted, and she didn’t take no for an answer.
    Jack made his way through the door and grabbed the remote. When he turned on the television, the flatscreen snapped to life, filling the room with the saccharine soundtrack from the girls’ favorite cartoon series. He hit the mute button.
    Ellie , he thought with a smile. Oldest by a minute and a half, Ellie had an all-consuming passion for everything on the Cartoon Network.
    “Ok, Mom. The TV’s on.”
    “Good. Now go to CNN.”
    Jack fumbled with the buttons, landing first on a gardening show. Cursing, he punched in the numbers again and was rewarded with the CNN logo. A thick red banner crawled across the bottom of the screen. The words ‘Martial law declared,’ printed in tall, bold, white letters, screamed for attention. What the hell? He cranked up the volume.
    The camera cut to a long-distance shot. The commentator babbled frantically, talking over the remote reporter. Jack recognized Times Square. It looked nothing like he remembered. The camera swooped to street level.
    Chaos . That was the only word he could think of to describe the events playing out on the screen. The streets seethed with people struggling with each other, dashing every which way. The faint pop-pop-pop of gunshots echoed somewhere off-camera.
    Wait. He moved forward, trying to get a better view. Is that…? As if reading his mind, the camera panned and tightened on a man in a business suit sawing into the neck of a police officer who was lying in the middle of the street. Jack stared in fascinated disgust as two women joined the scene.  One went for the officer’s midsection, and the other latched onto an upper thigh. Blood arced through the air, and the man on the ground writhed in pain. Then he was still.
    Jack gasped. “What’s happening, Ma? Did someone attack New York again?”
    She let out a low sob. “No… No one knows. Several hours ago, people started getting sick and attacking each other... It’s everywhere. It’s awful…”
    Jack was incredulous. His heart pounded. He felt sick to his stomach. “That’s impossible! Everywhere? Who…?”
    “Yes. Everywhere. All over the world. Washington, London, Cairo…. everywhere.”
    He couldn’t process what she was saying. “Hold on, Mom.”
    He went to the front door. “Becka! Something’s going on. Come inside! Quick!”
    As he returned his attention to the television, the live shot vanished, replaced by the scrolling ‘Martial law declared’ message and a studio shot. A frazzled-looking young man, not an anchor Jack recognized, fiddled with his tie from his seat behind the main desk.
    From off-camera, a staffer appeared and handed the anchorman a slip of paper before dashing back out of sight. The commentator scanned the note and frowned. He reached to his neck and loosened his tie, then wiped his brow. He seemed to age ten years in an instant.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve just learned the president has declared Washington a complete loss. The government is evacuating.” He gave a nervous cough and looked to one side. A million thoughts ran through Jack’s mind. He had friends on the east coast, some in Washington. Becka touched his arm, and he jumped.
    “Sorry,” she said. “What’s up?”
    He gestured at the television. “There’s something going on back east.”
    “It’s everywhere!” his mother corrected. He had forgotten he was still on the phone.
    Becka flipped over to MSNBC. Then Fox. The same story was playing on every channel.
    Massive simultaneous attacks were occurring around the globe. People were turning on each other and acting like cannibals for no apparent reason.
    “The kids!” Becka exclaimed, concern lining her face.
    “Mom says they’re fine.” Jack took her hand.
    “I’m scared.” Becka said with her eyes still glued to the