Generation Dead Book 2: What You Fear Read Online Free PDF Page A

don’t know any more!”
    I looked over at Jake, and he was deep in thought.  He shifted forward and started to ask a question.  “Tell me something…”
    Suddenly the man screamed and pulled away, scrambling to his feet and trying to hobble away.  His leg kept giving out on him, and he kept falling to the ground, but he still got up repeatedly.  I followed him with my sword, figuring to smack his legs and trip him up, but as I got closer, the man suddenly turned and lunged at me.  I brought up my sword reflexively and he ran himself through.  His face was a study in pure hatred, and he died cursing.
    “Jesus, what the hell?” I asked, pulling my blade out of the man.
    “Better give him one on the noggin, Aaron,” Jake said.
    “What?  Why?”  I asked, bringing up my blade.
    “’Cause I accidentally poked him with the needle.  Sorry.”  Jake was actually apologetic.
    “Well, it would have been nice to get some more info, but we have a good start ,” I said.
    “Not that good ,” Jake said.  “We don’t know where this man got his information and weapon from, or where this new threat is coming from.”
    I thought for a second.  “I blame you ,” I said.
    Jake gave me a lopsided grin as he picked up on of the man’s hands and dragged him off the lawn.
    “So do I, Aaron.  So do I.”

     
    Chapter 6
     
    We waited until the first vestiges of sunrise came creeping over the horizon, then we made our way over to the center of town.  We still hadn’t found the fifteen missing zombies, and that was cause for some concern, since all it took for a real mess to start was one of them.  If all of them decided to drift off in different directions, we were going to be slightly busy.  Add to the fun that a group was deliberately causing outbreaks, and I was seriously considering going back to bed and hiding under the covers.
    We walked along the street that paralleled the river, and I was again surprised at how nice this little community was.  If I were ever to leave the lodge, this would be a nice alternative.
    I mentioned it to Jake, who nodded and then threw cold water on my dreams. 
    “Would suck if the river flooded,” he said casually, looking at the water flowing by.
    I had to resist the urge to throw him in the water.  He did still have the syringe full of zombie virus.  The plan was to take the virus back to the capital and see if there was anything extra special about the serum, or if it was just your standard, run of the mill zombie goop.
    When we reached the main road, we turned east towards the town.  There were a lot of businesses in that area, and it looked like many of them had made a kind of comeback.  One restaurant even had a balcony, which reached out over the river.
    A small dam ran the width of the river at this point, raising the north end about four feet.  A power plant was located across the water at this point, and seemed to be managing the power needs of the small community.  The sky was bluing up nicely as the sun regained its proper place, and I was looking forward to seeing Julia again.
    Jake began crossing a stone bridge when he stopped suddenly.  “I’ll be damned.”
    “What?” I asked, trying to twist around to see what was the matter.  I looked down and joined Jake in his personal religious assessment skills.  “I’ll be damned.”
    The business district had a series of deep ditches which captured overflow from the river and sent it out a massive storm drain.  The ditches were brick lined and ran around the foundations of the buildings, allowing some bridges to add to the charm of the community.  When the ditches were flooded, I’m sure it actually looked nice, although you probably couldn’t hear yourself think out here when that drain was flowing.  A huge aluminum grate kept out most large things from flowing away, while smaller stuff would go through easily. A ladder was located next to the grate, and a small, two-foot high fence kept the little