Generation Dead (Book 3): Beyond The Gates Read Online Free PDF Page B

and bow but brought out his new melee weapon.  He had borrowed our dad’s old mini pickaxe, and the semi-retired zombie killer had found a new home.  Jake appreciated its heft, and had commented on more than one occasion that the thing just felt right when he killed a zombie with it.
    Julia came into the room and saw we were preparing for war.  “Something I need to worry about?” she asked.
    I shook my head.  “Keep your spear close, lights down low, wait for us. There might be others, and we may need someone to cover our retreat.”
    With that we stepped outside into the growing darkness.  The sky was still light, but the shadows of the mountains were long and reached us well before sunset.  As such, it made seeing difficult because the eyes had to adjust between the dark ground and the light sky.  That worked in our favor, too, since zombies had the same problem. I pulled out a baseball cap to minimize the effect, and Jake did the same.  Pulled low over our eyes, it kept the light parts out, and we could keep our eyes adjusted to the darkness.
    “Plan?” Jake said.
    I thought for a minute.  “Let’s get to the road and see if we can’t get the thing to come to us. I don’t really like hunting in the dark.”
    “Yeah, it kind of sucks,” Jake replied.
    “Kind of?”
    “Okay, seriously sucks rocks.  Satisfied?”
    “Better.”
    We walked out to the end of the driveway and looked up and down the road.  I couldn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean nothing was out there.  It was getting really dark, and the first stars were beginning to show through the curtain of night.  On the sides of the road, stretching away to the north and south, tall grasses swayed easily in the evening breeze.  We could smell the river from where we were, and if we listened carefully, there would be the occasional splash of a fish doing hunting of its own.
    That wasn’t what I was listening for. I sorted out the night sounds and focused on the ones that shouldn’t be there.  The sliding of the grass, the slow tread through the weeds, the sniffing as the zombie tested the breeze, looking for prey.  I figured it was about fifteen yards to the west of us, and I decided to force the issue.  Placing my rifle on the ground, I drew my sword. The long blade shined pale in the starlight, reflecting the arm of the galaxy that was slowly becoming more visible as the night deepened.  I tapped the blade on the road and pinged a sound into the dark.
    A groan answered my call, and there was a rustling in the grass to the west.  I tapped again and the groan repeated.  I was tempted to do it again when the zombie appeared.  It was right next to us, and I was facing the wrong way for a swing.  I twisted, but Jake got there first.  He stepped forward, swinging the pickaxe.  The hands of the zombie were nearly around Jake’s neck when the pick connected with its head.  There was a crack, and the ghoul dropped instantly.
    “Nice work,” I said.
    “Thanks,” Jake replied. “Let’s get a look at this guy.”
    I flicked on my flashlight and took a look at our zombie.  It was a man about twenty-five years old, and he was wearing clothing similar to that found on the man on the hill. He had been shot in the back, but the bullet had gone through at an angle, tearing out a good chunk of the right side of his chest.  That would have killed him later, but not right away if he was strong enough. On his neck and arms were bite marks and a couple of spots where flesh was torn away.
    Jake looked over the wounds.  “Aaron, this is bad,” he said.
    “Why?” I really didn’t want to know, but here we were.
    “These are little bite marks.”
     

Chapter 9
     
     
    I thought about that for a second.  “Oh, shit.”
    Jake stood up and faced the west.  “We’ve got at least two zombie kids running around out there.”
    “Stay or go?” I asked.  I was ready for either as I brought up my sword.
    “Let’s get inside.