Ghost Run Read Online Free PDF Page A

machine came to life and again trotted to my target area, confusing the creature. It was clear to me at this point how it received the bullet damage to its chassis—it was programmed to protect its master.
    I took another shot as the creature began to sidestep the machine and refocus on its intended meal. Taking the top of its head off, the creature fell onto the machine, shoving it sideways. Its leg servos whirred, instantly compensating for the assault. It made its way back to me and once again commenced what I presumed was its power-saving protocol.
    My suppressed carbine was probably three times as loud as the machine. The shots I fired would resound down the streets and alleyways, attracting more undead. As I exited the tall grass for the street, the sound-stimulated creatures noticed me and began to moan in unison, causing an instant chain reaction. Now mobs of them began to pour out of the shops and nearby structures. The sounds of broken glass filled the street. Once again I was forced up, into the decaying brick buildings; I was a modern caveman fleeing the saber-toothed tigers of my time, using height once again to primate advantage.
    Leveraging a drainage pipe from the cemetery I hadn’t noticed as it was partially hidden behind a good-sized two-story building, I began my climb to the top. Nearing the roof, the machine closed the distance until it was adjacent to the drainpipe and then it just remained there. Its rapidly rotating visual sensors seemed fixated on me now standing atop the building. I looked down at the thing, wondering what it would do when I walked out of its field of view.
    The roof was thankfully clear of undead. My mask was partially fogged over from all the exertion. I stood there catching mybreath. Checking the Geiger, I removed my gas mask for a few moments of reprieve. A quick scan with my binoculars allowed me to confirm I was moving in the right direction. I could see Solitude ’s mast swaying slowly in the distance. I took this time to eat some canned food and drink all the remaining water in my pack. I had more on the robot and my emergency stash on board the dinghy.
    I could now clearly see the details of the color-coded buttons on the beacon watch. The symbology was similar to a key fob. Arranged in the four quadrants on the watch face, like a miniature Simon game, were a protected red horn button, a blue stay button, and a green follow button. There was also a fourth yellow button but there was no indication as to its function. Checking the edge of the roof once again, I could see the robot still standing at the base of the drainage pipe. The undead that pursued from the cemetery had rounded the opposite side and were streaming into a different street—for now.
    I pressed the blue stay button.
    The machine’s head folded back into its body and it lowered to the ground.
    I pressed the green follow button.
    As expected, the machine came back to life; however, this time it trotted off around the corner of the building and out of sight.
    I ran to the other side of the roof to watch. It circled the front doors of the building and seemed to scan the access points before moving around the next corner. It circumnavigated the building, zigzagging past small groups of undead. The creatures didn’t pay it much attention after dismissing it as something they couldn’t eat.
    The machine stopped where it began, at the drainage pipe, its sensor again fixated on me.
    That’s when I got an idea.
    I hit the green follow button once more. As the machine began to run clockwise again around the building, I pressed the recessed red horn button. A high-pitched piercing sound shot out of a speaker on the machine. Like an ambulance passing, the Doppler effect made the noise change in pitch as it rounded the corner. The mobs of undead that were streaming down the street changed course and began pursuing the machine around the building.
    I quickly put my gas mask and hood back over