Life Among The Dead Read Online Free PDF

large doghouse is erected in the alley, a dark shape moves within its opening. Dan’s breath catches in his throat. Judging from the shelter, the beast inside must be enormous. Growls echo from within the doghouse.
    The snarls turn into a high pitch wail as the canine charges from its home. Its lips are curled back to bare the teeth of a dachshund. The wiener dog rushes the soldier who has invaded its territory.
    Dan chuckles in relief at the petite hound that is closing the distance. It can still bite me, He realizes. He rushes to the fence. Within mere feet of the next wall, an unseen force trips him.
    The dog bounds at the man who starts to crawl backwards, away from the yapping monster. Dan’s back meets the wooden barrier between neighbors. He won’t waste a shot on the mongrel; instead he draws his knife and shields his face.
    A few feet away and closing the dog stops abruptly with a yelp. It flings itself backwards in a graceless somersault, landing on its side. The dog lies there briefly before slinking back to its home. The mutt coughs as it pulls the chain that had cut its attack short behind it. Dan can’t help but to laugh at the poor creature’s acrobatic misfortune. He often thought about getting a dog. Dachshunds are supposed to be pretty nice.
    “ Poor thing must be hungry.” He says pausing to dig into his pockets. He locates a few chunks of beef jerky that one of his guard buddies had divied out that morning. The man’s wife had sent him out with two pounds of the dehydrated treat.
    “ Here you go, Low-rider.” The scraps of protein are tossed near the dog’s shelter. Dan notices it is painted the same beige color as the house. During his act of kindness Dan discovers something is missing from his pockets. His cell phone.
    “ I put the jerky in the pocket with it…” He retraces his steps in his head as he searches his other pouches. The fatigues have several pockets, and he slides exploratory fingers into each one. Nothing. He searches the yard where he had tumbled and finds nothing but the cause of his tripping. A sprinkler head pokes out of the ground partially erupted.
    “ Could have fallen out this morning.” He searches each compartment again and goes so far as to unfasten his flak jacket to inspect the pockets of his uniform blouse.
    “ Damn it!” Dan wants to call home. I pay good money each month for something I seldom use, and now that I need it… He debates whether he should try the beige house. Do people even have home phones anymore? He asks himself. He and his wife each only had a cell phone. He looks at the house. Behind a sliding glass door he can see three figures looking out at him. In turn they advance only to rebound off the glass as the clown had at Jimmy’s.
    “ Nobody’s home.” He decides to go on to the next house, telling himself not to worry. He has to assume he will find a phone. He wants to know if Heather is ok, and he wants to let her know that he is ok, and that he is coming home.
    “ Don’t worry.” He assures himself again as he climbs the next fence. He pulls himself up and crests the top. Dan straddles the wooden barrier and glances into the next yard. It is very extravagant compared to the last two. There are birdbaths and fountains. Lush hedges line the border. He can see a patio area that is covered by an awning. Screens are set up facing the neighbors for privacy. He can’t tell what’s behind the partitions from where he is perched.
    The soldier glances back to the tiny beige house and sees the stumpy-legged dog has emerged. It sniffs the offering and starts to nibble on one of the pieces. Dan smiles before dropping into the neighbor’s yard.
    His feet sink into lavish, expensive sod. He proceeds immediately towards the house. The home is painted in a nautical theme, sky blue with a navy blue trim. Nautical stars are adorned over the windowsills. There is even an anchor stuck into the ground at the corner.
    Dan must make his way around a