Life Among The Dead (Book 3): A Bittersweet Victory Read Online Free PDF Page A

touch him, and a
pitiful moan escapes her throat. Dwayne takes one of her offered
hands and swiftly leads her to the bathroom. He shouldn’t have to
worry about the game for the moment since his zombies are on
autopilot, zeroed in on the survivors. But Trent will want an
update on the body count soon.
    Vicky may weigh less than half of what he
does, but she exhibits surprising strength. Her free hand grabs his
arm and pulls hard, wrenching him towards her. He fights against
this sudden action, but she just lowers her mouth to his arm.

 
8
     
    “I can’t believe I got beefed!” the boy
complains as he pays for an overpriced t-shirt that states that
exact sentiment.
    “Don’t feel bad, kid,” the vender says as he
hands back the change. “Nobody survives Zombie House.”
    His parents wait off to the side for their
son to finish his transaction. They huddle together against the
chilly night air, looking forward to getting into their car and
returning to their nice, warm house. The fortitude of those still
in line waiting for their turn to play impresses them. The number
of hopeful survivors has diminished, but they figure many have lost
interest and gone elsewhere. However, these die-hard fans linger. A
few who arrived dressed as victims nap against the wall, while one
man rests on the pavement.
    “Come on, Buddy!” the dad calls to his son,
who scans through all the other items for sale. “You said you just
wanted the shirt. It’s cold.”
    The kid shrugs off the embarrassment of being
called like a dog and rejoins his parents. “We missed all the
excitement.”
    “I wouldn’t say that,” His mother laughs. She
will have nightmares about the mauling. It was terrifying and a bit
intrusive, and she can’t help but think some of the costumed actors
took special liberties with her.
    “No. I mean, while we were inside an
ambulance came to take some guy away. And then the cops showed up
to take some woman away that was biting people!”
    “Wow! I’m glad we missed that,” the father
says, shivering against the cold as he encourages his son to start
moving towards the street where they are parked. “I’m sorry we
couldn’t win you that shirt, sport. Maybe next year.”
    “Can’t we come back this year? The t-shirt
guy said they’ll be running for a few more weeks at least.”
    “You’re lucky we stayed out this late on a
school night,” the father says. If he had known the wait would have
been so long, he would have never agreed to their spur of the
moment family outing.
    They pass the line of people where the
slumbering man finally awakens. He must have realized he’s fallen
behind in the queue, since he instantly heads towards the others
that have left him behind.
    “It’s already after one-thirty,” the mother
says after looking at the time on her cell phone. “We’ll sleep well
tonight.”
    “I don’t know about that,” the dad says. “I’m
expecting bad dreams about ghouls coming--”
    Screams from the lot interrupt him, so he
hurries his loved ones along through the cars as he prepares his
keys. Figures in the shadows are between them and their SUV. A trio
of shambling men dressed for the festivities in bloody bandages and
shredded clothing.
    “Excuse us,” he says. “We’ve had all the fun
we can stand for one night.”
    The people beg to differ, and as the dad
moves past them to unlock his door they latch onto him with their
hands and mouths, taking him to the ground.

 
9
     
    “We dared each other to come here,” the
blonde named Bri explains in a trembling voice. “Brandy and I have
a ‘thing’ about zombies.”
    Lloyd wasn’t able to get the girls very far
down the hall before they were forced to seek shelter in one of the
open rooms. Now they are stuck. He made sure there were no dead
inside, checking the bathroom and closet, even under the bed. There
is no danger in this suite, but no keys either. Now Lloyd feels he
has let his band down. He knows how much the money