Love in the Time of the Dead Read Online Free PDF

The branches were already thinning that far up. The tree wasn’t big enough for one of them, much less both her and Jarren, who had refused to leave her side. The Deads were clumsily clawing their way up the tree and there was no more room for Jarren to move up. Dead after Dead fell as they lost purchase on the bark. If they had any sense, they would use their numbers to push on one side and knock down the tree. As it was, they were so frenzied for a meal that they ended up pushing evenly against the trunk from all sides, keeping it upright. Thank goodness for a Dead’s bad sense.
    The tree rocked dangerously, and she held on for dear life. A quick look at Mitchell’s and Guist’s bigger trees proved they were having trouble as well.
    “If we have to go down—” Jarren started.
    “No! Don’t even start talking like that. We’ll figure something out.”
    The tree rocked to the side again, and Jarren’s eyes held a sadness so deep, it seemed to pool in their green depths. Straining his voice over the flesh-hungry moans of the Deads, Jarren started again. “If we go down, I’m going to jump to my left. I’ll fight as long as I can and draw the bulk of them to me.”
    “Jarren, please,” she begged through a tightening throat.
    “I don’t see another way. It’s still important you make it to that colony. Don’t give up. Don’t let thoughts of me cloud your judgment.” Jarren kicked one of the better-climbing Deads in the head and sent him sprawling back down to earth. “Get your knives ready. Here, take my machete.”
    “No, you’ll have nothing to fight them off with!”
    “That isn’t the point, Laney. The point is to distract. You jump as far right as possible and run for the colony. It’s right through there.” He pointed with his machete and then tossed it up in the air and caught it dexterously. He handed it to her, hilt first. “I love you, little sister. And I’m proud of you. You wouldn’t even believe how proud I am of you.”
    She nodded tightly. If she opened her mouth to say anything, a sob would come out. She understood her importance, but at the moment it was hard to care. Her brother was the single most important thing in her life. He was her connection to everything that was good, the light that made her small existence livable.
    “I can’t do it,” she whispered raggedly.
    “You can and you will, Landry. I’d never forgive you if you didn’t survive, do you hear me? You have to try.”
    The tree rocked dangerously to the side again, and Jarren sidled farther down the branch.
    Her heart hammered so fast she felt faint. She’d lose him. She’d lose him. She’d lose him. Sure, she’d die soon after, but at the moment, that wasn’t so important.
    Mitchell and Guist seemed to be taking Jarren’s lead. They readied themselves to jump.
    Laney stifled a scream as she watched Jarren scoot to the edge of where the branch would hold his weight. He took a quick, deep breath and glanced at her one last time to make sure she was ready.
    And then he jumped.

Chapter Three
    A T F IRST , T HE E NGINES couldn’t be heard over the groaning of the Deads. Some unexpected movement made Jarren yell and reach around to catch the branch before he fell. Two brown Hummers barreled through the masses of Deads and skidded to a stop under Laney’s tree, just as a Dead grabbed onto Jarren’s dangling legs. The Hummer hit the Dead squarely, but the force of it pulled Jarren’s arms free of the branch and flipped him onto the hood. All upright Deads lurched toward him as he struggled to right himself and grab his blades. The doors to the Hummer opened and three men jump out with assault rifles. They cleared out an area, and one of them pulled Jarren into the open door by the scruff of his shirt. The other Hummer was attempting to rescue Mitchell and Guist. It was then or never.
    With her heart hammering into her throat, she jumped but landed farther away from the rescue vehicles than she had