Only The Dead Don't Die Read Online Free PDF

in the next room. Scarlett swore she heard a rattling noise, the sound of a door handle jiggling—coming from the bedroom. With abrupt force, Purlie lurched out of the rocker, letting it crash into the living room wall leaving an indention in the paint. Then Purlie snatched the shotgun and dashed to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her without saying a single word.
    Scarlett stood there, unable to take her eyes off the empty rocker banging against the wall. She absolutely could not handle it a moment longer. Scarlett ran outside mumbling, “What’s going on around here?”
    She hated to abandon Purlie like that, yet what else could she do for her? Scarlett decided to go door to door until she found someone to call 911. Three doors down, the blast of a shotgun stopped her dead in her tracks. “Dear God, Miss Purlie!” Don’t tell me . No—she didn’t?
    Scarlett ran back to Purlie’s home; she stood outside the door for a moment, afraid to go inside, afraid of what she might find. With a pounding heart, she finally brushed aside her fear and opened the front door.
    “Miss Purlie?” she asked in a thin, whispery voice.
    Scarlett didn’t find her in the living room or the kitchen or the bathroom. She poked her head into the bedroom, “Miss Purlie, you in there?”
    There on the blood-splattered bed, face down in a pool of blood was Miss Purlie—or what was left of her. She’d somehow managed to blow off a chunk of her head. Scarlett only recognized the southern lady by the blue-floral, Sunday dress and glossy-white, Maryjane shoes she still wore. Scarlett scrambled to the bathroom and hugged the toilet. After several agonizing minutes of relinquishing her breakfast, she sat paralyzed on the closed toilet lid until she gathered the courage to go back out there. And then, Scarlett ran home.

Chapter 6
    After Miss Purlie’s shocking suicide, all Scarlett had managed to do was sit on the sofa and stare blankly at the pale-pink living room walls in a near state of shock. She ignored her shouting thoughts that demanded her to pull herself together.
    Although still dazed, she finally forced herself off the sofa. She had to face the fact that dear Miss Purlie was indeed dead, and she wasn’t resolving anything by flipping out or by simply ignoring it. Time to go to the Police Station and report Miss Purlie’s death . Besides, half the day was gone, and she still needed to call the cable company and SMUD, for the power was out at her place too. Wow, when things start going wrong, they really go wrong. She was certainly ready for her luck to change.
    Scarlett splashed her face with cold water. “You look absolutely terrible,” the mirror blared rudely, so she applied a light coat of makeup, enough to make her not look like a corpse. She winced, wrong choice of words. On impulse, she applied a thick layer of ruby-red lipstick. What if she ran into Kevin? He always hated it when she didn’t wear lipstick.
    She promised herself that once she had reported Miss Purlie’s death, it would be easier to focus on her new life: a life without Kevin. School was starting soon, and there’d be plenty of conferences and meetings to attend and plenty of distractions to keep her occupied. I should pay a visit to the school, check-in with my new principal, Mr. Antonio Perez.
    After the Police Station (maybe they can tell me why the power’s out), she decided to hit Best Buy . What a great excuse to get that new iPhone . . . That’s it. I have a plan. “I’ll feel much better after a chat with Cyndi,” she sighed.
    Her dedicated sister had always been her rock and always knew the right things to say when Scarlett was feeling down. Cyndi, nine years older, had practically raised her after both of their parents had perished in a car accident. Aunt Marge had taken care of the two sisters until Cyndi had secured her first job upon graduating from college; then, Cyndi had put Scarlett through college. Think I’ll give Cyndi a