Swarm (Dead Ends) Read Online Free PDF

check for bite marks, just to be certain. Then I promise I’ll never point a gun at you again. I don’t like this any more than you do.”
    “Good to see I’m not the only one on board with the whole zombie theory” I joked.
    A single chuckle gave way to a stern voice, “My daughter is going to check your wounds now. I urge you to comply. If you attempt to hurt her in any way I won’t hesitate to use this.” He pushed the gun even harder into my cheek, a feat I would’ve thought impossible until now.
    “Hey, no problem man” I said in the softest voice I knew how. “I understand. I won’t move unless you tell me to.”
    “Zoe, it’s OK sweetie. Come and check the man like I taught you. It’s alright.” He motioned with his hand, his voice so calm and reassuring that it actually calmed me down as well.
    The young girl cautiously began pulling up my sleeves where she methodically checked my arms in a reassuring bedside manner that belied the fact that she was probably in kindergarten. After checking my legs, she nodded towards her father, an unspoken bit of communication that they clearly had plenty of opportunity to practice. The tip of the gun, now warmed by my body heat, released from my face and a hand extended into a formal handshake greeting that would seem normal if not for the chaos surrounding us.
    “My name is Paul and this is my daughter Zoe. We’re sorry that we had to meet like this but pleased to meet you nonetheless.” A sullen smile slowly formed on his face, a respectable effort given the circumstances. His angular jaw created a dark shadow on his neck in the now setting sun. His balding but closely cropped hair and perfectly straight, brilliantly white teeth seemed out of place in this concrete warzone.
    “You too” was all I could manage to croak out. “Sam” I said, shaking his hand with what little strength I had.
    I was hurting everywhere and even a simple handshake had sent spiraling waves of pain through most of my body. I’d been in survival mode for what felt like days and talking just seemed so foreign to me at the moment. I looked down at Zoe, a mess of long brown hair, red cheeks and deep blue eyes. She was intently sucking on a ring pop, watermelon from the smell of it, the gravity of the situation clearly lost on her young mind. Her worst day before all of this happened probably involved dropping her ice cream cone on the sidewalk, going to the barber shop for the first time, or perhaps attending her first day of school. I avoided addressing her directly to keep from making her nervous, as well as to not interrupt the sugar-induced fantasy land in which she currently resided. If sugar was the way she chose to deal with the things she could not understand, then more power to her. It’s clearly better than crying given the state of things.
    I looked back to Paul and he looked at me. There were clearly a million questions we were dying to ask one another but neither one of us could seem to muster up the confidence to actually ask them, perhaps fearing that the answers - or the questions for that matter - would be too much too soon. I glanced at the wedding ring on his left hand. He was unknowingly spinning it with his right thumb and forefinger, a nervous tick or perhaps a memory that he was trying hard to hold on to or even harder to forget. He noticed my gaze and self-consciously pulled his hands in towards his body, giving me a sullen look and quick back and forth shake of the head that seemed to say “my wife didn’t make it and I don’t want to talk about it.” I wondered what he had seen or done or worse what Zoe had seen or what lies Paul had to tell his daughter just so she wouldn’t fall apart like he was clearly doing on the inside.
    “So are you a doctor or something, ‘cause I could really use a prescription for Valium right about now.” I was attempting to lighten the mood a bit.
    Paul smiled as he looked down at Zoe, stroking her hair with the love and