The Darkest Days (Death & Decay Book 0.5) Read Online Free PDF

the
corner by his desk.
    “She is just a child!” a woman shrieked. In her
arms, she held a little bundle that violently thrashed and growled.
The harried woman struggled to keep the writhing creature under
control as three men stood over her. Near the woman’s feet lay a
bloodied stuffed animal. A lavender unicorn.
    “That thing is trying to rip out your neck!” a
large man with a hammer yelled.
    “What is going on?” Wyatt approached with his
weapon ready.
    He must have startled the group because as the
words left his lips, the squirming creature managed to twist around
and clamp its mouth onto the side of the woman’s face. A wail of
pure agony ripped from her lips as she and the creature fell to the
ground in a tangled mass.
    Wyatt couldn’t get a clear shot. One of the men
that had hovered over the woman leapt in. The other men wavered,
hesitant to get near the creature. Without a second thought, Wyatt
rushed in, pulled the creature off the woman.
    As he pulled the little monster away, he saw it.
Its face was contorted in a gruesome snarl, but he knew it. Its
golden blonde locks were stained and matted with blood. In that
instant, a piece of his soul was ripped to shreds.
    The scared, timid features he recognized had
been contorted into those of a savage beast. As the creature turned
on him, he threw it against the wall on the opposite side of the
hallway. The creature began to stir the instant it hit the
ground.
    Wyatt pointed his gun at the feral monster.
“Stop.” Though the word was meant to be a command, it came out a
useless whisper. As it regained its footing, for a brief second
Wyatt and the monster locked eyes. Nothing looked out at him from
those big green eyes.
    God, forgive me. He was not a praying
man, but nevertheless, the thought crossed his mind. With just the
slightest pressure he pulled the trigger. The little monster’s head
snapped back and it crumpled to the floor.
    Wyatt fell down to his knees. As quickly as he
hit the floor, he moved to the creature’s side. Gently, he
disentangled the limbs from the unnatural angles they had fallen
into.
    His heart ached as he looked upon the small,
fair-haired child. He delicately brushed aside the golden locks
that clung to her face. Death had softened her features. She was no
longer the crazed monster from just a moment ago. It was almost as
if she were sleeping.
    Black webbing crept out from under her shirt and
up her neck, along the right side of her face.
    A bite. Hidden beneath her clothes.
    She had been bitten and then she had become one
of them. One of the deranged.
    “Look! He’s alive!” Another one of the men
shouted as he let out wild, ecstatic laughter. The man ran to the
bloodied, prone body of the girl’s older brother.
    No, stop. The words could not reach
Wyatt’s lips. The boy’s arm reached for the man as he rushed to
help the gravely injured teenager.
    As the boy took hold of his savior, the contact
jolted through him like an electric shock. His fingers clasped a
fistful of the big man’s sleeve as the boy suddenly pulled the man
to him. Surprised by the sudden and forceful movement, the man
became unbalanced and fell forward onto the scrawny teen.
    Like a cobra, the boy leaned in and struck with
a vicious snarl. His teeth buried deep into the man’s shoulder.
    Caught as he was, the man only gurgled as he
fought to pull the boy off, but the more he struggled the harder
the boy clamped down. The teen was seemingly stronger than his
short stature and gangly limbs implied.
    Wyatt shuddered as more of the harsh screams
echoed down the halls from the direction of the holding cells. If
they had any luck at all, Stephen had already closed the cell
doors, effectively separating those who were sick from those who
weren’t.
    Wyatt jumped into the fray of men who were
working to pry the boy from their companion. No one seemed to know
what to do to dislodge the grip the teenager had on the man. There
was only one way to deal with