Through the Killing Glass Read Online Free PDF

some of the Biters favored. Pleading had soon given away
to a desperate attempt to escape as the Biter, like a cornered animal, had
turned on Alice. That had been his last mistake.
    As the
adrenaline wore off, Alice tried to calm herself down and looked at Hatter and
Bunny Ears. Hatter looked imposing, standing well over six feet tall and built
like a tank. The hat he guarded with such pride still stood atop his head. He
had suffered more than his share of wounds over the years: at least six bullet
holes were visible on his chest and bites too numerous to count crisscrossed
his body. His eyes were dilated and red, and his yellowed face was covered with
dried blood. Just a year ago, Alice would have run in terror at such a sight.
Today he seemed to be cowering before her.
    'Hatter, what
the hell happened? I told you to make sure everyone stays here and does not
wander.'
    Bunny Ears had
his head down, like a pet that had just been disciplined. His face was still
contorted in what at first glance appeared to be a lopsided grin, but Alice
figured out later had been the result of a gash drawn across his face by Biter
nails when he had been bitten and turned.
    'You do know
what people will want to do, don't you? They will start hunting you down
again!'
    At this, Hatter
looked at her and a low growl came from the back of his throat. Alice sighed.
    'Yes, and you
will fight, won't you? And then we'll be back where we were. Tearing ourselves
apart while the Red Guards and their masters rule over us.'
    Not wanting to
face any of the affected families, Alice did not go back to the city center but
instead went back to the Looking Glass. Danish was there, as usual, playing
with his computers and radio equipment.
    'Danish,
anything new?'
    He tapped on
the monitor in front of him. 'The Americans posted again.'
    Alice leaned
over and read the message.
    Free
American forces under Colonel Barnett swept aside Red Guards at New Orleans,
and are linking with other forces to press the offensive to liberate the city.
If you are anywhere near, find safety or join the fight.
    'They seem to
have their communications working again,’ she said, ‘How did they manage that?'
    'America was
much more developed than India, and I suspect their Armed Forces and government
would have had secure and protected networks and servers. They were ready to
survive a nuclear apocalypse with Russia at one time, so something must have
survived. Also, in India hardly anyone other than the Police and Armed Forces
had guns since public gun ownership was limited. In the US, lots of people had
their own guns, so it was easier to fight back when they needed to. I think it
just took time for them to regroup and get over the shock of the Biters to
start organizing. Plus, I was on the radio with them earlier today. They think
we helped a lot.'
    'How did we
help?'
    'Our postings
and messages first started causing dissension in Zeus. Before The Rising, Zeus
was an American Private Military Contractor, so most of their senior officers
were American, especially ex-military folks. When the news started coming out
that the whole mess had been orchestrated by elements in China and some
American elites, many of them revolted. We're much closer to China, so
significant Red Guard reinforcements came faster. In America, that took more
time, and by then the Zeus deserters and local settlers had made a lot of
headway.'
    Alice had to
ask the next question given what she had been through over the day.
    'Danish, what
about the Biters in America?'
    Danish looked
away.
    'Well, they
hear that it’s more like a disease, that they can be lived with – they hear
about you. But they’re not buying it. I can't blame them. Remember how things
were here before you got here? They hunt down Biters and burn them. They call
it a Biter Barbeque. Not pretty.'
    That night was
anxious for Alice, spent wondering how she could possibly keep things from
exploding. The next morning, she did what she thought was the