Wanted: Dead or Undead (Zombie West) Read Online Free PDF

laid the sack on the ground.
"I'm leaving it here in case you change your mind. Sure would be a waste
to leave perfectly good food behind." He placed his foot in the stirrup,
swung himself up on his horse, and tipped his hat at her. "Thanks again."
    He gave his horse a gentle kick in the ribs and left Red to
stare after him.

Chapter 4 – Bacon and Eggs
     
    Darkness had fallen and Red felt on edge. Even though she
sat high in the saddle, she couldn't see far into the distance, so her other
senses had to compensate. She listened for footsteps, the sound of a breaking
branch, or the unmistakable smell of a zombie—rotting fish dipped in outhouse
waste, with a hint of syrupy sweetness.
    Cowboy had actually smelled rather nice. She noticed that
about him right away. Most men had a good month's worth of filth and body odor
working against them, but he obviously took great pride in his cleanliness if
he made time to shave even at camp. She sniffed her own armpits and recoiled at
the stench. She wouldn't go so far as to say she stunk like a zombie, but close
enough. Maybe in the next town she'd use her small amount of money to buy
herself a bath—a warm one in a big ol' tub with bubbles. No frigid river baths
this time.
    "Hey, Classy," she whispered to her horse,
"looks like we'll be sleeping out here tonight."
    It was late and she'd been riding for miles. Junipers and
pines stood scattered randomly about, but she'd hoped to find a ridge line of
some sort. It was safer and more practical to sleep on a hill or mountainside
than on the open plains. The infected didn't climb very well, but they often
walked the flatlands.
    Red pulled back on the reins and slowed her horse.
"You're a good girl, yes you are." She rubbed Classy's neck.
"Thanks for carrying me all this way."
    She dismounted, tied a rope between two trees, and attached
the horse to it, making sure Classy had plenty of brush and grass to nibble on.
    She hadn't taken a break for a meal since breakfast, aside
from a short rest along a river for her horse to take a drink. She started a
fire, and small swirls of smoke rose up through the thin branches above. Although
moving on would have been preferable, her rumbling stomach demanded attention.  She
stopped and listened for any unnatural sounds, but only an occasional coyote
baying in the distance broke the silence.
    The bag of food Cowboy had left for her hung from her saddle
horn.  She hadn't wanted to take it, but like he'd said, it would've been
wasteful to leave it behind. She untied the small rope that cinched the bag
closed and stared at the contents in wonder—dried fruit, jerky, sausage, a slab
of bacon, some flatbread, three whole potatoes, several handfuls of red and
white beans, two eggs that somehow hadn't busted open, and an onion. If the
food wasn't enough to make her feel rotten for being unkind to the man, the
small stack of rolled bills nestled in the middle certainly did.
    She sighed and chose not to wallow over it. Nothing could be
done about it now, and the bacon begged to be fried. She pulled a skillet from
her supplies and warmed it over the fire. Hardly able to contain herself, she
cooked up half the bacon and used the fat to fry an egg as well. It was the
best meal she'd had in a long time, not counting the rabbit.
    She'd just finished eating when Classy neighed loudly and
yanked her head against the tether, straining for freedom. If the horse hadn't
been tied up, she would have bolted.
    "What is it, girl?"
    Classy's behavior could only mean one thing. Red gripped her
guns. When the thick smell of decay assailed her nose, she jumped to her feet.
There was no mistaking that smell, but the darkness made it impossible to know
how many zombies approached her camp.
    She trained her guns on the sound of movement to her left,
listening and waiting. Given the minimal noise, only one or two zombies
approached, at most. Manageable.
    Classy was having a fit, but zombies always went for the
humans first. They