Zombies! Episode 3 - Love Bites Read Online Free PDF Page A

he'd never be able to bring it to bear. Tugging his
arm free, he grabbed the thing by its own one arm and pushed it
forward into a shelving unit. Boxes tumbled forward as the unit
moved. Still holding his adversary's arm, Culph thrust the gun
forward and fired twice into its eye. It crumpled to the floor.
     
    Trying to get his breathing under control,
Culph looked down at it. He was still holding it by the wrist but
tossed it away as he suddenly realized that, though it only had one
arm, it was the wrong arm.
     
    "Al…" he turned to see Al beating off a third
zombie with a broom. If it hadn't been so terrifying, it would have
been comical. There stood this six foot plus black guy with muscles
on his muscles and he was poking a broom handle at a frail undead
thing. Tears streamed down the poor cop's face and he was
whimpering as he fought.
     
    Whipping a taser from his belt, Culph stepped
in and gave the zombie a jolt. It may not have reacted to the pain
of a beating or a gunshot wound, but it definitely did not like electricity. The thing jumped and shuddered, trying in vain to
get control of itself. Culph kicked it clear and then shot it in
the head.
     
    "Jesus," Al breathed, heading up the stairs
backwards. He still held the broom out ahead of him like a
talisman. "Jesus…jesus…jesus…"
     
    Culph followed him up the stairs and out of
the basement, closing the door behind him. Once clear of the danger
area, he pulled off his head gear and gloves. Gritting his teeth,
he dialed on his cell phone and ordered what he termed a sweep
team .
     
    "How many of them do you think are down
there?" Al asked, breathing heavily. As if in response to his
question, there was a thump against, the door, followed by another
and then another.
     
    Lips as thin as paper, Culph stared at the
door. Something inside of him desperately wanted to rip it open and
let it or them out. He didn't know how many were down there but he
wanted to find out.
     
    "Hey, man. What are you doing?"
     
    Culph looked back at Henry, confused. Then he
noticed that his hand was on the door handle. He removed it and
shook his head. "I don't know," he said. Then he repeated it.
     
    ***
     
    THE building, while being a regular
Manhattan apartment building, seemed to also be the site of a high
level drug organization. The man in the suit, identified as Goran
Yuniefskiey, was the client. Two other men ran the organization and
then there were two others that provided muscle. Whenever a high
paying client wanted to meet for merchandise, the super of the
building would lock them all in the basement storeroom and
disappear. When the sale was done, he would let them out and
collect his cut. Apparently, someone involved in the sale had been
infected and must have turned during the meeting. There were five
bodies in all, none of which was the super himself. The arm had
belonged to Luis Cartega, one of the muscle men. With the super, a
man named Jeremiah Nelson, still missing, Heron ordered a search.
Until it could be determined whether or not he'd been infected,
finding him was a priority.
     
    For his part, Culph's day ended
unsatisfactorily. He was not made part of the sweep team. Even
though his gear had held, he'd technically been bitten. The skin of
his arm was red and irritated, although unbroken. He was ordered to
the hospital for a blood test. Sitting for two and a half hours
awaiting results did nothing to ease his tension and by the time he
was cleared to go home, he was in a foul mood.
     
    Rosie was waiting for him as they had
arranged. She'd made dinner and was all smiles as he walked through
the door. She gave him a hug and a kiss, told him how happy she was
that he'd be off the next day and they'd be able to spend it
together. She was the perfect girlfriend and he was the perfect
bastard. Nothing she said penetrated his gloom and he was snapping
at her before they even sat down.
     
    "You had a call today, didn't you?" she
asked, turning serious. "A real