Dead Hunger II: The Gem Cardoza Chronicle Read Online Free

door and ran at a speed that Trina could match toward the tree line.  The machine gun pops had become less frequent.
    “They’re running out of ammo,” said Charlie.  “They’re preserving their rounds.”
    I wanted to run faster, but Trina was struggling to keep up already.  As we approached the main path where the guys had set up most of the traps, we saw Flex and Hemp standing back to back .  There was a circle of zombies around them, some on the ground dead, but others scrambling over their fallen brethren to get to them.
    The air smelled of decaying flesh and gunpowder.  The haze of gun smoke obscured the woods, like a low-hanging mist.
    “Flex!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, still approaching the woods.  “We’re here!  Hold on!”
    We were just on the outside of the heavier trees, but could see both men clearly now, back to back, shooting one at a time, one round at a time.
    Without looking at me he yelled “I’ve only got another couple of rounds left, Gem!  I’m not even sure how many .”
    Flex fired again, taking out the closest zombie with an explosion of decaying brain matter mixed with blood and skin.  Then he turned toward me and just briefly, our eyes met.  It was as though he was saying good bye with that tremendously sad gaze, almost the same way he looked over a year ago when I told him I was leaving him.  I knew right then there was no fucking way he was going anywhere.
    I’d die before I let that happen.  At least then I’d have no idea I’d lost him; I’d have no thoughts, no remorse, no sadness at all.  Ignorance is bliss.  Death creates ignorance.  Therefore death is bliss.  Fucked up logic, but I didn’t want to live without this man by my side.
    “Don’t you dare give up, Flex!” I shouted.
    I threw a quick glance back at Trina, who was right behind us, and reached into my bag as we stepped into the shade and within ten yards of the ongoing battle.  Several of the creatures had seen or smelled us, and moved in our direction, shambling over the uneven forest floor.
    My hands shook as I pulled a full magazine out of the bag.  It was for Hemp’s MP5. 
    “Here, Charlie.  Get this to Hemp somehow.”  I held out the magazine and she snatched it quickly out of my hand. 
    I quickly grabbed another magazine for Flex’s K7.  There were around fifteen zombies closing in on them, their progress slowed by the stacking bodies on all sides.  There were now seven more moving toward us.
    I heard one of the boys’ guns click.  A moment later, Hemp gripped his gun like a baseball bat, prepared to smash the nearest attacker out of the park.
    “Hemp!  Catch!” shouted Charlie, and tossed the magazine toward him, now only eight yards from where they stood.  The moment the magazine left her hand, she let fly the arrow already locked in the crossbow and had another loaded within four seconds.  She was the goddamned cup-stacking champion of crossbow loading, firing and accuracy.
    Two of the creatures, one in front of the other, felt the br unt of her first arrow’s impact as it entered directly through the first creature’s eye socket – which seemed to be her favorite target – and into the cranium of the one directly behind it.
    Instead of falling forward, they staggered and teetered sideways, falling over like a zombie tinker toy.
    A dead zombie tinker toy.
    Hemp swung his MP5 and smashed one of the decaying zombies in the side of the head, sending blood splattering sideways, and the monster to the ground.
    “I’m dropping, Flex!”
    Flex took a step forward.  They had been back to back, using one another to buffer the kick of the machine guns as they fired.  Hemp bent down and scooped up the magazine Charlie had thrown him.  As he bent down he ejected the magazine from his gun, and as he stood upright again, he locked the new one in place and fired just in time; two zombies were within three feet of him.  The blood sprayed, and the zombies went down.