Dead Series (Book 2): A Little More Dead: Gunfire & Sunshine Read Online Free Page B

“If they were really
smart, they’d step back and give us just enough room to make us think we’d have
a chance of reaching our guns. Instead, they hover in the water like fools.
Like we’re just going to just swim up and say here we are, enjoy your meal!”
She shook her head and lowered her voice. “No, they may be able to think a
little, but they’re still just dumb animals.”
    “Yeah but…they
could stay there for hours.” Paul turned to her, eyes widening. “How long can
you tread water?”
    She blinked back.
“At the lake on Joe’s boat, maybe an hour.” Her eyes flicked back to Mike &
Molly. “Out here, knowing I’ll drown if I stop? Maybe ten minutes.” She wrapped
an arm around Paul’s neck. “My legs are already feeling it and this water is so
cold.”
    Gently rising and
falling with each small swell, he watched the man watch him back. “Did you see
him throw your surfboard out of the water?”
    “I was too busy
swimming away.”
    “He purposely threw it out of our reach.” His
gaze met hers, mental gears slowly clicking into place. “This really isn’t
good.”
        “What
do we do now?”
    He looked to the narrow
beach house in the distance, struggling to catch his breath. “At this point,
I’d suggest we start panicking.” Screaming for Curtis and Stephanie at the top
of his lungs, Paul waved his arms over his head like he was shipwrecked on a
deserted island and down to his last bottle of rum. Wendy joined in the panic,
inciting the corpses into a full blown riot. Outside of the three horses, there
was zero movement back at the house. A cramp pinched Paul’s side, tightening
his jaw and cutting off his air. “Okay, we have to go closer until I can touch bottom
or we’re going to drown. I can’t do this much longer; too many margaritas last
night.”
    Wendy frowned. “Closer?
That’s pretty much the exact opposite of what I was thinking. Let’s swim down
the shoreline and see if they give up and leave.”
    “We can’t risk
wasting the energy. If it doesn’t work, we won’t last much longer in this deep
water.” He clenched his teeth against the shooting pain in his side. “I’ve got
a bad cramp and have to get closer.”
    Teeth chattering,
she faintly nodded. “Okay.”
    Paul wrapped an
arm around her waist and waded closer to the dead things standing between them
and their guns. If they had any chance of making a break for the weapons, they
would have to cover as little ground as possible. Paul’s toes hit sand and his
entire body expelled a huge sigh of relief, muscles relaxing as he greedily filled
his lungs. With the water’s surface bobbing around his chin, Wendy clung to
him, unable to touch.
    “Look at the size
of that guy,” Paul panted. “He must’ve eaten the entire town.”
    “And he’s still
hungry.”
    After a few seconds
of quiet deliberation, the verdict was in. The big man came closer, wading
through the water with outstretched hands.
    “Oh crap.”
    “Relax.” Paul
curled his toes into the packed sand. “He can’t come in this deep.”
    “He’s taller than
you are, Paul!”
    Taking a small step
back on his tip-toes, water slipped into his mouth as the corpse crept closer.
“Damn.” Paul took another step and tipped his head back to breathe through his
nose. The cuts and sores in the man’s twisted face grew clearer. His hands
bigger. Teeth sharper. Wendy tightened her hold around Paul’s neck, blocking
his airflow. She screamed when the thing lunged. Long fingers just missed their
faces as Paul pushed off the sandy bottom and sinuously back floated away. The
man screamed and pounded the water with meaty fists while Paul and Wendy
quickly found themselves back at square one: treading water with nothing to
hang onto.
    The husband backed
up a few steps and waited, wife gravitating to his side.
    “Can you believe
this shit?” Paul kicked to stay afloat. “I told you this surfing thing was a
bad idea.”
    “Oh, now it’s