Metahumans vs the Undead: A Superhero vs Zombie Anthology Read Online Free Page B

this whole freaking planet.”
    Anne summoned up her courage and managed a weak smile. “That’s better than zero.”
    Death didn’t say anything. He got up and rummaged through the debris behind the counter.
    “What are you looking for?” she asked.
    “This is a coffee shop, right? Surely there has to be something to drink. I doubt many looters set out after canned coffee and energy drinks.”
    “I saw your battle with the demon on the TV that last night.”
    “So?” Death said, continuing his search. “I imagine everyone did.”
    “You may believe you lost, but you didn’t. You destroyed it. It wasn’t your fault its taint got loose.”
    “Then who’s fault would it be, Anne ? We were the last line of defense the world had.”
    “Some things just happen, ya know? Some things are meant to be . . . even the bad ones.”
    Death stood up and stared at her. “Drop it. I’m not going to ask you again.”
    “Or what? You’ll kill me? Ha. I don’t think so. That’s not who you are.”
    She was surprised as Death smiled at her. “I’ve killed more men than you could possibly imagine, little girl, and I’m not talking about this — ” He gestured at the ruins of the city beyond. “Not all of them were evil. Some of them I killed in the name of the United States, others from pure rage, and some just to watch them die. The Angels weren’t heroes. We were misfits, freaks, and criminals. There was even a serial rapist on the original team. We weren’t pure-of-heart, white knights. We were just as screwed up as everyone else, likely more so. The government kept our existence a secret for as long as they could because if folks had really known who and what we were, people would have been just as terrified of us as the things we fought against.”
    “I didn’t say you were perfect,” she said. “I said you were a hero. You held the line when no one else could and gave it your all in the face of impossible odds.”
    “Maybe I was just trying to save my own tail. Did you ever think of that?”
    “Maybe . . . but I don’t think so. I can see the good in you.”
    “Trust me kid, there’s an awful lot of evil, too.”
    Night had fallen. A chorus of snarls and howls arose in the darkness outside the shop. The dead were coming. Death glanced into the street and Anne followed his gaze. She saw dozens and dozens of the creatures come rushing through the night toward the coffee shop. She also saw the fear in Death’s eyes and it shook her to the core.
    Death turned to face her. “I’m not as powerful as I once was. The taint has touched my soul like it has the world. You better run, kid.”
    Anne shook her head and reached down to retrieve her baseball bat from where it lay on the floor.
    “What are you doing?” he asked. “Get out of here while you can. I’ll hold them.”
    “See,” she said, “you are a hero.”
    Death scowled at her, but had no time to argue the point further.
    The dead reached the coffee shop. Death stood between the sea of snarling faces and Anne, blocking their way inside. Blue energy crackled up and down all over his body as his hands became glowing orbs of blue fire. Anne watched as he thrust both his hands forward with a painful cry as if he was using his very lifeforce to fuel the flame. A wave of fire so wide and powerful she felt its heat even behind him exploded outward into the street. The closest of the dead were completely vaporized as it slammed into them and continued on. The wave of fire washed over those who had been behind them, the cars, the nearby buildings, and just seemed to keep going. The night became a bright shade of blue and orange as the secondary explosions began. The cars erupted into sprays of burning metal and even the pavement melted before Death’s furious power. Anne didn’t know if it was fuel left in the tanks of the cars or an underground gas main, but the explosions boomed over and over as one seemed to set off the next. She hurled herself