The Demented Z (Book 3): Contagion Read Online Free

rifle off his back.  
The two of them started storming up the hill, blasting away at anything
that moved.    Hannah rushed up beside
Tom, blazing her own trail and freeing up her view ahead.
  They reached the top and climbed over the
guard rail.
    Tom hunched over, desperately sucking in air.
  He heaved up the morning’s breakfast onto the
snow.
    “Movement beyond the truck.”
  Hannah said.
    Still bent over, Tom glanced at Hannah to see her standing
rock steady, revolver held out with both hands in front of her.
  She’s
barely breathing…must be a robot. He
thought with a shake of his head.
    “Hurry, they’re coming up the road.”
  She said.
    Beyond the truck was a large group of demented, all working
their way up the road, drawn to the chaos.
  For there to have been this many this far from
populated areas meant they must have been drawn to Hannah’s truck from her
drive up.
    “Too many.”
  Tom shouted as they raced toward the truck.
    Hannah sprinted out ahead of him, holstering her pistol as
she ran. She slid to a stop at the
driver side door, already reaching for her keys.
  Out of her periphery she could see the first
demented nearly to the back of the truck.
    Tom piled into the passenger seat just as Hannah was jamming
the key into the ignition. Before he
even had time to say “please start,” the engine roared to life.
  Hannah slammed the shift on the column into
reverse and stomped on the gas. The
tires spun trying to get traction.  
Demented raced up to the windows and began pounding on the glass.
  The tires caught and accelerated the truck
backwards, hitting bodies as they went. The
truck bounced as they plowed over infected.  
Hannah kept on the gas even after they were well past the group.
  As they came to a wide section of road she
hit the brake, spun the wheel, and jammed the gear shift into drive.
    Hannah felt more alive than she had in months.
  With a smile she said, “Now we go get someone
you’re really going to like.”

Chapter 3 - Snake
    “Look sharp, we got movement.”
  A man in faded camo
said.
    The man next to him looked up from a magazine, the worn
cover mostly white from use. “Whatta we got?”
    They both leaned forward, resting their elbows on the edge
of the lookout tower railing. A narrow
gravel road twisted its way through the forest out of sight.
  Patches of snow still clung to life in the
protective shade of trees. Back in the
forest, flashes of movement could be seen.
    Charlie felt a sense of dread, reached over for his
crossbow, hesitated, and then grabbed his rifle instead.
  He pulled the stock up to his shoulder and
sighted through the scope.
    “Don’t shoot if ya don’t have
to.” The other man said.
    “Really?
  Boy, I didn’t know that.”
  Charlie looked over at the other man.
  “You tell me that every flippin’
time.” He shifted back to the scope,
scanning the trees for movement. He saw
it again, a blur of red hidden amongst the thick canopy.
  It was moving fast…too fast to be infected.
  “We got a vehicle.
  Call it out.”
    The other man grabbed his rifle and quickly stood.
  He hesitated, then took a few steps toward
the drop ladder, and then stopped again.
    Without looking at him, Charlie said, “The council, go tell
the council a car is coming.” He let out
a deep sigh and continued to watch the tree line, waiting for the car to appear
in the clearing.
    The aluminum ladder rattled as the other man made his way
down to the ground.
    What a
dufus . Charlie
continued to glass the road as a red truck came bursting out into the
open. He immediately recognized this as the
truck Hannah left in. Still using the
rifle scope, he tried to get a look in the windshield, but the sunlight glared
off the glass, making it impossible to verify the occupants.
  The truck continued at high speed, stirring
up loose pine needles and sending them billowing to the sides.
    Charlie