dawned, Kane took a quick step to his left, away from the glass wall. The tall corpse with the walking stick took a step to his right, holding the stick out to block the ex-Magâs way. Behind the clutch of corpses, the twisted form of Ezili Coeur Noir had appeared, moving like a specter from the glass-fronted office into the main hangar. Her mouth opened, black tongue writhing amid rotting gums, as she spoke.
âLife.â
Kane heard the word, and felt the nagging at the back of his mind that somehow he knew this woman. The eye-patch-wearing corpse took another step toward Kane, so close now that Kane had to step back to avoid him. The corpseâs dead companions stepped forward, too, boxing Kane in. Behind them, more of the undead figures had begun amassing, acknowledging the perverted condemnation of the queen of death.
Taking another lurching step forward, the figure with the eye patch reached for Kane once more, and Kane found himself backed up against the wall.
âBack off, Eye Patch,â Kane snarled.
The corpse ignored him, reaching up with his rotting left hand and grabbing a fistful of Kaneâs jacket. The instant the corpse grabbed him, Kane rammed his Sin Eater into the corpseâs belly and squeezed the trigger. Gobs of desiccated flesh spurted from the figureâs back as 9 mm bullets blasted through rotted flesh. The corpse staggered backward several steps, wrenching a square from Kaneâs jacket, two brass buttons flying off into the glass wall to Kaneâs right.
Freed of the corpse-thingâs grip, Kane kicked out with his left leg, striking the tall man in the midsection. EyePatch bent over himself with the impact of Kaneâs kick, and the ex-Magistrate pushed off, flipping over the toppling body and bringing his gun up to deal with the next of the clutch of zombies.
A short way across the hangar, Grant spoke to Brigid where they hid, watching the frantic showdown from the cover of the stacked crates. It had been less than ten seconds since Grantâs Commtact warning, and it was clear Kane was in trouble.
âCome on,â Grant snapped.
Brigid trotted out from cover in Grantâs wake, blasting bursts of bullets from her TP-9 at the looming pack of undead creatures that traipsed across the room toward their partner.
A fleshless woman standing close to the crates staggered over as Grant drilled her with bullets from his Sin Eater, flipping the weapon around to smash her in the face with its grip. Brigid leaped over the womanâs corpse as it flopped to the floor.
And then, the one thing Brigid had most feared happened. As she leaped the fallen figure of the corpse, a skeletal hand whipped out and grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the ground.
Brigid spun, unleashing another burst of bullets right into the undead thingâs withered face at near point-blank range. The corpse woman shook in place as Brigidâs bullets drilled into her, ripping away the gory stump of her nose and rattling against the empty sockets of her eyes. Yet still the undead thing clung on, ignoring the effects the bullets were having on her face, and Brigid reached a sudden, awful realizationâbullets werenât stopping these things.
A little way across the hangar, Kane had just come to the same conclusion. Still in motion, he had blasteda volley of 9 mm steeljackets at the scarecrowlike figure holding the walking stick, only to see him stumble a pace back before regaining his footing, glowering at Kane with those lifeless eye sockets. Kane spun, dropping low as his leg swept the scarecrow, knocking him from his feet. The corpseâs walking stick whipped out as he fell with a ghastly hiss from peeled-back lips as black as night.
Kane continued the leg sweep, catching the woman with dreadlocks just behind her ankle. She stumbled a pace forward, but despite her apparent unsteadiness, she refused to fall. She turned on Kane then, reaching down at him with long arms as he
âLife.â
Kane heard the word, and felt the nagging at the back of his mind that somehow he knew this woman. The eye-patch-wearing corpse took another step toward Kane, so close now that Kane had to step back to avoid him. The corpseâs dead companions stepped forward, too, boxing Kane in. Behind them, more of the undead figures had begun amassing, acknowledging the perverted condemnation of the queen of death.
Taking another lurching step forward, the figure with the eye patch reached for Kane once more, and Kane found himself backed up against the wall.
âBack off, Eye Patch,â Kane snarled.
The corpse ignored him, reaching up with his rotting left hand and grabbing a fistful of Kaneâs jacket. The instant the corpse grabbed him, Kane rammed his Sin Eater into the corpseâs belly and squeezed the trigger. Gobs of desiccated flesh spurted from the figureâs back as 9 mm bullets blasted through rotted flesh. The corpse staggered backward several steps, wrenching a square from Kaneâs jacket, two brass buttons flying off into the glass wall to Kaneâs right.
Freed of the corpse-thingâs grip, Kane kicked out with his left leg, striking the tall man in the midsection. EyePatch bent over himself with the impact of Kaneâs kick, and the ex-Magistrate pushed off, flipping over the toppling body and bringing his gun up to deal with the next of the clutch of zombies.
A short way across the hangar, Grant spoke to Brigid where they hid, watching the frantic showdown from the cover of the stacked crates. It had been less than ten seconds since Grantâs Commtact warning, and it was clear Kane was in trouble.
âCome on,â Grant snapped.
Brigid trotted out from cover in Grantâs wake, blasting bursts of bullets from her TP-9 at the looming pack of undead creatures that traipsed across the room toward their partner.
A fleshless woman standing close to the crates staggered over as Grant drilled her with bullets from his Sin Eater, flipping the weapon around to smash her in the face with its grip. Brigid leaped over the womanâs corpse as it flopped to the floor.
And then, the one thing Brigid had most feared happened. As she leaped the fallen figure of the corpse, a skeletal hand whipped out and grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the ground.
Brigid spun, unleashing another burst of bullets right into the undead thingâs withered face at near point-blank range. The corpse woman shook in place as Brigidâs bullets drilled into her, ripping away the gory stump of her nose and rattling against the empty sockets of her eyes. Yet still the undead thing clung on, ignoring the effects the bullets were having on her face, and Brigid reached a sudden, awful realizationâbullets werenât stopping these things.
A little way across the hangar, Kane had just come to the same conclusion. Still in motion, he had blasteda volley of 9 mm steeljackets at the scarecrowlike figure holding the walking stick, only to see him stumble a pace back before regaining his footing, glowering at Kane with those lifeless eye sockets. Kane spun, dropping low as his leg swept the scarecrow, knocking him from his feet. The corpseâs walking stick whipped out as he fell with a ghastly hiss from peeled-back lips as black as night.
Kane continued the leg sweep, catching the woman with dreadlocks just behind her ankle. She stumbled a pace forward, but despite her apparent unsteadiness, she refused to fall. She turned on Kane then, reaching down at him with long arms as he
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