Read Online Shattered World (Broken World Book 2) by Kate L. Mary - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kate L. Mary
Ads: Link
feel, but Winston’s eyes are big and round. Even Trey looks like he just saw a ghost.
“Here?” Winston asks.
Dread comes over me, and I suddenly have the urge to slap myself in the forehead. Hadley told me the pilot died here. More than once! Why didn’t I think of it before now?
“What’d you do with the body?” Angus asks.
Hadley’s eyes get big, and James starts to sweat. They hadn’t thought of it before now, either. Why would they? Before we showed up they didn’t have a clue about the undead, and since then it’s been so crazy.
“Bottom level,” James says. “There’s a freezer.”
“Damn.” Angus throws back yet another shot. He’s been hitting it pretty hard. “Bastard’s probably down there runnin’ into the walls, trying to get out.”
“Maybe not,” Trey says hopefully. “What if the cold prevented him from coming back? What if the freezing temperatures stopped him?”
Axl hops up and shakes his head. “Guess we’ll find out. If it does, we might wanna think ‘bout headin’ up north come winter. We ain’t gonna get no freezin’ temperatures out here.”
Winston nods and pulls himself up. “Only one way to know for sure.”
All seven of us head to the elevator even though it isn’t necessary. I’m unarmed, but Angus flips a giant knife between his fingers like it’s his favorite toy. It reminds me of the one from Crocodile Dundee . Axl has a knife too. The same one he always carries. The blade is smooth and shiny, and the handle is brown. It kind of looks like it’s carved from wood. He’s had it since before the dead came back. He cleans it every night religiously, like it’s a prized possession. Maybe it is.
We’re silent as we squeeze into the elevator, and no one utters a word on the way down. I find myself leaning against Axl like he’s some kind of support. A pillar of strength holding me up, keeping me from collapsing in on myself. Maybe he is. I don’t know if I would have wanted to go on after Emily’s death if he wasn’t here.
I lace my fingers through his and the lower we go, the firmer my grip becomes on Axl’s hand. Winston’s face is tense like being so far underground is uncomfortable for him. I hope not. If so, the next few years are going to be rough.
The door opens on the twelfth floor, and my legs turn to stone. Everyone else steps forward, but I can’t make myself move.
Axl’s hand is still wrapped around mine, and when I don’t follow he looks back. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I nod and swallow when the words get stuck in my throat. “It’s just—I know what we’re going to find down here. I didn’t expect it, you know? Not in the shelter. We were supposed to be safe.”
“Ain’t no place safe no more,” Angus says.
He spits on the floor. James glares at him, but Angus meets the angry look with one of his own. It’s a hell of a lot more intimidating than the one James gave him.
Axl ignores his brother and gives my hand a little squeeze. “This ain’t nothin’ we can’t take care of. Right?”
I nod.
“We been through worse.”
I nod again. He’s right. A body locked in a freezer? It’s child’s play compared to what we faced in San Francisco. To what we’ll face in Vegas.
“You’re right.”
I squeeze his hand and step out of the elevator. Everyone is standing in front of the freezer now. Like they’re waiting for us. I feel like I should thank them, except it would be the most awkward thank you in the history of the world. Thank you guys for waiting until I’m next to you to let the dead man out of the freezer. Right.
Axl drops my hand as we move closer. His grip tightens on the knife. Why don’t I have a weapon? How stupid!
It’s one of those industrial
“Here?” Winston asks.
Dread comes over me, and I suddenly have the urge to slap myself in the forehead. Hadley told me the pilot died here. More than once! Why didn’t I think of it before now?
“What’d you do with the body?” Angus asks.
Hadley’s eyes get big, and James starts to sweat. They hadn’t thought of it before now, either. Why would they? Before we showed up they didn’t have a clue about the undead, and since then it’s been so crazy.
“Bottom level,” James says. “There’s a freezer.”
“Damn.” Angus throws back yet another shot. He’s been hitting it pretty hard. “Bastard’s probably down there runnin’ into the walls, trying to get out.”
“Maybe not,” Trey says hopefully. “What if the cold prevented him from coming back? What if the freezing temperatures stopped him?”
Axl hops up and shakes his head. “Guess we’ll find out. If it does, we might wanna think ‘bout headin’ up north come winter. We ain’t gonna get no freezin’ temperatures out here.”
Winston nods and pulls himself up. “Only one way to know for sure.”
All seven of us head to the elevator even though it isn’t necessary. I’m unarmed, but Angus flips a giant knife between his fingers like it’s his favorite toy. It reminds me of the one from Crocodile Dundee . Axl has a knife too. The same one he always carries. The blade is smooth and shiny, and the handle is brown. It kind of looks like it’s carved from wood. He’s had it since before the dead came back. He cleans it every night religiously, like it’s a prized possession. Maybe it is.
We’re silent as we squeeze into the elevator, and no one utters a word on the way down. I find myself leaning against Axl like he’s some kind of support. A pillar of strength holding me up, keeping me from collapsing in on myself. Maybe he is. I don’t know if I would have wanted to go on after Emily’s death if he wasn’t here.
I lace my fingers through his and the lower we go, the firmer my grip becomes on Axl’s hand. Winston’s face is tense like being so far underground is uncomfortable for him. I hope not. If so, the next few years are going to be rough.
The door opens on the twelfth floor, and my legs turn to stone. Everyone else steps forward, but I can’t make myself move.
Axl’s hand is still wrapped around mine, and when I don’t follow he looks back. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I nod and swallow when the words get stuck in my throat. “It’s just—I know what we’re going to find down here. I didn’t expect it, you know? Not in the shelter. We were supposed to be safe.”
“Ain’t no place safe no more,” Angus says.
He spits on the floor. James glares at him, but Angus meets the angry look with one of his own. It’s a hell of a lot more intimidating than the one James gave him.
Axl ignores his brother and gives my hand a little squeeze. “This ain’t nothin’ we can’t take care of. Right?”
I nod.
“We been through worse.”
I nod again. He’s right. A body locked in a freezer? It’s child’s play compared to what we faced in San Francisco. To what we’ll face in Vegas.
“You’re right.”
I squeeze his hand and step out of the elevator. Everyone is standing in front of the freezer now. Like they’re waiting for us. I feel like I should thank them, except it would be the most awkward thank you in the history of the world. Thank you guys for waiting until I’m next to you to let the dead man out of the freezer. Right.
Axl drops my hand as we move closer. His grip tightens on the knife. Why don’t I have a weapon? How stupid!
It’s one of those industrial
Similar Books
