Read Online The Reanimation of Edward Schuett by Derek J. Goodman - Free Book Online Page B

shocked at his surprise, then sheepishly lowered the weapon. Ringo stood off to the side of the door snickering to himself.
    “Sorry, I guess,” the woman said. “I just needed to be sure you weren’t going to try anything.”
    “I don’t want to try jack,” Edward said. “All I want is for people to stop trying to kill me long enough so I can get some damned idea how the hell all this is happening.”
    “Well, I suppose it’s about time we talked, isn’t it?” the woman said. “But not right yet. We need to move you first. Ringo’s friend—”
    Ringo snorted. “I sure as hell wouldn’t call him that.”
    “Ringo’s helper, Charlie,” the woman said, “he could always come back and try something. We need to move you some place safer while we figure out what to do with you. Once you’re moved, then we can talk.”
    “Where are we going?” Edward asked.
    “My place for now,” the woman said.
    “I don’t suppose you can get me something to eat when we get there?” Edward asked. Ringo and the woman both tensed noticeably. “What?”
    The woman raised her rifle slightly like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to aim it at him again or not. “And what exactly are you hungry for?”
    Edward shrugged, and one of the last memories from before everything went hazy came back to him. “I don’t suppose you guys still have brats, do you? They haven’t just sort of vanished into history over the last fifty years?”
    Ringo let out a single “Ha!”
    The woman raised an eyebrow but grinned and lowered the rifle again. “This is Wisconsin. Of course we still have brats.”
    “What,” Edward said, “you expected me to want brains?”
    “I’ve never known a zombie to be too particular about what part of a person it eats,” the woman said. “But I guess I sort of thought something like that.”
    Truthfully, what really started Edward’s stomach rumbling was the thought of raw brats, but he didn’t think that would go over too well with these two just yet.
    Ringo and the woman led him back to the truck, and Edward was grateful that at least the woman’s guard seemed to be down. Ringo still looked edgy about being so close to an unrestrained zombie. Even though the man hadn’t been completely terrible to him yet, Edward was starting to not like the man so much.
    Ringo went around to the back of the truck and fussed with his keys for the lock. “Okay. In you go.”
    Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to argue with armed people, but Edward was starting to get annoyed at this treatment. “Why do I have to get in the cage again? Haven’t I proven yet that I’m not going to do anything to you guys?”
    “There’s not room enough for three people in the front,” Ringo said. “And besides, you may not be acting much like a zed but you still stink like one. I ain’t having you sit up there and stain the seats with your zombie muck.”
    He was probably right, but that didn’t keep Edward’s anger from flaring up. This was all getting ridiculous. The woman must have seen this, because she spoke up.
    “I’ll get in the cage with you, if you want.”
    Ringo’s jaw dropped. “Why the flying hell would you want to do that?”
    “It’ll give me and Edward the chance for that talk he wants.”
    “Are you a complete fucking idiot?” Ringo asked. “I’m not going to lock you alone in a cage with a fucking zed.”
    “I don’t think I have anything to worry about from him,” the woman said to Ringo. “And even if he does try something?” She patted her pink rifle. “I think Spanky can take care of me just fine.”
    Ringo gave an unhappy snort and went back to opening up the cage. “Right. Fine. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
    Edward stared at the shockingly pink rifle. Ringo could hope all he wanted that she knew what she was doing. Edward simply hoped that she didn’t have an itchy trigger finger.

Chapter Nine
     
    The woman told him to keep low in the back of the truck as it