Read Online The Zombie Saga (Book 3): Burn The Dead: Riot by Steven Jenkins - Free Book Online

it—you get sick, you die, and then you come back. We’ve all seen it on the TV. You all know this, so why the fuck am I still talking about it?”
    “Jon, if you were bitten,” I say, “or Ginge, or anyone of the guys, I’d never throw you out to the slaughter, no matter how far gone. You just don’t do that to mates.”
    “Yeah, well, you ain’t no mate of mine,” he replies, “if you think I’d want to live a second as one of those things. I wouldn’t let it happen to you, Ginge, Hoppy… or Nathan.” He pauses for a second as if gathering his words. “I couldn’t let him end up like that.” He starts to take heavy breaths, clearly holding back his anguish. “I had to put him down. Burning them is the only true death. And there’s not exactly a furnace ‘round here. So you’ve got to do whatever’s necessary.” He balls his fists up and lets out a slow, controlled breath. “So I grabbed the fire extinguisher… and I smashed his head to nothing. ”
    My heart sinks, my stomach churns. Suddenly the pain in my jaw feels like a scratch, an incidental—nothing compared to the horror that must be racing through his mind. I feel the need to go to him, force a hug on him. But it’s not a good idea.
    “I’m sorry about your brother,” Natalie says, showing genuine sympathy in her eyes.
    Jonny scowls at her. But he doesn’t say anything; he just sits down on a barstool and stares at the empty TV screen opposite. He rests his elbows on his thighs, and then drops his forehead into his palms.
    I don’t know if he’s crying. It’s hard to tell. Maybe he’s past tears, past taking it out on complete strangers.
    The room becomes silent, just as it should be.
    The only sound I can hear is the muted wails of Necs through the window as they devastate our stadium.
    But we’re all together. I thank God for that at least.
     

12
     
    Leaning against the wall, opposite the bar, I glance down at my phone. Still no reply from Wendy. The signal’s been cutting out, so the message probably got lost in the airwaves. The clock on the home screen reads: 17:43. The game would’ve finished by now. Even though it shouldn’t matter, I can’t help but wonder what the score might have been. Guess we’ll never know now.
    We probably would’ve lost anyway.
    No matter how messed up Jonny is right now, I know he’s right about Ted—we all do. He will turn soon, sooner or later—and then we’ll have a bloody Nec locked in with us.
    Adriana is huddled up next to him on the sofa, holding his hand, slightly calmer than she was earlier. Ted’s eyes are half-open, clinging onto life, the colour of his cheeks drained to a creamy grey. It doesn’t look like he has long. He wheezes as his large gut rises, up and down.
    God help us when it stops doing that.
    Jonny still hasn’t cried. Don’t know how he can be so strong. Anyone else would have broken down by now. But not him. An uncontrollable rage is the only show of emotions we’re likely to get out of him.
    Natalie is sitting up against the wall next to her brother, the side of her head resting on his left shoulder. They probably want to be as far from Jonny as possible. I don’t blame them one bit. I’m meant to be his friend, and I might have to do the same.
    Looking back over at Ted, I notice his eyes are now wide open. He then starts to remove his red necktie.
    “What are you doing?” Adriana asks him. “Is it too tight?”
    “You need to tie me up,” he announces with conviction, “before it’s too late.”
    Adriana shakes her head in protest. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ted. No one’s going to tie you up. We’ll be out of here in a few hours.”
    “No, we won’t. It’s going to take some time to rescue us; there’s just too many infected.”
    “No,” she sobs, reaching for the tie. “This is not the way. We’re not barbarians.”
    Ted manages to pull it away from her grasp as he stands up, struggling for breath as he uses the arm of the sofa for