Read Online Time of Zombies (Book 2): The Zombie Hunter's Wife by Jill James - Free Book Online

wives sitting on the stage behind him. All
the rules for what constituted a marriage kind of went out the window with the
fall of civilization. But while wife number one was probably the original Mrs.
Bennett since the Reverend was a good ten years older than Teddy and the missus
was as well, wife number two looked barely old enough to date. The hot looks
she shot at the Reverend implied they were doing more than dating. The young
brunette licked her lips and gazed at Billy Joe like she wanted to take him
right there on the altar of a church. On the other hand, the older missus's
gaze skittered away anytime her husband glanced her way. Her hand rubbed her
neck constantly where a bite showed up clear as day. The woman might as well
have abused wife tattooed on her forehead.
    Billy Joe raised his head and
intoned 'amen' loud enough to echo in the church. The congregation chimed in.
Teddy's lips moved but no words came out. He wasn't usually a boat-rocker but
he refused to dignify garbage as a sermon. The man’s words left a bad taste in
his mouth, as if he wanted to spit and couldn't because it was still a church.
    He’d been to church as a boy with
his parents. A building blessed and filled with singing and faith and love.
This one was an abomination.
    The wooden pew vibrated as Seth
Ripley continued to keep his arm around Emily. Her shoulders shook as she tried
to stand up and leave and Seth held her in place. Random words reached him as
Emily gave Seth a piece of her mind. Teddy caught the end of the discussion as
Seth whispered to her and 'wait until we are out of here' reached his ears. He
caught a laugh before it escaped as Emily folded her arms across her chest and
glared at her husband.
    Jack Canida and Paul Luther walked
to the front to shake hands with Bennett. Their leaders had set the ground
rules before they left the RV yard. They weren't there to start trouble but
they wouldn't back away from it either. Obvious weapons were left at the camp,
with knives and guns only carried if they could be hidden. His own gun sat
under his arm in a holster and a knife rested in his boot.
    He stood up and moved to the aisle
to find Bennett there. He reached out and shook hands. Afterward, he had to
fight the urge to wipe his palm on his jeans. Even more so with the first words
out of the Reverend’s mouth.
    "So, Mr. Ridgewood, what do you
think of this brave new world of ours? Do you believe there is a purpose to God
wiping the slate clean, as it were?"
    "Reverend Bennett. Sorry, Billy
Joe. I just don't see it. My momma took me to church every Sunday when I was a
boy. My God is a kind God. One who loves all of his children."
    "We agree there, Teddy. But
what about the Flood? Isn't this apocalypse just another wiping of the slate
and starting over?"
    "Maybe, Billy Joe. But I see
the skinbags as more of Armageddon than a simple do-over. We brought the
zombies on ourselves, with science and the vaccine, not some vengeful
God." Teddy pushed him aside. The man might look him eye-to-eye, but Teddy
had a good seventy pounds of muscle on him. He turned his back and helped Emily
to the aisle.
    She latched onto his arm and
squeezed. Pulling him down to her height, she whispered in his ear. “Don’t you
ever bring Michelle here, you hear me?”
    He stood straight. “No worries
there, Miss Emily. That woman would have to come out from behind her castle
walls first.”
    Emily shook her head. “Michelle is
stronger than you think. When you see someone on the worst day of their lives
and they still continue on, day after day, then you know what they are made
of.”
    “You lost Mr. Carl,” Teddy said.
“You continued on.”
    “I didn’t have to shoot my husband
in the head after he left me to go to work,” Emily said. Her face turned
beet-red. “Don’t you dare tell Michelle I told you. No one knew but me and now
you.”
    “I promise. I won’t say anything
unless she decides to trust me enough with her story.” He put his hand