Read Online Z 2136 (Z 2134 Series Book 3) by Sean Platt, David W. Wright - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sean Platt, David W. Wright
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need to go find my brother.”
She turned, ignoring Oswald’s gaze, and headed toward the door.
“Wait!” Egan said sharply.
His tone felt like daggers in her back. Goosebumps raced up her spine as she turned.
“Yes?”
Egan propped his elbows on the table, folded his fingers, and leaned his chin into his hands. “Leave, and you will never find your brother.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Not at all. Learn to distinguish, Miss Lovecraft. I’m simply stating a fact. The Games have changed, both their rules and location. Head to the Halo, and you’ll find it empty.”
“Where is he?”
“It seems we both want something, Miss Lovecraft. You wish to save your brother and I wish to save my daughter. Whatever shall we do?”
CHAPTER 9—ADAM LOVECRAFT
Adam couldn’t believe it was taking so long to reach the tallest building. They’d been walking forever, changing routes several times to avoid other players, zombies, and bandits. What would have taken an hour to walk in any other city had become an epic trek in The Outback.
“I’m starving,” Hooper said.
“Don’t look at me, I’m too skinny,” Adam said to the big man, daring to joke.
Hooper surprised him with laughter.
“We’ll eat in an hour if we’ve not yet reached the building,” Colton said. He then smiled and joined in the joke, “But please, try not to eat us.”
“I’ll try to contain myself,” Hooper said.
As the sky darkened to a bruised violet, the light snow stopped, along with the howling wind. The world would have been silent, if not for the horrifying sounds that came in echoes off the concrete and glass jungle around them.
Adam heard the scraping of metal, the crunching of glass, the ragged breath and grunting of zombies mingled with the rushing hushes of men, like when he had first entered the streets from the arena, except now it was dark and somehow worse, despite the two large men by his side.
After a few more blocks, Colton stopped cold, Hooper a tick after that. Adam was last to halt, and when he did, he found himself a few full steps ahead. He turned back toward them as the two men traded a look.
“Exactly,” Hooper said.
“What?” Adam asked, sick of feeling like he was more in the dark than ever. Half of him wanted to know what they were talking about, the other half wanted to hide.
“When’s the last time you heard a zombie?” Colton asked.
“A few blocks back.”
Hooper said, “I’m wondering if they’re swarming somewhere or maybe something’s got their attention. Could be a trap set by one of the players, or more likely a group of them. Maybe bandits. Could be The Network. No way to know.”
There was an awful crash from somewhere far off, chased by a horrible grunting—first from the undead then immediately followed by a human—female—scream.
“In there!” Colton nodded toward an old storefront without a face. Hooper grabbed Adam, flung him over his shoulder, and followed Colton into the hollow before Adam could think to move on his own.
He didn’t dare to ask what it was as the trio huddled behind a shallow dusty counter. He peeked around the side, through the shadows of what was left of the store, and into the wide street outside that was draped in snow and littered with debris—cars, lumber, and fallen metal poles—as first one, then two, and finally a moaning mass of zombies swarmed by in a wave through the street.
A group of men trailed the last of them, all wearing blue. They had to be contestants. Outside the hollowed storefront, close enough that Adam could see it as he peered around the counter, a half dozen contestants attacked the lagging zombies, hacking them to bits with hatchets and swords. Blood sprayed from the falling bodies in red rain, looking black against the shadow-covered snow. The men dispatched the horde with their blades, keeping things quiet, not one of them so much as brushing their blasters.
Though Adam couldn’t see the zombies ahead, he assumed
She turned, ignoring Oswald’s gaze, and headed toward the door.
“Wait!” Egan said sharply.
His tone felt like daggers in her back. Goosebumps raced up her spine as she turned.
“Yes?”
Egan propped his elbows on the table, folded his fingers, and leaned his chin into his hands. “Leave, and you will never find your brother.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Not at all. Learn to distinguish, Miss Lovecraft. I’m simply stating a fact. The Games have changed, both their rules and location. Head to the Halo, and you’ll find it empty.”
“Where is he?”
“It seems we both want something, Miss Lovecraft. You wish to save your brother and I wish to save my daughter. Whatever shall we do?”
CHAPTER 9—ADAM LOVECRAFT
Adam couldn’t believe it was taking so long to reach the tallest building. They’d been walking forever, changing routes several times to avoid other players, zombies, and bandits. What would have taken an hour to walk in any other city had become an epic trek in The Outback.
“I’m starving,” Hooper said.
“Don’t look at me, I’m too skinny,” Adam said to the big man, daring to joke.
Hooper surprised him with laughter.
“We’ll eat in an hour if we’ve not yet reached the building,” Colton said. He then smiled and joined in the joke, “But please, try not to eat us.”
“I’ll try to contain myself,” Hooper said.
As the sky darkened to a bruised violet, the light snow stopped, along with the howling wind. The world would have been silent, if not for the horrifying sounds that came in echoes off the concrete and glass jungle around them.
Adam heard the scraping of metal, the crunching of glass, the ragged breath and grunting of zombies mingled with the rushing hushes of men, like when he had first entered the streets from the arena, except now it was dark and somehow worse, despite the two large men by his side.
After a few more blocks, Colton stopped cold, Hooper a tick after that. Adam was last to halt, and when he did, he found himself a few full steps ahead. He turned back toward them as the two men traded a look.
“Exactly,” Hooper said.
“What?” Adam asked, sick of feeling like he was more in the dark than ever. Half of him wanted to know what they were talking about, the other half wanted to hide.
“When’s the last time you heard a zombie?” Colton asked.
“A few blocks back.”
Hooper said, “I’m wondering if they’re swarming somewhere or maybe something’s got their attention. Could be a trap set by one of the players, or more likely a group of them. Maybe bandits. Could be The Network. No way to know.”
There was an awful crash from somewhere far off, chased by a horrible grunting—first from the undead then immediately followed by a human—female—scream.
“In there!” Colton nodded toward an old storefront without a face. Hooper grabbed Adam, flung him over his shoulder, and followed Colton into the hollow before Adam could think to move on his own.
He didn’t dare to ask what it was as the trio huddled behind a shallow dusty counter. He peeked around the side, through the shadows of what was left of the store, and into the wide street outside that was draped in snow and littered with debris—cars, lumber, and fallen metal poles—as first one, then two, and finally a moaning mass of zombies swarmed by in a wave through the street.
A group of men trailed the last of them, all wearing blue. They had to be contestants. Outside the hollowed storefront, close enough that Adam could see it as he peered around the counter, a half dozen contestants attacked the lagging zombies, hacking them to bits with hatchets and swords. Blood sprayed from the falling bodies in red rain, looking black against the shadow-covered snow. The men dispatched the horde with their blades, keeping things quiet, not one of them so much as brushing their blasters.
Though Adam couldn’t see the zombies ahead, he assumed
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