Read Online Z Children (Book 2): The Surge by Eli Constant, B.V. Barr - Free Book Online

slow-motion, backwards
and forwards like double pendulums hanging from a too-slow grandfather clock.
Bonnie was ahead of me, also running as fast as her legs would carry her. The
difference was, if she were a clock, she’d be running on time, dinging out the
hour appropriately and without pause.
    Blood
was thumping so hard through my brain that I couldn’t even hear our footfalls
against the hard ground.
    I
could hear them, though, despite my racing pulse and the sickening jolts
of adrenaline that kept me pushing forward. That angry horde of creatures
jammed together was way too close behind us. The burst of bullets hadn’t killed
nearly as many as I’d hoped it would—most of the rounds had gone wild. Full
auto was a lot harder to control than it looked like in the movies. My arms and
grip just hadn’t been strong enough to hold steady. JW had made it sound so
simple. Do this. Do that. Point and shoot. Typical man. There was a reason I
stuck to dating women. Women… God, Chris.
    I forced
the image of her from my brain. It wanted to encroach on my concentration,
blanket my thoughts with her skin, hair, face, but I couldn’t let that happen.
    Ranger
was bringing up the rear. His throaty growl followed behind me, and I found it
to be a comforting soundtrack. As long as that dog—warrior that he was—was
between my body and the monsters, then I stood a chance. And if I stood a
chance, that meant Bonnie stood a chance. I couldn’t imagine being a child now
that Hell had risen and taken up residence on the surface of the planet.
    That
had to be why this was happening—Armageddon, end of days shit. I was a rational
woman, but none of this shit was rational.
    A bark
at my heels made me move even faster. As I continued to run, I sneaked a look
back. There were even more now. I shouldn’t have looked.
    Where
had they all come from?
    I
turned back around, facing Bonnie’s back. I could tell she was beginning to
tire. We hadn’t been on the move long, but she was pushing the heavy cart.
Another glance behind us. Was it possible that even more had joined the
undulating mass of rotting bodies? They were just appearing, melting out of the
shadows cast by buildings and stumbling out of alleyways we’d just run past.
    A
screech of agony made me turn once more—Ranger had a Z boy by the throat.
    Fuck…fuck…keep
running, stop looking back.
    We
were almost there. Almost. The Hummer was only several yards away now.
    A howl
behind me.
    I
couldn’t not look back.
    A Z
girl was trying to bite into Ranger’s left hind leg. With a quick snap of his
head, Ranger’s teeth closed around the top of the creature’s head. His eyes
half-closed as he tried to bite through bone and into brain. Shit…oh,
shit…don’t you die on us, Ranger!
    Turn
around, check on Bonnie, watch where I’m going.
    One
more glance.
    Our
canine protector was in power again—everywhere, knocking the Z’s back with
precision like a well-oiled machine. The adults were nearly on top of us now,
catching up to their smaller counterparts. I wanted to replace the M-16’s mag
and help our furry bodyguard with another spray of ammo. Unfortunately, I
wasn’t versed enough to do it efficiently, especially not while running.
    With a
resounding slam, the front of the cart hit the army truck and Bonnie yelped.
    I
wanted to keep watching Ranger, make sure he survived, but I couldn’t. We were
at the vehicle, we had the fuel and the dog was buying us precious time.
    It was
hard to concentrate as I listened to the fighting—the small footsteps coming
closer, the inevitable crunch as Ranger halted a Z’s advance. The screams of
frustration and anger—shrill and demonic—were unrelenting. They pierced my
brain like Mussorgsky's Night on Bald
Mountain .
    Opening
the front passenger door, I grabbed Bonnie’s arm and pushed her into the
vehicle, and then I slammed the door shut again. “Gin, what are you—”
    “Lock
the door. Stay in there no matter what,” I