Free This is the End (Book 2): Not Dead Yet by Lisa Biesiada Page B

pavement.  I felt numb as I pulled my katana out of her skull and wiped the brain matter on the back of the floral gown she would now rot in.  It was like each time I killed someone, a part of me died.  I worried for a moment that I was running out of compassion and wondered how many more kills I had left in me before I didn’t give a fuck at all anymore.
    I looked up just in time to watch Ty land a roundhouse kick to what I was assuming was grandpa. Grandpa stumbled which gave Ty an opening to swing his sword almost in a full circle, granting him the momentum to nearly sever the dude’s spine.  I was filled with awe at the sheer grace of it all.  Ty didn’t strike me as the athletic type, but apparently he’d been holding out information, with moves like that.
    Standing in the middle of the street for a moment, we inspected all directions in the event we’d missed anyone, but there was nothing.  The only sounds were the heartbeats of the others, all racing at the same pace, with the exception of Roscoe.  He just sat there, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth and tail wagging.  Shaking my head, I found it unsettling that I was jealous of a dog and his carefree attitude.
    No one said anything as we slowly made our way up the drive to the house our eyes had been on.  As we got closer, I could hear whispering through the walls and the erratic staccato of hearts racing.  I stopped before we got too close and motioned for the others to stop as well.
    Holding my hands up over my head, “We mean you no harm.  Please let us stay the night, there are children with us.” I whispered trying to sound as helpless and scared as I could.  So far I’d had a lot of practice, so I was apparently convincing enough because I spied the barrel of a shotgun poke its way through the boards covering the small window above the front door.
    “How many are you?” A gruff voice came out muffled from behind the door.
    “My name is Jack Jones, and I’m with my friends Angie, Ty, Chloe and our dog Roscoe. Please let us in, we won’t cause any trouble.”
    That got someone’s attention because the sound of a deadbolt being unlocked was immediately heard and the door creaked open far enough for a face to appear alongside the rifle.
    “Jack Jones? The movie star?”
    “Yes, that Jack Jones.” I head Jack’s eyes rolling as he said it, but I was grateful he wasn’t above using his quickly diminishing star power to grant us passage.
    “Well c’mon in then,” The man said while unlatching the chain lock and opening the door far enough to squeeze out with his rifle and survey the lawn for any dead stragglers.  He cast a wary glance at us before continuing. “Any ya’ll been bit?”
    “No sir. We’re just really tired.” Chloe stepped forward so he could see her for all her tiny, messy glory.
    He looked her over and immediately softened. “Alright, get in here. All ya’ll.” He motioned with his head and we quickly shuffled past him into the house, stopping in the entrance long enough for him to bolt back inside and watched as he chained and locked the door. 
    Once inside, my eyes took a moment to adjust to the partial light.  It was a modest, 2 story affair and there was camping gear strung about the living room.  Electric and gas lanterns were scattered about a pile of sleeping bags and I almost missed the bright, curious eyes checking us out from around the kitchen door.
    I turned back to the man, “Excuse me sir, may I use your restroom?”
    He walked past me and gestured down a dark hallway.  “Second door on the left, water bucket’s next to the john.  Only pour a little into the tank before flushing.”
    I nodded and grabbed Chloe’s hand, dragging her with me.  The hall was dark and fuck only knew what we’d find, but I wasn’t about to be caught with my pants down alone.
    We took turns with our business then quietly crept back to the living room where everyone was huddled around Jack like he was a