Free In the Dead: Volume 1 by Jesse Petersen Page B

for me,” Rex said. “Now come on. This ain’t no time for Oprah shit. We’ve got guns to load.”

 
     
     
    Til Death
     
    “ I swear to God, Donna, if you fuck up my hair, I’m going to punch you.”
    Donna squeezed her eyes shut and counted to ten before she smiled at her sister Heather in the mirror. “I promise, I won’t mess up your hair,” she reassured you. “You’re a beautiful bride.”
    Her sister smirked as Donna gently smoothed some of her sister’s blonde hair across her forehead. “Of course, I am. I’ve only eaten watermelon and laxatives for the past three days.”
    “ Huh,” Donna said as she blinked in disbelief.
    Heather half-turned to look her up and down. “You might have tried it and then you wouldn’t look so sausagey.”
    Donna’s mouth dropped open. “Did you just call me sausagey? As in, I look like a sausage?”
    Heather shrugged one shoulder before she went back to admiring herself in the mirror. “If the casing fits…”
    Donna pursed her lips and reminded herself, for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past six months, that this was her sister’s big day. She had to be forgiven, at least on some level, for being a bridezilla. A big, huge, fucking bratty bridezilla.
    “ Look,” Donna said, “I’m just going to grab some air. I’ll send Aunt Liddy in to finish your make-up.”
    “ Whatever.” Heather pursed her lips in the mirror. “Just not Mom. Don’t send it Mom, you know she’ll just cry all over and screw up her make-up and wrinkle my dress.”
    “ Check,” Donna said as she left the room. “Don’t send in Mom.”
    Out in the hallway, her mother’s sister Liddy was chatting with the minister’s wife. As Donna moved to slip past her, her aunt leaned over. “Dear, how is Heather?”
    “ Just finishing up with her hair,” Donna said through clenched teeth. “She asked for your help.”
    “ Of course,” Liddy sighed. “I do love a wedding. I wish you would hurry up and follow in your sister’s footsteps. You’re not getting any younger, you know.”
    Donna nodded before she walked away. Not that anyone cared. Her aunt was already rushing into the bride’s room to take care of Heather’s whims and coo over her.
    “ I wish I still smoked,” Donna muttered as she burst through the front doors of the church and into the warm summer air. Even the weather was insuring Heather a perfect day.
    “ I have one if you want to start up again,” came a voice from behind her.
    Donna turned and found a guy leaning on the wall of the church. He had a cigarette hanging from his lips, but it wasn’t lit. He was wearing a tux, one that matched the ones she’d seen Heather’s future husband, Rick and his groomsmen wearing when she passed by them earlier in the day.
    “ Shit, I didn’t know anyone else was out here,” she said, then covered her mouth and looked up at the church. “I guess I shouldn’t swear at a church, huh?”
    “ I won’t tell,” the new guy said. “About the swearing or the smoking.”
    He held out a cigarette from a pack in his front pocket. It looked awesome, but she shook her head. “Better not. My sister smells cigarette smoke on this awful meringue of a dress and I’m toast.”
    The guy looked her up and down and then laughed. Donna blushed. She knew she looked bad. The dress was orange, her worst color, and had puffed sleeves and a big bow that made her ass look huge. And gold trim and gold shoes and it was just awful.
    “ Laugh it up, fuzz ball,” she muttered.
    His eyes lit up. “A Star Wars girl.” He held out a hand. “I’m Carson, Rick’s cousin and one of the ushers.”
    “ Hi Carson,” Donna said. “Donna. I’m Heather’s sister.”
    He blinked. “Really?” She smiled at his honest reaction, even when he winced. “I mean, that’s great.”
    “ Not really. But thanks for trying.” She motioned to his cigarette. “So what’s up with the unlit cigarette?”
    He shrugged. “Rick would