Free Zombie Rush 2 by Joseph Hansen

building since he tried to cave in your head with a chunk of rebar.”
    “Really? He just didn’t want me to kill his friend who had turned is all that was.”
    “He still hit a cop,” Krupp jumped in, having heard the story.
    “Yeah, look … I’ll catch up with you in a couple of days. I have to see to some things.”
    “A couple of days? What the …”
    “Don’t worry, you’ll hear your figurehead on the radio a couple of times before then,” she finished and walked off, leaving them to wonder and watch as she headed toward the AT&T building.
    “Kind of a smartass, isn’t she?” Krupp said to Benson under his breath.
    “Yeah, but she grows on you.”
    “So does fungus,” Krupp said, which made Benson glance at him sharply. “I’m just sayin’.”
    Benson nodded his head and then looked into Krupp’s eyes full on so there was no mistaking that he meant what he said. “Don’t draw a bead on her again, Ed. She’s good people, whether you like her or not. We need her. The people need her. Just so you know; this … is a warning.”
    “Hopefully those days are gone,” Krupp said as he slapped Benson on his shoulder before catching up to Cat and heading toward the lunch line—which is what it was being called regardless what time of day it was.

 
    Chapter Five
    Skitter Pop
     
     
    Lisa entered the AT&T building to find Ernie, whom she had almost forgotten about, standing guard over Skit. He stood looking out the window with one foot up on a chair like he was in an old western movie. She could tell from a couple of welts and the glare Skit had for Ernie that the kid had slapped his prisoner more than once.
    “Did you hit him, Ernie?” she said as she came up behind.
    He straightened up and looked at Lisa, startled. “Ah, no … I mean, he tried to escape but other than that, no. We got along real well, didn’t we, Skitter Pop?” Ernie said in a manner that reminded Lisa of a big brother who was trying to intimidate his little brother from telling his mom what happened while she was at work. He was trying to be the big man by intimidating a bound man and treating her like an idiot for not being able to see through it.
    “Escape? To where?” Lisa had the sudden urge to hit Ernie. She didn’t know if it was the situation on the bridge when he abandoned Tanner or just his cocky smartass attitude right here in front of her. Either way, it was enough. It only took a second before Ernie was on the floor looking up at her in shock, rubbing his chin. She stooped down and took the .357 out of his holster and the speed loader packs from his belt. She then grabbed the .38 out of his boot holster and noticed that he was wearing a pair of three hundred dollar boots designed for just that purpose. She had seen them advertised and thought then that it was overkill to be purchased only by the most lame.
    “No guns for you, Ernie; not until you grow up and learn some consideration for others. Got it? Good. I catch you with one again and it will not go well … I mean it.”
    She then walked over to Skit and threw the .357 on his lap before she cut the zip tie that bound his wrists. He started to say something, but she cut him off.
    “Shut up and come with me. We got some work to do.” They were outside when Skit caught up to her.
    “Hey, he’s not the kind of guy to take something like what just happened lightly, you know?”
    “What, is he going to hit me with a chunk of rebar?”
    “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I was just … reactin’; you know?”
    “I do know, Skit. I didn’t want to shoot Buck either, especially since this was all his idea. I thought he was a gonad at first, but he turned out to be topnotch and I am going to miss him.”
    “Whooah, what the hell was that?! Emotion? Compassion? I mean you’re not all of a sudden going to melt on me, are you?”
    “Yeah, real great. The woman who has saved your life every day since she met you, and you’re going to start kicking