Free Beyond Death: Origins, Book 1 by Silas Cooper Page A

cautiously to the door, and peered around. Seeing a dead body, he waited to see if it would move.
    Noticing a few remnants of his brains hanging out the side of a cracked skull, he motioned for Dax and Lucas to come into the house. He heard Dax’s sharp intake of breath as he reached the horrid scene.
    “Be quiet. One of them or more could still be in the house,” Chase warned in a harsh whisper. “I assume this is your friend?”
    When Dax didn’t move, but just stared at the dead guy on the floor, Lucas nudged him. Nothing. Chase shook his head. He hoped at least they’d gain weapons, not just this suddenly useless man.
    “Dax,” Chase hissed. “Come on man. Snap out of it. We need to get to the shed and get out of here.”
    Dax started to break down and mutter some gibberish about his friend. Chase got the gist of it. He figured if this guy couldn’t survive an attack, he had a snowball’s chance in hell. In trying to get Dax to shut up, he didn’t hear the zombie enter the room. The thing lunged toward Dax, who’d shut up only because he’d gone back to frozen.
    Stepping forward, he went at the dead guy with his knife raised. In a swift move, he angled the knife and brought it right down into the zombie’s temple. As the thing fell, he did a quick check of himself and Dax. No visible scrapes, he saw Lucas standing on the other side of Dax, knife raised. Relief flooded him. At least he wasn’t alone.
    “Dax,” Lucas hissed. “Let’s go. You have to stay quiet and keep moving.”
    Dax didn’t even blink.
    “Dax, please man. You move or you die,” Lucas tried again.
    “Forget it,” Chase grumbled low. “Just walk him if he’ll let you. We have to move. This way.”
    “Key,” Dax finally choked out one word.
    He’d pointed to the kitchen. Chase led them in the direction Dax pointed. Dax moved only as Lucas directed him.
    “Where?” Chase hissed when they got there.
    “Drawer,” Dax stated and pointed again.
    Chase managed to secure the shed key and move them out of the house to the back yard. Thankfully, the zombie had been alone. Maybe a friend or neighbor already in the house with the guy. Either way, Chase barely held back his excitement when he got the door to the shed open.
    “Who the hell keeps guns like this in a shed?” Chase asked. “We have at least twenty military grade weapons here, with ammo. How the hell did he get all of them anyway?”
    “Long story,” Dax finally answered. “Let’s just grab them and get out of here.”
    “Fine by me,” Chase added as he got to work filling Lucas’ and Dax’s arms as full as he could.
    Without further incident, the trio moved to the car with their finds. They stuffed the thing so full there was barely room for them with the food supplies, the lab stuff, and now the guns. Chase felt set to take on the world. Or at least get Jayda to safety. This time.

Chapter Fourteen
    “Let me see your phone,” Richard demanded.
    “It wouldn’t kill you to talk nice. I know it seems like we’re in the middle of some zombie apocalypse right out of some horror movie, but with more reality than we’d like, but seriously, you’ve done nothing but criticize and bark orders since our neighbor—” Jayda left off, the memory too overwhelming still.
    “Give me your phone, please,” Richard said.
    Jayda could tell he’d made a frail attempt to change his voice, even though he’d failed miserably.
    “Why?” she asked.
    His irritation only made her more testy and ready to do battle. Before she realized what he was doing, she felt him rip her phone from her hand. He turned from her, and she followed.
    “What is wrong with you?”
    “See,” he shouted under his breath. “Chase hasn’t returned one of your last six calls. He’s not coming and we’re leaving. You stay if you must, let the guy let you down once again. But Sherri and I are leaving.”
    Sherri had followed them into the kitchen. Jayda knew it had nothing to do with hearing what