Free Undead L.A. 2 by Devan Sagliani Page A

biting her lower lip. Tyler wanted to kiss her again right then and there. He knew he'd made the right choice in coming back for her. He was going to miss his brother, but he knew he couldn't live without her.
    Sean would understand. He'd be happy that I made it this far. So would our folks.
    Tyler squeezed her tiny hand as a sign that they were ready to move, then bolted forward out into the open. He went right for the fence line in the backyard. Just beyond was a large natural forest—one of the few in all of Los Angeles. He'd meant what he'd told her about there being a lot fewer zombies hiding out in the hills than there were in the city. It just made sense. Zoms congregated where they could feed on people. They didn't just wander in the wild.
    You’d better hope you are right, he thought as he raced up the slight embankment of grass towards the wood fencing. He heard another explosion behind him and turned back. Emily's face was a mask of intense fear. He looked past her to see the fire was now spreading to Mr. Hendrix's house, which was fully engulfed in flames as well. He wondered if maybe a car inside the garage of the home had exploded. It didn't matter. Whatever it was had gone off in that house. He heard the sound of planes off in the distance, like an air show. Something thin and silver shot past them, the sound of the engine’s loud roar silenced all other sounds.
    Emily tugged at his hand. He turned back to her. Her lips formed the words “Keep… going.”
    He climbed the fence, and she followed close behind. They turned and ran into the shelter of the trees. He didn't want to stop until he was certain they were far from all of it. He ran until he could feel his lungs burning. He held her hand so tight he thought she was probably losing circulation. He didn't want to lose her now. He couldn't! He'd sacrificed everything for her. The sound of the planes began to recede, leaving the sound of his own beating heart thrumming in his ears. The world was silent, and then he heard them. The crows were flying behind them, chasing them as they went, calling out once more to mock them. One loud bird stood out over the rest, his cry like a smoker's cough. He flew over the tops of their heads and landed on a tree branch just in front of them. His feathers were as solid as midnight and his eyes a glossy black darkness that held the shadows of a grave. Looking down at them he loudly cried out, heckling them as they fled.
    This is the way the world ends, Tyler thought. Not with a bang or a whimper, but with a black crow laughing.
    They slowed as they passed the crow and moved deeper into the untamed world of raw nature. Behind them they heard the sounds of explosions ripping through air, laying waste to everything they'd ever known—and the nightmare it had become. He held her in his arms, and for the first time she started to cry.

    ***

    The Watts truce of 1992 was a peace agreement among rival street gangs in Los Angeles that took place just days before the outbreak of the L.A. Riots.  
    Modeled on a previous ceasefire reached between Israel and Egypt, the agreement united various factions of the deadly Bloods and Crips gangs, bringing a historic standstill to 20 years of internecine warfare that once raged across the public housing projects of Los Angeles.

    While not universally adhered to the temporary measure effectively reduced street violence for over a decade.

    On a darker note, it also created a framework for future gang coalitions and led to the rise of the super gang, a loose affiliation of various criminal organizations with mutually beneficial interests that became a recurring issue for law enforcement agencies both nationwide as well as around the globe.  

    ***

WE ARE THE HUNTERS

    Adam squatted down in the back alley, holding his hunting knife out in front of him like a talisman to ward off any unseen danger. The warm, gentle Santa Ana breeze made his sinuses feel like they were on fire. He ignored