Free THEM (Book 0): Invasion by M.D. Massey Page B

with it and struck back behind me with the butt end of my rifle, making contact with the thing square in the face and knocking it back a bit. Unfortunately, it somehow managed to snag my one-point sling as it stumbled back, wrenching the rifle from my hands as it fell.
    I staggered back away from it, backpedaling as I drew my Glock. The thing discarded my rifle with a clatter, then it stood and rushed toward me faster than I’d seen any of these things move so far. It was almost human-like in its movements, and definitely not the garden-variety deader I’d been accustomed to. I drew a bead on it and fired, but it zigged right and scuttled off sideways down the cooler aisle.
    The kid shouted down at me from the hatch. “Are you done in there yet?”
    “I’m little busy kid, so zip it!” I shouted back, scanning left and right and listening for movement, while also trying to spot it using the anti-theft mirrors in the corners of the store. Unfortunately, it was getting dark outside, so there were a lot of dark spots where the rapidly fading light outside couldn’t reach.
    I squatted down so it couldn’t spot me and backed up to the shelves behind me, figuring it’d have to come at me from the left or right. I waited and listened, but this thing had either been a ninja in its former life, or it was sitting just as still as I was and waiting for me to make my move. After a minute or so I got tired of waiting, and reached back to grab a can of Fix-a-Flat off the shelf. I tossed it over to the corner, just to see if the thing would react to the noise.
    Sure enough, I soon heard the soft squeak of a rubber-soled shoe on linoleum. I snuck around the corner of the aisle toward the sound. As I turned the corner in a low crouch, I sliced the pie rapidly‌—‌only to find nothing there.
    I caught just the flicker of a shadow cast from behind me, and did a forward roll to avoid being caught like the last time. I felt something brush my shoulder as I rolled, and came up in a shooting crouch while pivoting to face my assailant. He was almost on top of me as I fired, blowing brains and blood all over the drop ceiling in the store. The deader immediately collapsed on me, his momentum carrying me down underneath him. I was pulling myself out from under the corpse as the kid walked up and squatted down next to us.
    “I was wondering what took you so long, but I guess you were humping them after you killed them. That’s sick, man.”
    I gave the kid a dirty look and rolled the corpse over toward him, enjoying the look of betrayal on his face as he scuttled and scrambled away from the thing.
    I stood up and offered him a hand. “C’mon, let’s get me some gas. Daylight is burning.”

    The kid turned to look back at me over his shoulder as he led the way to the front counter. “Rayden. You never asked my name. It’s Rayden.”
    “You must be shitting me. Like the character from Mortal Combat ? Either your parents hated you, or they were some dumb, country-ass sumbitches.” He looked back at me with hurt in his eyes, which I knew was mostly for show. “Oh, c’mon‌—‌you think I’m buying that doe-eyed bullshit? Please.”
    “Well, at least it’s better than having some stupid city-boy name. What, I bet you’re probably a Tanner, or a Gavin, or a Tristan. I bet the girls must love that.” He made smoochy noises at me over his shoulder. “Ohhh, Tristan, read some poetry for me.” He sniggered as he jumped up and butt-vaulted the counter.
    This kid was annoying the shit out of me, for sure, but I had to admit he was a funny little bastard. “It’s Aidan, I’ll have you know. But most folks call me Sully.”
    He laughed. “Oh, like Aidan is any better than Rayden. Heck, our names practically rhyme. Here you are making fun of my name, and yours is just one consonant away from mine. Not to mention that Aidan is pretty gay for a boy’s name.”
    “Alright, alright‌—‌point taken. And you could have stopped at