Free MZS: Philadelphia (Metropolitan Zombie Survivors Book 3) by K. D. McAdams Page A

of the room and carefully looks out around the rooftops. There are taller buildings around us; the elevated shooter that killed Jaden could also have us in their sights, unless Tucker really was able to take care of them.
    Completing his search for anything obvious, Patrick looks over the wall and down toward the street.
    “Looks like the zombies have moved off the Humvee,” Patrick reports while he turns to face the bar.
    Cupcake places some plates on top of the bar and then sets out five glasses. New guy hurries over and grabs the plates. He brings them over to the table in front of Todd and sets them down.
    While I look at the pizza, crackers and fruit, Patrick crosses to the bar. He and Cupcake manage to bring all five glasses over and we gather around the table. Our ability to sit down and eat with a dead body at the table worries me. It hasn’t been long enough to be this comfortable with death.
    Cupcake slowly raises his glass. A somber mood has washed over us and replaced my feeling of comfort and safety. This is just a pause, a brief respite from hell.
    “What’s up bitches?” Tucker bursts through the door like he’s arriving fashionably late to a party.
    Cupcake runs and wraps him in the tightest bear hug I have ever witnessed. Patrick is there quickly as well and embraces his friend with equal vigor.
    When Tucker gets over to the table, I also hug him tight. While we embrace, his hand slides down my back and cups my ass. He gives a little squeeze and then pulls back and winks.
    I would slap him if I didn’t have such a weird fondness for him.
    “No glass for me?” he asks in shock.
    “Hold on!” Cupcake runs back to the bar.
    “What about Terri?” Patrick asks.
    “She’s fucking hysterical. I tried to wake her, right? But she’s all slappin’ at me and swearin’ and shit. Just won’t wake up, you know? She must have been hammered. Anyway, I texted her with Cupcake’s digits, but I wasn’t sure she’d know it was from me. So then I wrote a note on this receipt I had in my pocket and stuck it on her forehead. When she wakes up, she can’t miss it.”
    “How did you stick it to her forehead?” I ask. I don’t know why that seems important.
    Tucker picks up a napkin, licks it and then sticks it to his own forehead.
    “Where is your phone?” Patrick asks, a better question.
    “Under a tree or something.”
    “What? Tucker how did your phone end up under a tree?”
    “After I toasted the last asshole, there was a bit of a zombie problem around the rig. While I was trying to figure out how to get in here, the moaning and buzzing got so loud I couldn’t think. It was really pissing me off, because not only was it loud, but it kept attracting more fucking zombies.”
    !” Cupcake has a revelation. “Holy shit. The buzzing is how they communicate and build a horde!” he says.
    “I don’t fucking know how they work. I decided to try recording the racket and then playing it back. They seemed to pay attention, so I took a nice long sample, hit play, and tossed my phone off to the sidewalk. Bitches followed it like dogs on a bone.” Tucker has a huge smile across his face.
    “That’s pretty creative,” the new guy says.
    Tucker suddenly realizes there is someone new in the group. “Dude! What the fuck, Pat-O, you’re not gonna make introductions?”
    “Tucker this is… Parker. Parker, this is our friend Tucker,” Patrick says, making the formal introductions.
    “Parker” has replaced “new guy.” He has a name, and now he’s one of us.
    “Nice to meet you, bro. You from Philly?” Tucker asks.
    Cupcake walks away from the group and over to the bar. He works quickly. I shouldn’t be surprised that this isn’t his first time mixing drinks.
    “No actually, just here for a visit,” Parker answers blandly.
    Todd slowly gets up, still holding Jaden’s body.
    At this point, I’m sure the weight is getting overwhelming. With things calming down, I also notice an odor from the