Free Z-Burbia 3: Estate Of The Dead by Jake Bible Page B

spilling over her knuckles.
    “It hurts,” Mindy says , “a lot.”
    “Just hold on,” Melissa says as she kneels in front of Mindy, her eyes studying the wound. “Keep your hands pressed against your belly.”
    “I can’t,” Mindy says, wincing. “It really hurts. And this happens.” She bravely presses down and blood gushes out from between her hands like a river breaking through a kid’s mud damn. She looks at Melissa then her eyes find mine. “Am I going to die?”
    “No, no, we’ll help you,” I reply. “We’ll stop the bleeding and get you all patched up. I was shot in the gut remember , and I’m all good.”
    “Jace,” Melissa whispers.
    “No, no, don’t worry,” I continue. “We can get you to Whispering Pines. Dr. McCormick will stitch up that little ol’ flesh wound. No problem.”
    “Jace, stop,” Melissa says, sighing as she gets to her feet.
    “What? Why?” I ask. Then I see.
    When your friends or family can come back from the dead to eat your ass, you learn the signs of a person passing. Mindy has passed. Her butt rests back on her calves, and because of her bulk, she stays in that position even though the life has left her. Her eyes are glazed and her chest isn’t moving. Then, like watching an avalanche in slow motion, she slumps to the side and hits the ground with a sad, quiet thunk.
    “You fucking bitch!” I yell as I spin about and lock eyes with Brenda. “She didn’t deserve that! See what happens! SEE!” I stomp towards the woman and she gives a frightened squeak as she tries to scurry away on her hands and ass , but only gets so far as she comes up against the wounded PC’s body. “That should be you there! YOU!”
    “I didn’t…I…it was your fault!” she cries out.
    This stops me in my tracks. What the what?
    “My fault?” I say. “Are you fucking serious?”
    She keeps scuttling back and her face scrunches up in that self-righteous way it does when she’s ready to spit and fight even though she knows (does she?) that she’s wrong.
    “You started all of this! You and Stuart and that cannibal cunt! None of this would have happened if you’d just listened to me back when … AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”
    I jump back when she screams, but Melissa hurries forward, grabs the pistol from my waistband, and puts a bullet in the bra in of the PC that has its jaws clamped around Brenda’s neck. The new Z/former ally falls backwards and Brenda slaps her hand against the wound. Only a little blood trickles from between her fingers, so the thing didn’t get an artery, but it still gave her a nice death hickey.
    “Oh, no,” Brenda whispers. “No, no, no, no, no ...”
    “Shut up!” Melissa shouts as she slaps Brenda across the face. “You reap what you sow, bitch!”
    “What the fuck is going on?” Stuart yells as he bursts from the pines with the young women and only one PC. “Stop bickering and get your asses over that fence!”
    The women, Elsbeth with them, hurry to the fence and half squat down, their hands interlaced. The rest place boots in the hands and are helped up over the fence.
    “Come on!” the one I think is called Lacy shouts.
    One by one, they hop over until all that’s left is the brunette and Elsbeth.
    “Your turn, Long Pork,” Elsbeth says, squatting down.
    I don’t argue and take the help and clamber up over the iron fence. I don’t look anywhere as cool as the women did. But I get over. Elsbeth helps Melissa and then the brunette.
    “Let’s go, Ms. Kelly,” Stuart says. “Get off your ass.”
    “Leave her,” Melissa says , “she’s been bitten.”
    Stuart takes a step back, but Elsbeth steps forward. The smile on Elsbeth’s face would make the Joker shiver.
    “You’re dead,” Elsbeth says, leaning in close so that her forehead is touching Brenda’s. “Bye bye.”
    “Move,” Stuart says, pulling his Beretta , “I’ll make it quick.”
    “No,” Elsbeth says, grabbing the gun from Stuart’s grip and tossing it over