Free Testing Zero: a dystopian post-apocalyptic young adult novella series (Remnants of Zone Four Chronicles Book 1) by N. G. Simsion, James Roth

leather belt around his waist.
    There were two similar-looking men, except they were both fully awake. One of them flopped around the grass in his shackles like a fish out of water. The other had managed to free himself from his restraints, which lay on the grass close by. He paced back and forth on the lawn, mumbling nonsense and pulling out chunks of his own hair. He looked up at Lefty and gnashed his teeth, spitting black stuff all over himself as he growled.
    There was no doubt that these men were Remnants, but they had been purposefully brought here in that trailer.
    “Why would they bring them here?” Zero asked. “What are they going to do now that they’ve busted out of the trailer?”
    “I don’t know.” Lefty couldn’t look more excited. “But I want to be part of it.”

Chapter 9
    Zero grabbed hold of Lefty’s wrist as soon as he started running toward the Remnants. Zero was serious now. And scared.
    “Don’t do this,” he said. “You’ll get infected if one of them bites you. Nothing good can come out of this.”
    “Are you kidding me?” Lefty said. “This will give me a chance to show my worth better than any written test ever could—maybe even better than winning a fight against Caiman. Besides, someone has to do it, and every student in our year already proved their cowardice when the Remnants attacked the bus.” Lefty jerked his wrist free, taking two backward steps toward the center of the action. “I’m doing this. You’re not going to stop me.”
    “Stay away,” someone called, standing with his arms folded and his back against the pickup’s cab. He was enormous—about the same height as Zero, but broader at the shoulders. He wore a thick brown beard and a blood-red cap. He had an air about him that suggested there was nothing in this world that could intimidate him, which was what confused Zero the most. Even the scene unfolding in front of him, with three Remnants loose within city gates, appeared to only amuse him as he watched.
    Zero had been so focused on the three Remnants that he hadn’t noticed this man, or the other one inside the pickup talking into a CB radio, until one of them had spoken up. He knew exactly who these two men were. They were frontline scouts. Even though he had never actually met one, Lefty had talked for years about wanting to become one. He looked up to them with reverence and awe. Up until now they had only existed in stories.
    One of the Remnants—the one who had successfully removed his shackles—took off at a full sprint toward the city gates. The frontline scout inside the pickup secured the CB radio back onto the dashboard and stepped out to watch. He folded his arms and laughed as he watched the taller scout catch up to the Remnant just before the gate and tackle him from behind, causing them to crash face down in the dirt. He wrapped one arm around the Remnant’s neck so that his elbow was just below the neck, and squeezed until all of the fight was gone from him. He laughed and released his grip, which caused the Remnant to drop face down into the dirt. The scout then nudged him in the ribs with his toe to make sure he was unconscious, and then began dragging him by the heel back toward the others.
    Lefty jerked his wrist free from Zero’s grasp and ran to the scout’s side. He grabbed hold of the Remnant’s other heel.
    Zero didn’t dare chase after him. He slinked back around the corner of the nearest building and peeked back around just enough to watch and listen. He took note of where the nearest door was in case one of the Remnants came charging his way and he would need to make a run for it.
    The scout stopped and turned toward Lefty. “What on earth are you doing?”
    “Helping.”
    “I didn’t ask for any help.”
    “I know, but it’s always easier with extra people.” Lefty pulled on the leg, causing the Remnant to slide another few inches.
    The scout shook his head and belly-laughed. “You’ve got nerve. I’ll give