Zombie Road: The Second Omnibus | Books 4-6 | Jessie+Scarlet Simpson, A. (pride and prejudice read txt) 📖

forehead. Knee high boots were laced tightly and he had a bulky belt with pouches draped over one shoulder but he wasn’t wearing a gun. He was skinny, half Bobby’s size and didn’t look threatening at all.

Bobby wasn’t a brave man, he had only attacked strong holds and travelers when he was with his brothers and they had superior numbers and firepower. They’d set traps, ambushes and used snipers to kill half of the people before they even thought about getting close. That was the smart way, the jihadi way. Kill them before they even knew you were there. All he knew now was he had to get away, had to get back to the others. There was safety in numbers. He could go back a hero with all the inside knowledge of the town and they could figure out a way to defeat it.

“Yeah. You’ll do.” he said and pulled Lizzie around to the passenger side then realized there were only two seats. The girl would have to sit on his lap. That was okay. He might like that. He might like that a lot. He licked his lips. This might turn out just fine after all.

“You don’t need her.” Takeo said calmly, lighting a cigarette. “I can be your hostage. You have the gun, I’m unarmed. I won’t try anything.”

Bobby pulled her tighter, shot glances all around him at the hard-set faces.

“Shut up. I’m giving the orders here.” he said. “Get in. Let’s go.”

Takeo nodded, unruffled by the man with the gun. He slid easily into the cockpit and began his startup procedure. Bobby tried to shove her in first, his gun never leaving her head, but then he couldn’t get in so he jerked her back out.

“Stupid car.” he said and backed into the low-slung seat like the kid had done. He banged his head against the door and the instant the gun moved from her head, Takeo pushed a button on his remote. The door instantly shot downward, the force of the hydraulics slamming his hand and breaking his leg that was still halfway out of the car. Bobby screamed as men rushed forward and snatched Lizzie away, putting their bodies between her and any bullets that might come.

Takeo made himself small, tucked in so he wasn’t touching any metal and tapped another button. Bobby only grunted as the capacitors released their stored voltage and the whole car sizzled with blue arcs of electricity and the smell of burning hair filled the cockpit. One hundred thousand volts shot through the repurposed microwave transformers and Bobby’s whole body spasmed and jerked as the lethal charge fried anything touching metal. It only lasted a second but it was long enough.

When Takeo hit the door release, rough hands were there to drag the charred body out and throw it to the ground. Collins had her handcuffs ready but they weren’t needed. The blackened teeth and smoking eye sockets made it obvious that he was dead.

Mizuki pulled Takeo out of the drivers’ seat and shook him, yelled at him in Japanese that no one else understood but it sounded like she was telling him he was stupid. She hit him then hugged him then hit him again. He pulled her in tight and held her for a long time.

122

Gunny

The last of the tribes had arrived that afternoon, the one missing had been found burnt up and shot up in a bar a hundred miles away. No survivors. The locals who had done it were long gone his Lieutenant had reported.

“Probably a large group of survivors surprised our men and high tailed it to Lakota as soon as they won the fight.” Paco said, reading from his notes to make sure he wouldn’t forget anything.

Casey frowned. He didn’t know that group very well, they were relative new comers, but Pounder and his tribe was missing too. The rumors he’d heard said the Road Angel had wiped them out in Blackfoot. He and some mangy mutt had killed eight of his men in a bar, killed eight more at their garage then ran down the rest. He’d caught up with them in some hick town and finished the job. That sniveling little brat had taken out a whole expedition party and freed all the slaves. He still fumed about that but there was nothing he could do now. First things first. He needed his stronghold.

“Call the summit meeting for tonight.” he told his gathered war council. “Roast up some people, sacrifice a few virgins, whatever. I don’t care. Lucinda, you and the president make the plans. Make it huge. I want everyone fired up. I want a thousand kill-crazy warriors. I want to work them into a frenzy and then we’re going to drive everything we have up the mountain. We’re going to ram right through, I don’t care how many people we lose. Tonight, we’re taking that town. No more pussy footing around.”

Gunny and Griz sat with the rest of the Human Hunters on old tires and torn up sofas they’d drug near the firepit. All around them, most of the other tribes had done the same. Men and women relaxing, taking afternoon naps or working on their machines. Casey had set up in the middle of the little town and the tribes had encircled him, taking over workshops, garages and stores. Word was out. Big Pow wow tonight. The first time the entire Raider Army had gathered together and they could already smell the aroma of roasting flesh. They were a massive army with hundreds of war machines and thousands of people. Casey wasn’t tiptoeing around anymore with probing actions: tonight they were going to hit the walls with everything they had. By tomorrow, they were going to be relaxing in the injun village and having their way with the injun women.

Gunny looked up from sharpening his knife and caught Cherry Pie’s eye. She gave him the slightest nod, the slightest smile then hurried to the next