American Revenant (Book 3): The Monster In Man
Page 19
The left arm of the dead thing hung at its side, most of the skin peeled away, several fingers on the hand nothing but naked bone.
The stench was nearly overpowering, even at fifteen feet away. Jimmy leaned toward Mike, whispering “Fuck, these things smell worse every time we see them.” Mike simply nodded in reply.
Whether the zombie had heard Jimmy’s sotto voce comment or their scent was carried to the undead thing on the chill breeze they couldn’t know, but the zombie in the pink shirt snapped its head around, the long flap of scalp flying out behind it like a horrific flag.
“Whoa, shit,” Mike said, stopping mid-stride. He put his arm out to prevent Jimmy from advancing on the creature as it moved away from the deer toward them.
The zombie, a woman, shuffled down the shallow ditch, heading toward them with arms out, bright red blood and bits of deer flesh dropping from its open, moaning mouth. Still legible on the front of the pink shirt now spotted and striped with dried gore and fresh blood was one word in bold black letters. AWARE.
Mike felt a sudden intense surge of animosity, angry at this one zombie, at all zombies, for even existing. “Be aware of this, bitch,” he spat vehemently as he stepped forward, hefting the war-hammer. The zombified woman shuffled within range of Mike’s swing and he brought the hammer down on her hairline, a solid hollow crack resounding from the skull. Both skin and skull split, fetid brain tissue welling up in the crack. Mike draw back and swung again, slamming the crenellated steel head into the same spot, widening the hole, the hammer squelching into soft tissue beneath bone.
Mike tore the hammer from the hole as the zombie fell, drawing back for another swing just as Jimmy said, “The other one’s aware now, Mikey.”
Mike flicked a glance toward the next gut-sucker just as it stepped away from the deer hung in the fence. Instead of waiting he hopped the shallow ditch, walked purposefully up to the undead thing and swung the hammer sideways, impacting the temple solidly, burying the steel head in one violent swing.
Ripping a large chunk of skull out with the hammer’s head, Mike bent to wipe the blade on the trampled grass. The deer still twitched in the fence, soft mewling noises coming with its fast breathing. Mike spun the hammer in his hand as he walked up to the poor beast. “Sorry you had to go out like that, fella,” he muttered. He swung the hammer, the sharp spike cutting through soft fur, punching through bone into the small brain, instantly stilling the animal.
Walking back to Jimmy, he paused briefly, looking down at the crushed skull of the AWARE zombie. He felt no pity, or remorse. The sudden rage had been washed away by adrenaline. Looking at the gore smeared pink shirt and the gaping hole in the creature's head he felt nothing.
“You ok, Mike?”
“Yep, just fine. Don’t think I want to waste time hating these things anymore, though. Kill them when I have to, but not going to waste any other thought on them.”
“Good idea, brother.”
Mike laid the bloody hammer behind the truck’s seat so that no gore would seep into the cloth and said, “Let’s get this last sign put up and get home, I’m ready for lunch anyway.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jimmy said with a smile.
Chapter 35
“So how are the new people doing?” Rick asked.
“Doing alright,” Gordy replied. “It’ll take them a bit to get accustomed to life around here, and it’s obvious those women went through hell.”
“You think that Farron guy was telling the truth?”
“All three women seem to support his statement, so I’m inclined to let it be. You know as well as I do that life out there is bad, people will do what they have to just to survive.”
“Doesn’t excuse cruelty, though,” Rick said.
“No, it doesn’t and we damn sure won’t tolerate it.”
Gordy stepped back, watching as support braces were being bolted into the now-complete wall, admiring the work that everyone had come together to complete.
“Turned out pretty damn good.”
“Yes it did, just wish Sam and Jack could have seen it finished,” Gordy said sadly.
“I know, me too, Gordy. Do you think the signs Mike and Jimmy put up the other day will…” Rick was cut off by the sound of the bell at the main gate signaling newcomers.
“Well, let’s go see who’s at the door,” Gordy said with a smile.
Rick slid behind the wheel of the De Soto, with Gordy easing himself into the passenger seat. He sat his walking stick between his knees and said, “On, Jeeves, drive.”
“Smartass,” Rick said, laughing.
“Everyone’s gotta be good at something,” Gordy said with a grin.
Minutes later Rick parked the car near the guard shack and slid out, reaching back in to retrieve his rifle. “Think there will ever be a time when we don’t have to answer the door with a gun in hand?”
“I’d certainly like to believe that, Rick, but I doubt it, at least not any time soon.”
Gordy and Rick met Dean and Becca beside the guard shack, together the four of them watched as people walked down the road toward the gate.
He hoped for something other than suspicion and violence.
“I’ll be damned,” Dean said, “that’s a dog.”
“No shit, Watson,” Becca said with a straight face.
“Don’t you mean “Sherlock”? Dean asked.
“Uh, no way. You’re Watson to my Sherlock, Scarface.” Becca gave Dean a bright smile.
A large German Shepherd on a short leash walked next to a man carrying a small boy in his arms. Behind them several paces walked a couple, a young man with a scraggly, rough beard and woman, both looking worn, exhausted.
Gordy turned to Becca, “Is anyone staying in the house right now?”
“No, just Dean and I.”
“Someone want to go get Jan? We’ll take these people into the house, get them some food and water and they can get checked for bites and bugs.”
“I’ll go get her,” Dean said, heading for the car.
Gordy turned back to watch as the people approached and noticed at the far end of the road another person, this one on a bicycle, turning onto Highway E.
He felt no threat, confident that they could handle whatever came down the road.
Gordy looked at his companions and smiled. “Looks like it’s going to be a busy day for Heritage.”
Copyright
America Revenant: The Monster In Man
Copyright 2015 © John L. Davis IV
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.
Trademarked names appear throughout this book. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, names are used in an editorial fashion, with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.
The information in this book is distributed on an “as is” basis, without warranty. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover art, design, and layout courtesy of Emily Royal at indigo.imagedesign@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/emily.jemphotographics.
For the Reader
Thank you for reading American Revenant: The Monster in Man, I hope you enjoyed it. If you would like to say “HI”, leave a note, or start a conversation, you can find me at Facebook or Twitter. You can al
so visit the American Revenant Series website.
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This is where I ask you, the reader, to go write reviews. Reviews are helpful to both a new reader, and to a new author. So read (that part is done), enjoy (I hope), and leave your review at Amazon.
Thank you.
The Deds…
I could fill several pages with names, so I’m just going to say thank you to my Mom and Dad for always believing in me and to my amazing wife and wonderful daughters, for being amazing and wonderful.
I can’t forget the guys, and you know who you are. Another one is done, let’s go get a beer and celebrate.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John L. Davis, IV is an avid reader who enjoys adding to his ever-expanding home library and talking books with pretty much anyone at any time. John lives in Hannibal, MO, with his books, his wife -- Erica, daughters -- Astrid and Hannah, and their much-loved pooch -- Pixie.
Here is where you can find John on the internet:
Website:
americanrevenantseries.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/AmericanRevenant
Twitter:
@AmRevenant
Goodreads:
goodreads.com/ John L Davis IV
He loves to hear from his readers, so stop by and converse about life, love, and the pursuit of zombies. Can you match book wits with this bibliophile? Come find out.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Copyright
For the Reader
The Deds…