Read Dead World (Book 1): Dead Come Home for Free Online

simply not been long enough. He’d planned to put in a couple of hours of work, catching up in the quiet, comforting solitude of his apartment. Instead, however, an attractive girl he’d met during an inebriated evening at City Streets came calling about an hour after he’d finished his microwave dinner of Kung Pao Chicken. She kept him up until nearly 3 a.m., though he didn’t exactly pose any complaints. He had enjoyed himself, but he knew that, come morning, he would have to pay for it. Well, morning was here.
    Joseph rolled out of bed and nearly fell over when he tried to stand up. He staggered the eight or so feet to the bathroom, flipping on the radio as he passed it. When the shower hit him in the face with an icy wake-up call as he forgot to wait for it to warm up, he realized the radio wasn’t playing the usual alternative rock music that was part of the morning format. As he stuck his head back under the now warm water, he tried to focus his attention to what the announcer was saying.
    The newscaster, fortunately for Joseph, was now repeating the update from the beginning.
     
    What started as a minor disturbance last night has escalated into an all-out riot. Police urge people to remain indoors and away from windows. SWAT units from area cities are being deployed to help street officers bring the situation to a close as quickly as possible. Stay tuned to any local radio channel or TV station for updates.
     
    Joseph toweled off, threw on a decent set of jeans and a black T-shirt, and turned on his TV to get a better idea of exactly what areas were being affected by the rioting. It didn’t take long for him to realize that this thing was more widespread than he had originally thought. On the screen was a map of the downtown districts, with designated “riot zones” outlined by red lines. The edge of one zone was near his apartment, practically at his doorstep. He found his destinations as he looked at the screen; both Ryan’s apartment and their office building were squarely in the middle of the chaos. For a fleeting second, he considered calling in.
    Joseph cursed between his teeth. There was no way he could afford to miss work today of all days. “Damn. I had to go and say it, didn’t I? I had to say today was going to be hell,” he muttered.
    He wolfed down a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. He needed them to balance out all the coffee he would be guzzling later on. Then he hastily brushed his teeth before snatching a shirt, suit, tie, and shoes from his closet and heading out the door. He found his car where he’d left it in the parking garage. He hung the clothes from the hook above the backseat and got behind the wheel.
    Joseph did what he could to stay clear of all the craziness, cruising through back alleys and side streets. He knew 635 and I-20 would be choked with people trying to get to work without risking the riot. He figured chancing the riot would probably be safer and, most likely, faster than trying to use the freeways for anything .
    The cops had their hands full, and were entirely too busy containing the riots to take much notice of his little Honda darting across main avenues for the cover of alleyways. They had bigger fish to fry. Joseph managed to arrive at Ryan’s apartment without attracting any attention.
    Joseph parked his car poorly, leaving nearly a third of the tail end sticking out in the street. He shut off the engine but left the driver’s side unlocked as he ran up the stairs and down the breezeway to Ryan’s second floor apartment door. He knocked loudly and waited impatiently for Ryan to answer. He kept a close eye on the street and his car, making sure no one got too close. A faint smell on the light morning breeze made the hair on his neck stand. A shiver ran up his spine, though he wasn’t sure why.
    He knocked again, harder this time, before putting his ear to the door. He could hear someone shuffling across the floor, but the sound was muted and