Read Infected (Book 1): The Fall for Free Online

unsnapped it with the blade of my hand and drew the fresh magazine out of the pouch.  I instinctively moved my index finger in search of the nose of the bullet protruding from the top of the magazine to assure the magazine was oriented properly.  It wouldn’t do to place it in the gun backwards.
    Once I felt the bullet, I pressed the magazine release button and the magazine in the gun dropped out.  Rather than let it drop on the ground, I caught it in the palm of my waiting hand.  I now had two magazines in my hand.  I pushed the full magazine into the magazine well and slapped it to make sure it was locked into place.  The partial magazine was slipped into the empty pouch in the carrier and I refastened the snap.  In the unlikely event I shot the two full magazines, I still had one more minus three bullets.  With a full load of bullets in the gun, I was ready to get back into the fight.
    I began to advance toward the insane woman who was now full of bullet holes.  I took small steps with my knees bent.  The small steps kept me from tripping since the tunnel vision prevented me from seeing what was at my feet.  Bent knees acted like shock absorbers and helped keep my gun from bouncing.  I wanted my gun steady on target in case she got back up.  At this point, nothing would surprise me.
    She was still flat on her back where she should be.  I walked to her right side and rolled her onto her stomach with the toe of my boot.  I repositioned so that I was standing just above her collarbone.  Her head was next to my right foot. I knelt down, placing my right knee in her spine to make sure she couldn’t move and holstered my gun.  With both hands free, I grabbed both of her hands simultaneously and pulled them into the small of her back with the backs of her palms touching.  My left hand held them in that position while my right hand reached for my handcuffs. Once her hands were secured with the cuffs, I rolled her over onto her back to provide medical care.
    I was pretty sure the medical care was a waste of time, but it is what I was trained to do.  I felt for a pulse. There was nothing.  I placed my hand in front of her nose and mouth and couldn’t feel any air coming from either. Her eyes were unblinking and her pupils were dilated. She was dead for the second time this afternoon.
    Suddenly, I heard screaming behind me.  I looked back and saw Mary with her hands over her mouth. Her hands didn’t seem to be dampening the sound coming out of her in the slightest.  I don’t know if she had just started screaming or if my brain had decided that hearing was suddenly important again and had turned my ears back on.  Whatever the case, the screaming wasn’t going to help my ears stop ringing.
    Bertha was next to her at the edge of the counter.  She was squatted down with her butt nearly touching the floor.  She was crying hysterically.
    Steve was the only one at the counter who appeared to be in control of himself.  “I thought you were a goner.” He walked away from me toward the corner of the diner as he spoke. “I wanted to help you,” he said, looking over his shoulder, “but I couldn’t move.  I was standing there totally paralyzed, watching everything happen.”  He interlaced his fingers behind his head and bowed it toward the floor, then pulled his elbows together until they touched in front of his face.  Shame for not having tried to help was plastered all over his countenance as he raised his head up and looked back at me from across the room.
    In the face of adversity, some men rise to the top like cream in milk.  These are the men who are born for action.  They are the ones who win medals in war for acts of valor.  When the action gets hot, their own well being is thrust to the side.  Their only real concern is for the buddy next to them and the success of the mission.
    Steve wanted to be one of these rugged men and probably thought he was; however, when danger presented itself, he