Read MZS: Philadelphia (Metropolitan Zombie Survivors Book 3) for Free Online Page B

and people as on edge as we are, that’s going to happen. We have to be cautious, but not stop searching for other survivors. Strength in numbers is why we even decided to come here.
    “Crazy is the new normal,” I say. “We came here to connect with survivors, and we need to check it out. We should be smart and safe, but let’s not run away.”
    “McLean is right. We need to check this out,” Patrick says. It’s nice that he supports me.
    “I say we get out of the car and backtrack down the street and go around to the other side of the Liberty Bell building. That way we avoid most of the bodies and we still can get to the rendezvous point,” I say. My plan is totally improvised.
    “Love it. Let’s roll!” Tucker is excited to move.
    “No. You’re staying here with Jaden and Terri. If anyone shoots at us, you shoot back. Otherwise, leave the gun alone,” I say, squashing his hopes for getting out of the car and running around.
    “Come on. Can’t Todd stay?” he whines.
    “No.” I’m not sure why I take this stance. The truth is, I can’t let Tucker think that fussing will get him what he wants.
    Four of us pile out of the Humvee. My heart is pounding in my chest and everything feels like a big mistake. We’re all about to die on the streets of Philadelphia, I’m suddenly sure of it.
    Running isn’t part of the plan, but it’s hard not to. Our weird assortment of armor and weapons makes us look a little funny. We’re a ragtag bunch with only determination and ingenuity to keep us going.
    This place makes me think back to the days of the colonies and the American Revolution. One of my favorite colonial paintings shows six or seven men standing around a campfire in winter. They are all wearing different-colored coats and pants and their muskets are crudely leaned up against a nearby tree. They were not formal, but they were unified.
    I hope our small band can stay unified, or at least alive.
    We come up on the outside of the Liberty Bell building and I feel better about our actions. There have been no zombies and no more gunshots. Outside of the RV that is pulled to the sidewalk, Todd pauses. Could this be the base of operations for the rally organizers?
    When Todd puts his hand on the door, Cupcake shakes his head no. If these people are on edge, the last thing we want to do is barge in on their sanctuary.
    Patrick uses rough sign language to direct us silently around the building, similar to the formation we used to enter the apartment building. Todd takes point, followed by Cupcake, then me, and Patrick brings up the rear.
    At the end of the wall, Todd stops and peeks around the corner. It’s not a quick glance; it’s a careful study. Hopefully this will go better than our experience in the apartment back in New York.
    Todd nods at us before moving out.
    When it’s my turn to round the corner, my nose is assaulted by a horrible smell. The stench of death and decay fills the air. My eyes refuse to look away from the carnage. I’m not interested in counting bodies, but there are easily tens of people around the grassy square.
    Something, aside from the obvious, seems odd. I look more closely at the corpses and detect a trend. Men. All the bodies are male. Checking each body more closely to verify my suspicion, leads my eye to the Humvee. The rear door is open.
    Someone is stealing our ride! What happened to Tucker?
    Looking to the turret, I can see Tucker searching frantically. He looks up the street and then down the street. His eyes aim directly at me and then up the street again. It’s a search.
    “Todd!” Jaden yells out from the middle of the square.
    No wonder Tucker is panicking. Jaden snuck out and he can’t find him.
    Todd hurries out to meet his little buddy. On the way, he has to leap over dead bodies and tip-toe through pools of blood.
    “The car smells funny and I was scared,” Jaden yells again before Todd can get to him.
    When they meet, Todd scoops the little man up in his