Read The Infected Dead (Book 3): Die For Now for Free Online Page B

hope I didn’t cut Allison by accident as I shoved my own machete between them and then swung it in an uppercut motion. The blade came up across its chest and connected with its underarms both at the same time.
    Its arms came off at the shoulders, and my blade went straight up under its chin. I watched it fall and was amazed to see my blade had severed the head from the body. Allison was screaming, undoubtedly attracting every infected dead on Mud Island, but the rest of us were looking at each other and thinking the same thing. The weather was breaking down the bodies of the infected and making them easier to kill.  
    We all converged on Allison at the same time. Tom tried to get her to at least stop screaming, and the rest of us formed a circle around her facing outward. For the next fifteen minutes, the bushes were constantly being parted as more infected would come through. We didn’t take turns because there were too many. We just kept swinging high and low.
    At some point in time, Allison let go of her machete and just sat down on the ground. In a way it made it easier for the rest of us because we could cover her better. Tom was also able to help us instead of trying to calm her down.
    Eventually there was a quiet that settled over the group as no more infected dead came at us. Allison was curled up on the ground covered in more human remains than she would have been if she had stayed on her feet. She was crying softly, but at least she wasn’t screaming.
    “We have to take her back,” said Tom.
    “No,” she yelled.
    All of us made a shushing noise at the same time. She didn’t yell again, but she glared at each of us one at a time. We were all just waiting for her to make the next move.
    She said in a low voice, “I’m not going back. I’m going with you, and I’m going to help.”
    Allison looked straight at Kathy and said, “I’m not losing my husband to another woman just because she kills zombies better than me.”
    There it was, finally out in the open. Kathy seethed with anger because Allison’s jealousy had gotten them swarmed by the infected dead. Tom was too dumbfounded to speak, and I heard the Chief mutter, “They aren’t zombies.”
    Despite the tension, Bus said, “One of these days someone is going to explain to me why they aren’t zombies.”
    That made us all relax just in time for the next wave, but this time Allison picked up her machete and started swinging at the infected that came through the bushes near her. She made us all nervous with her wild swings, but at least she was contributing.
    When it was all over, she asked us in a softer voice if she had caused that last attack, and we all nodded at her. She put one finger to her lips to show she understood, and we started moving again. From my position at the rear I saw Allison giving Kathy scathing looks, and I saw Kathy ignoring her. That was the difference between a pro and an amateur out here. One knew who the real enemies were.
    When we reached our dock, there were several of the infected walking off the flat wooden boards straight into the water. We just stopped and waited for the last of them to fall in. They were apparently still being drawn in the direction of the place where the Russian ship had sunk. Even from this far away we could hear the chorus of groans from the hundreds of infected dead that had surfaced when the ship sank below the surface.  
    “Let’s get going,” said the Chief.
    We all threw our gear into the plane that was tied to the dock and untied the mooring lines while the Chief climbed into the pilot’s seat. He always did something to foul the wiring under the instrument panel so no one could steal the plane while we were in the shelter. Whatever it was, he could fix it in a heartbeat, and he had it ready to go before we were done with the lines.
    The powerful engine of the de Havilland DHC-3 Otter roared to life. Tom and I gave the plane a hard push and then jumped onto the pontoon and through