Read The Phoenix Trilogy (Book 1): World On Fire for Free Online

like I was going to make a point of
conducting science experiments on these things for kicks." She was feeling
defensive, but Marco just laughed.
        "Seriously,
think about it for a sec. Zombies are supposed to eat people, but if that were
true, how do more zombies get made? I mean, it can take a while for somebody to
come back from the grave, right? Sooo, if a couple blighters are chowing down on a body for an hour, it’s not exactly
going to be in tip-top shape when it gets back up, is it?" He paused for a
moment to toss her a knowing look.
        He
was clearly expecting her to fill in the blanks, but Natalie was just now
realizing the truth of what he was saying. Without her response, he kept going.
        "All
the rot-bastards that you've seen, how many of them look like they've really
been eaten up? None. Bites sometimes, here and there, but just enough to kill a
man. After that, they get left alone. These things may be mindless sometimes,
but they've got an order to what they do. They want their new converts to be in
good condition. It's the reason you don't see bodies lyin’ all over the place.
You die a human, you get back up. You die a zombie, they eat you and move on.
For as crazy as they can get, they still need food to give 'em the energy to
hunt. They're dead, but they're flesh-powered, and calories are an important
part of every diet." He chuckled at that, his cavalier attitude rubbing
Natalie the wrong way as he motioned for her to continue up the ladder. A
moment later, they were joined by BJ and Rico.
        They
had stacked the bodies on top of each other some distance away from the house,
clearly wanting to ensure no thing stopped to eat nearby, and it looked
like they were ready to rest. Whatever exhaustion Natalie had been feeling, she
found herself deeply unwilling to fall asleep in strange company. It was a
feeling she hoped would pass.
        As
they settled in, the trio unpacked sleeping bags and rolled out their kits in
the den with Natalie. Getting comfortable, Marco picked up a flask and took a
swig of something that made him wince.
        "Listen,
if we're gonna be haulin’ you out of here in the morning, there's some things
you're gonna need to be smarter about." Natalie started to retort before
catching herself. It was true that she had been on her own and in hiding for
the majority of the outbreak. Most of the information she had was second-hand,
through various other survivors she had passed on her way from place to place.
She hadn't paused to consider how little she might actually know.
        Marco
must have picked up on that. Natalie forced down a growl as he flashed a cocky
smile, leaning against the wall with an aura of pompous superiority before
speaking.
        “Class
is in session! My name is Marco, but you may call me Mr. Professor.” BJ was in
the corner, his attention fixed on nothing in particular, while Rico rolled his
eyes at his cousin. Grabbing her journal, Natalie nestled herself into the
couch. The man might be a bit overbearing, but she wasn't too proud to accept
information that could save her life in the future. Pen in hand, she began to
write down everything Marco said.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    I'm
not really sure where to start. "Dear Diary, today I killed some zombies
and made a couple of friends" seems a little out of place, but I guess it
isn't far from the truth.
    Marco, Rico, and BJ. Or,
as I first came to know them, Smarmy, Cautious, and Hardcore. Honestly I like
my names for them better, but I'll keep that to myself for now.
     
    I'm not sure what to make
of them, but they seem like they know what they're doing, and Marco has been
telling me a lot of things I didn't know. There's a whole other side to the
apocalypse that I didn't think about, some pretty dark and disturbing things I
hadn't pieced