Read Winter Apocalypse: Zombie Crusade V for Free Online Page A

that was rapidly overwhelming his self-control. He peered furtively at Gracie and saw that she had a feral expression on her face, eyes fixed straight ahead as she awaited the signal. He realized that was what he was waiting for as well, and wondered briefly what the signal would be just before a howl that he knew came from the giant male echoed through the trees.
    Suddenly Luke was free, running at a speed he’d never known possible, howling his joy and hunger along with the rest of the hunters as the fleeing hindquarters of two cows and a calf came into view. Now he was frantic in his pursuit, somehow increasing his pace as he watched the scene unfold in the distance. The panicked cattle ran straight into the dozen flesh-eaters waiting for them at the edge of the woods, the trap sprung with deadly efficiency. The hunters mobbed the largest two animals in an instant, their combined weight and grasping hands quickly knocking the stumbling cows to the ground. As soon as the unfortunate beasts were down, two of Luke’s packmates, again, the word was just there, used large rocks to crush the skulls of their prey.
    Even as the hunters began tearing at the still quivering carcasses with their hands and teeth, the big male appeared at Luke’s side and motioned toward the field. They stepped together into the open ground, where the calf was wandering about in confusion, bawling for its mother.  Luke felt nothing but hunger and residual excitement at the sight of the frightened young animal; he moved to the right while the hunter who’d been at his side went left. Gracie stayed where she was but began to make a noise that somehow held the calf’s attention. It was still looking her way when Luke leapt forward and pulled it to the ground, howling in joy as his powerful partner grabbed the animal’s head and snapped its neck in one smooth motion.
    Now Luke realized that he didn’t know what to do; he didn’t know how to eat. The hunter began to bite into the calf’s neck and tear pieces of hide away with his teeth. Once he had a suitable opening he stuck his hands into the wound and pulled the skin apart to reveal the bloody flesh beneath. Luke tried to bite and he tried to tear, but then he noticed that his hands didn’t look the same as the hunter’s, and his teeth were nowhere near as strong. He didn’t have time to think about the differences however, as Gracie suddenly stepped forward and hacked a foreleg free of the carcass with two powerful strokes of her axe. Together they lifted the dripping leg and brought the ragged meat to their mouths, and Luke understood the meaning of bliss when he ripped the first morsel free and felt the hot blood trickle down his throat. The warmth spread from his stomach to the rest of his torso, then radiated out to his head and limbs. He was so warm, and then warmer still as he continued to wolf down the raw flesh, a sense of joy and contentment singing from his soul. His soul…
    The heat coursing through Luke’s body as he ate the warm flesh of the calf was all consuming; he couldn’t even spare a glance toward Gracie as she repeatedly called his name. Finally he did look for her, but she was gone. The calf was gone. The hunter was gone. A coldness washed over his body in waves that seemed so real, like ice water dousing his flesh. Then he woke up. Gracie was leaning over him, gently blotting his forehead with a cold cloth. A look of relief crossed her face.
    “You’re back,” she whispered.
    Luke tried to speak, but his mouth was too dry. Gracie knew what he wanted. She held a small cup of tepid water to his lips and he took sips from it for a while before trying to talk again.
    “How long?” he managed to croak.
    “Just a couple hours. It started right when you fell asleep. First you were twitching, then just burning up. You’ve pretty much been out of it, but about twenty minutes ago you promised me that you wouldn’t give up. Do you remember?”
    “Not giving up,” he