Read Zombies! Episode 3 - Love Bites for Free Online Page A

faces of everyone he
passed on the street. Some of them ignored him. Some looked back.
None were dead. None were un dead. But he had to make
sure.
     
    The train station was even worse. The gloom
inside the tunnels made it hard to see people who weren’t right up
close. A zombie could be ten feet away and you would never know it
until he had his teeth into you. Hell, in the New York City Subway
System, you might not even notice the smell.
     
    The train came and he boarded it gladly. It
was October but still warm and the air conditioner pumped cool air
into the cars. They were well lit giving Shawn the opportunity to
inspect every last face before relaxing against the door. If it had
been rush hour, he wouldn't have been able to take the train.
Bodies pushed up against bodies with no way of making absolutely
sure that there were no zombies on the train. Rush hour was like a
smorgasbord for those things. If one slipped onto a train between
five and seven o'clock, there wouldn't be any people left by the
time it got to the next stop.
     
    The stations went by in a blur. People read
or listened to music or fiddled with their smart phones. A month
ago, Shawn might have been one of those people. Now he just
watched. Every time the train stopped and the three sets of doors
opened, he checked out every face of every person. He did it
without shame, almost with challenge. No one rose to the challenge.
And no one was dead.
     
    In the city at last, his train hit the Wall
Street station and Shawn exhaled as he disembarked and bolted for
the stairs that led to the street. Even at a quarter to four in the
afternoon, the Manhattan streets were busy. Especially downtown.
The bus stops were filling up. People were going into and out of
the train stations. Still wary of anything that might bite him,
Shawn made his way to the building where Marcus worked. He still
had a few minutes, so he parked himself outside the front entrance,
leaning up against a sign post, and waited.
     
    Shortly after four, Marcus came out of the
building. At the sight of him, Shawn felt his stomach flip. Marcus
was tall and well built with a shaved scalp and cream colored skin.
He was as sexy as a man could be and Shawn was pretty sure he was
only gay when it came to Marcus. Before he'd met Marcus, his
fascination had been with girls just like the rest of his friends.
But there was just something about this man with his tailored suits
and his West Indian accent that made poor young Shawn melt.
     
    Shawn knew better than to approach straight
away. Like himself, Marcus had any number of reasons to keep their
relationship secret. The homosexuality probably wasn't an issue.
Marcus was a commanding individual who garnered respect well beyond
his years. But he was dating a minor and that probably wouldn't sit
well with whomever he worked for. He caught sight of Shawn as he
exited the building. He was mingled with three others, the center
of attention as usual. He flashed a bright white smile Shawn's way
and kept on going. That was fine with Shawn. He'd been seen.
Waiting for the small group to move out of view, Shawn detached
himself from the signpost and made his way down the Wall Street
alley.
     
    Behind one of the buildings where the
pedestrian traffic was thinner, he found another place to wait. He
didn't have to wait long. Marcus was smooth as silk. Even if he had
plans with those other people, he could extricate himself without
dealing offense or begging a question. As he approached Shawn, the
two of them a tremendous contrast, his smile had been replaced by a
frown, almost a pout. Shawn burst out laughing.
     
    "Don't you laugh at me, man," Marcus said,
slapping him playfully in the side of the head. "I ain't seen you
in weeks."
     
    "You'll never believe it," Shawn told
him.
     
    "You got yourself a better boyfriend?"
     
    "Like there is such a thing."
     
    "Don't you forget it. I was going to give up
on you."
     
    "I was in jail."
     
    Now it was Marcus' turn to