S.W. Tanpepper's GAMELAND, Season One Omnibus Read Free

wasn’t paying any attention to me, his obsession with the game kind of pissed me off.
    â€œ So…what’d you guys decide?” Ashley asked. “About Gameland.”
    I looked over. Reggie’s thumb was now resting on the exposed skin of her breast. He was slowly brushing it back and forth. I felt a tingle pass through my own body, then a twinge of jealousy. Reggie was a code geek, just like the rest of us, but at least he had broader interests outside of the games.
    Kelly could learn a thing or two from his example.
    â€œ Well, actually, it wouldn’t technically be Gameland,” he told Ash. “We’d just be breaking into one of the Forbidden Zones on LI—an outer zone. I think the Gameland arena is more toward the center of the island—that’s what Micah thinks, anyway—and it’s probably pretty heavily barricaded to keep the Players from getting out.”
    He was talking about the implanted zombies that were recruited into The Game . They called them Players.
    â€œ There’s still the Infected Undead on the rest of the island,” I pointed out.
    Reggie chuffed. “Yeah, like there’d be any IUs left after thirteen years. They’re all dead by now.” He waggled his fingers spookily at me and said, “No brains to feed on.”
    â€œ You don’t know that.”
    He shook his head. “You’re beginning to sound just like your boyfriend. He says it’s not doable.”
    â€œ I didn’t say that.”
    Reggie smiled. He was egging me on, and I’d fallen for it. I should’ve known. Whatever Kelly said, Reg always tried to say the opposite. And now that Kelly was saying it was impossible to break into LI, it just made Reg even more determined to say it wasn’t.
    Kelly paused his game so he could tick reasons off on his fingers: “Fifty foot wall around the entire island, electrified razor wire, all the bridges demoed, no-fly zones, biometric mines in the East River, electromagnetic barrier—”
    â€œ EM, brah? Really? Chillax. I’m not talking about hacking in, I’m talking about breaking in. Remember? The EM’s nothing to worry about.”
    â€œ It could fry your implant,” I said.
    â€œ Implant, shmimplant.”
    â€œ There’s no way,” Kelly insisted. “I’m telling you, it’s impossible.”
    â€œ Maybe there is a way,” Micah said, still playing. He was one of those freaky types who could give a hundred percent of his attention to something like Zpocalypto or Warlock Four and yet still be fully involved in a conversation, even while being stoned off his gourd. I could never understand how he did it. The guy was more than just scary smart. It was like he could partition his brain into distinct segments—one for gaming, one for being wasted, one for everything else—yet still use them all at full capacity. He was like a computer. “I’ll give it some thought.”
    â€œ I know!” Ashley exclaimed. “We’ll just sprinkle a little fairy dust on our bodies and fly ourselves in.”
    â€œ I’ll sprinkle fairy dust over your body if you do mine,” Reggie said.
    I snorted.
    He looked over at me. “Every time someone disses a fairy, another zombie gets its wings.”
    I rolled my eyes, but I was laughing.
    â€œ That’s just…stupid!” Kelly snapped. “Besides, you have to get through Manhattan’s restricted zones first. That can be a hassle.”
    â€œ That’s true,” I said. I’d gone there on occasion with my brother; he had a special pass. I remembered all the checkpoints and the guards questioning us.
    Kelly smiled and nodded at me, thinking I was actually taking his side in the argument. “It’s crazy talk.”
    I went over and plopped down on his lap and planted a kiss on his lips. It wasn’t one of our usual hot-n-heavy lip-bruising kisses—I