The Reaper: No Mercy Read Free Page B

fortress to rescue hostages. It was during that last action he’d learned that the rise of the undead was the result of a biological longevity experiment and power grab gone wrong. Instigated by a secret organization known only as 'The Order', their attempt at the fountain of youth, along with world domination, had instead decimated the world.
    They had learned that 'The Order' was part of a larger shadow government within world governments, all tied together through money and power. These Godless, power-hungry men and women had instigated the tainted vaccine following a world-wide flu epidemic (also contrived), and in the process had caused the largest act of mass murder the planet’s history had ever witnessed.
    The released virus, through the medium of an innocuous vaccine, had killed off over seventy percent of the world's population. Another twenty-five percent had turned into what everyone was now calling zombies, leaving five percent of humanity whole. Unfortunately, two things really frustrated the Reaper. The virus was mutating. What had started out as typical slow shambler zombies had turned into fast walkers, almost runners. Then a certain number regained the skill to climb sloped surfaces and even tilted ladders, and that had turned deadly for many of the remaining survivors when you combined it with a unique pheromone sense of primordial communication. Still others could exude a gelatinous substance that made them impervious to submersion in water. Overall, it was bad for the survivors’ chances. The only good aspect of the virus was that it could not be transmitted through bite.
    Then, if that was not bad enough, with just a few percent of the population left, too many bad elements within the groups of remaining survivors seemed determined to further reduce the chances of ultimate survival for the human race. He sighed at the sick antics of too many left alive and set his mind back on the current task.
    It was times like this that having a backup companion would have been a nice luxury. His normal partner, Travis, was back in Newaygo recuperating from wounds received at the shadow government's compound they had recently destroyed. With Travis was a woman, Shannon. The Reaper had rescued her during the last moments as their assault force escaped from the compound’s subterranean depths. It would be a months before Jason had his protégé back, and he was content to wait. Right now, speed was not of the essence, and in fact, speed was normally the toll of death in the craft of stealth. Out there, somewhere around him, was one or more two-legged minions of Satan, either alive or dead, and the Reaper would find them. Skeptically, the Reaper surmised it might simply be an innocent refugee, but recent history had taught him that those without evil intent usually announced themselves sooner vs. later by calling out a greeting before approaching. Briefly, his thoughts again drifted back to Shannon, the woman he had rescued, and her willingness to accompany him, though also wounded. He would explore that more on his next visit to Newaygo, for he had a strong need to see Emma, his new godchild and Jay's daughter. Emma was the twin of his dead grandchild, Heather, and the Reaper had promised that tiny munchkin that at least once a month he would try to visit.
    Now the Reaper had three missions in one. Fight the Lord's fight and take the battle to the evil minions of Satan, both living and undead. Help survivor groups band together into cohesive assemblies better able to survive this new world, and finally, to scout westward into Colorado in order to recon the shadow government's stronghold there. This he had been doing for the last two weeks. The original plan had been to airdrop him on the Colorado border, but staging areas for the final assault against the shadow government would be needed further east, and the Reaper had a desire to check on those still surviving in Missouri and western Illinois. He had taken his