Time of Death Book 2: Asylum (A Zombie Novel) Read Free Page A

of
peaches sat in the center of the table.
    "Prime Rib," I said. My mouth watered just
thinking of my mother-in-law's prime rib.
    "Mashed potatoes," added Jake.
    "Green bean casserole," said Meg and Vinny in
unison.
    We all sat licking our lips and making grunts
of approval as we listed off our favorite foods served on the
holidays. Our current feast was a miserable pittance. We sprinkled
the green beans with a meager dusting of Molly McButter in hopes of
adding a touch of flavor.
    "Worst Christmas ever," Jake declared, and we
all agreed.
    "Ooh!" I jumped up from the table, leaving
them looking stunned and confused, and ran to the bedroom. I
returned looking triumphant and waving my iPhone in the air.
    "I may not be able to talk to anyone, but
there's still a little juice in this baby. What's Christmas without
Burl Ives and Bing Crosby? Thanks to my random taste in music, I've
got an awesome Christmas play list." I put the phone on the counter
and hit play. “Jingle Bells” started off the list, lifting our
spirits despite the gravity of our situation. A few more uplifting
songs and all four of us were singing along with the greats.
    A short pause left us in anticipation of the
next song; the possibilities were endless. The power of music was
amazing; I had forgotten how easy it was for a song to evoke
emotion. Dean Martin's smooth baritone crooned from the small
speaker with his version of “Silent Night.” The little contentment
we built up fizzled as the depressing tune played out. By the end
of the song there wasn't a dry eye among us. If it was possible, we
felt even lower than we had before I whipped out the phone.
    Meg stared down at her feet. "Thanks, guys, I
needed that. I think I'm going to go lay down and try to get some
sleep."
    "Do you want me to come sit with you until
you fall asleep?" I asked her.
    "Nah, I'm good."
    Jake leaned over and gave her forehead a
kiss. "Night, Meggy."
    I wasn't tired yet; the sun had barely made
its exit for the night. My mind was jumbled with memories of our
friends and their fates. The boys were deep in debate about which
rifle, the M4 or M16, was the better weapon.
    "I'm going up on deck for some air," I
proclaimed.
    They barely noticed me as I walked by. Daphne
wove excitedly between my feet as I climbed the stairs, causing me
to trip and stumble up a few steps. My elbow hit the wall when I
tried to steady myself, causing a sharp sting to shoot up to my
shoulder, and I yelped in pain.
    "You okay?" Jake called from inside.
    "Yeah, damn dog got underfoot and I hit my
weenus on the wall."
    I heard Vinny ask what I was talking about,
and Jake explained that the weenus is that weird flap of skin on
the elbow. Personally, I was confounded by the weenus. It's so
strange. I can squeeze the skin hard enough that I should feel
pain, but instead I feel nothing. But hit that thing head on and
the nerve pain is crippling. Okay, so I know the human anatomy well
enough to realize there's a more technical term for it, but weenus
just stuck. Olecranon doesn't really flow off the tongue like
weenus.
    "Come on, you little shit," I beckoned Daphne
to the top of the stairs.
    The smell of smoke still lingered on the
breeze, and I still couldn't figure out if I was imagining it or if
it was real. Me and the pooch-wonder stretched out on the bench and
lay there staring up at the sky. The stars were the only things
that hadn't changed in this crazy world. Daphne nudged my hand in
an effort to garner some attention, and when I didn't give her what
she wanted, she inched up my chest with her front paws until she
was inches away from my face. I let out a snicker and the rise of
my chest gave her a little bounce.
    It was a Mexican standoff. We stared into
each other's eyes waiting for the other to break first. When I
didn't resume the petting, she upped the ante. Her paw rose in the
air and she held it for a few seconds, daring me not to pet her.
Then, she hit me in the face a few times.
    "Okay, I give,"