Zombie Rush 2 Read Free Page B

avoid but was getting tired of keeping Stanley from trying to feed himself to them. He shook his head in wonder countless times at how Stanley was oblivious to everything around him. Stanley’s senses had been cut off due to lack of exposure to the natural world, combined with the societal demands of the twenty-first century.
    His ears seemed virtually useless and as far as Krupp could tell, he had never used his nose before other than trying to sniff a hit of reefer—or whatever they chose to use and call it these days. He saw pretty well but never trusted what he saw and often waited until it was too late to figure out what he was seeing. The guy was a burden and could get them into trouble. He could tell that Lu wasn’t excited about his inability to discern potential dangers either. She also didn’t make the mistakes he did; Lu was quieter in heels than Stanley was in sneakers. Stanley was a liability, and Krupp wouldn’t feel right until he got the S.O.B. to this so-called compound and out of his hair.
    He used the bullet he had been saving to shoot through the hasp of the padlock and only noticed a couple of Z’s attracted to the sound. In this heavy industrial area, there were not enough people around to attract the zombies. He would be able to take care of them once he got to his safe. Thankfully, he kept a key to the safe stashed in the locker for impromptu visits.
    “Why are we breaking into a storage locker?” Stanley asked, not grasping that they had traveled for several blocks with the sole purpose of reaching this one particular locker.
    “Shut up, Stanley. Just be quiet for once, okay? Let Krupp do what he needs to do.” Lu didn’t try to hide her exasperation.
    “It’s mine. I left my personal keys in my locker at the station. There are some things in here we need.”
    “Is that a boat?” Lu asked as she looked at the flat bottom of an aluminum rectangle.
    “It’s my duck boat. It will make it across the river with three of us but not much more than that.” Krupp sorted through a drawer of extra paddle locks, cable, and other assorted brick-a-brack.
    Stanley stood nervously by the entrance, ready to bolt if the zombies came much closer. They had made it through the gate and were walking directly toward them. Krupp looked at Stanley and shook his head in disgust. Fear has a scent, a subtle underlying reek of malevolence that one becomes accustomed to. Absolute terror is a stench that strips the bearer of dignity and robs them of the ability to react. It was stench that permeated the air now as Stanley stared out in abject horror. Lu, however, stood out of the way watching Krupp’s every move. Pensive and nervous with the need to hurry, but not fear; she was just ready.
    Krupp found the key and went to a multiple-door cabinet that covered the entire back wall. The door on the far right was open, exposing a small, solid door on the face of a fire safe. He grabbed one of the assault rifles from inside. Inserting a magazine, he charged it and met Stanley at the overhead door while installing a suppressor on to the end of the barrel.
    “You’re going to have to smarten up, Stanley,” he said. “You’ll have to toughen up too, but before that will happen, you’re going to have to smarten up. I am not the type of person who tries to be an asshole; it just comes natural. But there is truth to the things that I say, or I don’t bother saying it.” He wasn’t sure if his words were heeded because Stanley was focused on the zombies not thirty feet away. “Christ, where were you when they passed out balls?” Again, Krupp felt that his words fell on deaf ears. The terror that filled Stanley right now only let him focus on one thing: the zombies that approached.
     
    Several more had shown up at the gate and were making their way toward the group; Stanley wanted to run and get as far away as he could, but the calm demeanor of the police officer in front of him kept him there. He forced himself to