Glory (Book 1) by Michael McManamon Page A

moved up closer to get a good look at the man who was going to be her husband.
    Phil turned to face her.
    Finally!
    Jane couldn't stop smiling. Here was the man that she loved, the man that she'd spend the rest of her life with. Here was...
    As Phil looked down at her, Jane's smile dropped. Phil was staring at her. Not with the loving expression she had expected. He was glaring at her. Angry. His eyes showed pure hate in them. His mouth was gnarled. He stared to growl.
    Jane tried to pull away, but Phil tightened his grip. She pulled harder. It did no good.
    Phil let out a wild howl and pulled her closer toward him. Jane hit him, but he didn't stop.
    She screamed as she looked around at the guests, at her family and friends. No one came to her aid. They were all just staring at her, smiling.
    "Help me!" she screamed.
    They continued to watch, their faces happy.
    She looked back at her fiancé. This time his face had blood all over it. She didn't know where it had come from. It covered his cheeks and spilled out of his mouth.
    He bent down to kiss her. Jane could see his lips moving closer to her own.
    "Help me!" she screamed again.
    No one moved. They continued to watch.
    Phil gurgled something as he placed his lips onto her own. Jane could taste the blood. It was a mix of sour and salt.
    She pulled her head away. Everyone laughed. Phil looked angrier. He howled again. Then he pressed his mouth back against hers and bit into her lips.
     
    *
     
    Jane awoke, lying on the ground. Her heart was beating fast. She took a few deep breaths and tried to steady herself.
    At first, she didn't know where she was. Then everything that had happened came quickly back to her.
    Her husband was dead. Her baby was dead. She was alone.

Chapter 2
    Adam woke up early the next morning. He had gone to sleep on the couch, having had no intention of sleeping in Shelly's room. He had definitely not wanted to sleep in her parents' room, either. He had thought of going back to his own place, but he didn't want to leave Shelly alone. He also didn't want to have to walk back up the three flights of stairs in the dark with thos e thing s around.
    The sun shone in through the window. Adam opened his eyes slowly. He was still tired and wanted to sleep, but he knew that wasn't a good idea. They had to get going. The earlier the better. They needed to take advantage of the daylight.
    Adam stretched and sat up. His blanket fell to the floor. He didn't bother picking it up. He had planned on leaving it anyway.
    He walked over to Shelly's door. He didn't want to startle her, but he needed to wake her up. He knocked on it.
    "Shelly," he said, softly. "It's Adam. You have to get up."
    To Adam's surprise, the door swung open. Adam jumped back. Part of him was getting ready to defend himself against those creatures. Standing there was Shelly. She was smiling at him.
    "I've been up for a while," she said. "I didn't want to wake you."
    "You didn't? Well…uh…thank you."
    "No problem." Shelly pushed her door open more. "You can come in. I was just taking a few things out of my pack."
    "You were taking the m ou t ?"
    "Yeah. Things that I didn't really need. We're going to be travelling for a while, right? So I don't want to carry too much."
    Adam looked at the bed. Several of her clothes were laid across it.
    "I figure that I can pick stuff up along the way if I need it," Shelly continued. "There'll be lots of stuff out there. Things from department stores, from supermarkets, from houses. We won't need to carry much."
    He had thought the same thing before he left his apartment. But, yesterday, in his shocked and tired state, he had forgotten about it. They had put a lot of things in her pack.
    He looked at the young girl and found it hard to believe that she was only eleven. It seemed like such a mature thought, one that someone her age shouldn't have had . She should've wanted to tak e more.
    "Let me just take out a few more things," she added as she walked back to