Live (NOLA Zombie Book 3) by Gillian Zane

into the water if she hadn’t stopped me.  

    I smiled in thanks, but her face remained stoic, no emotions showing.  

    “Did he fuck you, girl?” the old woman asked me. She grabbed a washcloth off of a shelf nearby and handed it to me, motioning that I was supposed to clean myself with it.  

    “He couldn’t get it up,” I said quietly, not knowing if my confession would anger her or make her happy. Her reaction surprised me. She laughed maniacally and a genuine grin crossed her face. Happy it was.

    “Well, then you don’t have to clean that pussy.” Her laughter cut off abruptly and she walked off, with one final parting shot over her shoulder, “Get clean, pick out something to wear and we’ll get you back to Brandon when he’s ready. Better hope he’s loaded, it’ll keep his prick soft, but he’ll take it out on your ass in some way.” She laughed again as she pushed through the doors. “Better you than me.”  

Twenty-Two | MJ Services
    ZACH
    I made my way to the front of the house where Martinez was stationed. We were a fucking beacon in the night, the house blazed with lantern light, anyone could have spotted us a mile away.  

    Three vehicles were coming up the highway, their bright headlights ominous in the darkness. Three vehicles meant there were at least three of them, probably a lot more. I couldn’t be sure from this distance, but they looked large, SUVs or vans.   We couldn’t keep our hostages in line and defend ourselves from the unknown. This wasn’t going to be good. I should probably just shoot all the hostages. Take them out quickly so we could face this new threat without any extra baggage. We knew where they took Lex, we didn’t need them anymore. It was more than they deserved, a quick death.  

    “They might keep going, just pass us by,” I said as I watched the vehicles get closer. I doubted it, but it could happen.

    “Blake, put our slavers in a back room, out of sight. Shoot them if they act up,” I ordered and he grabbed Clem from the floor and began forcing him down the hallway. Baby grabbed the old woman by the arm and she went with little resistance. When the other two were locked away in another room, I focused my attention back on the approaching vehicles.  

    They had slowed and stopped on the road about a click from us. They had spotted the light. They would either push on and ignore us, or pay a visit.  

    “Should we try and encourage them to move along?” Martinez asked. “Warning shot?”

    “We don’t know who’s in those cars. They could be just civvies trying to find somewhere to hole up. I don’t want to do anything drastic.”

    “What if they’re not friendly?” Blake asked, coming up behind me.  

    “We’ll deal with it,” I said flatly.  

    The cars had begun moving again and when they got to the turn-off to the camp, they slowed and turned in. Visitors, great.  

    “Show of force. I want you, Blake, Martinez and me on the ground. Hannah, cover us from above. Ito, keep an eye on our slavers in the back.”   We descended the steps quickly, rifles at the ready. This night couldn’t get any more eventful.  

    It was two black government SUVs, obvious from the numbers on the front, and one State Trooper SUV that pulled into the drive. The vehicles fanned out in front of us, imposing and going for intimidation. We must have looked like some scene out of a movie. The three of us at attention, standing in front of the encroaching Feds. Or people that were trying to look like Feds. Doors popped open and a man stepped out, he was older, and dressed in military fatigues. He raised his hands in a “we come in peace” gesture.  

    “Ho! No reason for the armed greeting, we’re just passing through, saw your lights.”  

    “Better safe than sorry,” Blake spoke up, taking a step forward. “Where’d you get the gear?” He gestured to the SUVs and the man’s clothes.

    “Standard issue, Major Napier, 199th, where’d you