The Azrael: Surviving the Outbreak by Jesse Gagnon Page A

awoke.  His eyes grew wild and he twitched.  He sat up violently and sniffed the air.  Randall continued to walk away with exhausting effort and seconds later he heard a scream.
     

Chapter 9
    Giselle’s Discovery
     
    Sunrise came as usual, illuminating the landscape of the small country town northwest of Chicago.  Mount Carroll was a historical community, where Giselle grew up.  It held a special place in her heart and she visited it often.  The husk of Hotel Glenview glowed dark orange as the sun began to kiss its surface when it emerged into the sky.  The cobblestone road of the business district had tufts of grass pushing through the cracks.  The windows and glass doors of some of the structures were broken through and its interior had been severely punished by the harsh winters of the past years.  The wildlife slowly began to claim ownership of the town and Giselle found the occasional coyote or deer roaming between buildings.  The eerie Raven’s Grin Inn now became almost completely entangled in vines and the surrounding trees.  The décor of the exterior was lost within a tomb of green vegetation, hiding the entrance to the house.
    Jessica Stone, her brother’s recent selection for marriage, travelled with her on this trip.  This was wife number three, no four, for her brother.  Not that they were all getting eaten or turned into zombies but because her brother wasn’t exactly good husband material.  He was attractive and exciting but he was unfaithful and drank a lot.  Alcoholism was the reason why he was no longer a part of the Highwaymen.  Jessica was a pretty girl with long blonde hair and a petite body.  She was naïve, but sweet.  She enjoyed the thrill of a smash and grab robbery of a convenience store under new management, the Azrael.  Her aim with a pistol was spot on, however she is impatient and she hesitates, which is why she wasn’t selected to be a part of a two man recon- scavenging team.  Those missions were often dangerous and involved three to five days of living beyond the Chicago District.  Out there, the Azrael were evolving, learning and hunting their prey.  The Azrael found in rural areas were often slower and quieter.  They conserved their energy for the hunt where people were few and far between.  Many groups found were small herds that could easily overpower a small two man team when caught off-guard.  There was no room for hesitation. 
    Giselle spoke of her home town of Mount Carroll often.  Even though her brother Jason was raised by his father in Wheaton, he often visited his mother and younger sister in the summer.  Their parents divorced when she was four and Jason was eight due to incompatibility, which was true.  Her father was a drunk and cheated on their mother several times.  She stayed the first few times for the children, but his thirst for Jack and lust for the ladies eventually caused the divorce.  Her mother remarried and remained married to Austin Johnson until his death.  He treated her mother good and kept her happy.  He adopted Giselle when she turned nine and she took his last name.  Although tough like a Stone she learned how to think herself out of a situation like her stepfather.  He was the sheriff of Carroll County and always found a way to get people to listen to him, despite their level of intoxication.  He was cool headed and fast on the draw.  Giselle learned how to shoot from him and entered sharpshooting competitions to push her skill.  When she was nineteen her stepfather suffered from a massive heart attack and died before his deputy could get him to the hospital.  She continued to compete and eventually won first place and wished that Austin was around to see it.  After many pushes from her late stepfather’s friends to join the police force she finally applied for the police academy and was in training when the outbreak happened.  The academy continued but she withdrew to take care of her mother.  She didn’t