Unbound

Chapter 7

Hayden was about to yell another warning—maybe she'd misunderstood him or something before—when Zareen whipped her head around and gained speed. She was running right at the two men blocking their path. The cop-zombie-thing holding the revolver squeezed the trigger and a shot rang out. Sparks flew off the wall to Hayden's right, along with chips of brick and mortar.

"Why are we running toward them?" Pastor Tim yelled, still running. Hayden didn't really know.

For whatever reason, his dad picked up speed, running right behind Zareen. The cop with the Taser managed to pull his trigger and twin lines of metal shot out, just to the right of the girl. Suddenly Pastor Tim was dancing with his feet inches off the ground, body rigid and shaking. He hit the dirty floor of the alley and bounced in place.

Hayden ignored him, watching as Zareen jumped into the air and spun. She swung her spear around her waist even as her own body twirled. Though the spearhead was dull in color, like Simon's ax, the moonlight still glinted off the wide blade as it slashed across the two officer's throats. Crimson mist sprayed into the night, chased by the sound of the men gurgling out from their ruined throats.

Zareen sailed between them as they dropped to their knees. Another shot barked and sparks flew off the asphalt, a reflex shot from the dying man. Zareen landed and skid to a halt, striking some kind of pose with her knees bent, spear held out to the side along her arm.

Hayden ran up to the two cops, kneeling beside them. Both shared the same glassy-eyed expression, though the whites of their eyes looked more yellow than was normal. Like bright yellow.

"Are they gone?" Jesus asked as he stepped up beside Hayden. He didn't bother kneeling down.

"Yeah," said Hayden. He glanced up at the girl, but she remained in that same pose, almost as if she were waiting for them to clap or something. Blood dripped from the spearhead, falling to the ground with a plop, plop.

"We need to get out of here," Simon said, staring at the street the two cops had come from.

A crash behind him made Hayden jump. Shit! He'd forgotten all about the van, and the horde of creeps trying to break out of the Dairy Queen. He stood and spun, just in time to see the door they'd blocked spring open, sending the dumpster spinning into the center of the alley.

"Uh oh," Hayden said, preparing his body to run like hell.

"Calm your tits," Zareen said as she regained her composure and wandered over to him. Her spear rested against her shoulder, blade pointed toward the moon. "Watch."

Hayden watched, noting that his dad was groaning and stirring near the mouth of the alley.

Like clowns escaping from a smart car, men in uniform popped out of the open door, stumbling to a stop and staring around in confusion. Once more they lifted heads to the sky and sniffed, then almost as one turned toward Hayden's group. Well, Simon, really. One of them snarled and took off running toward them, babbling gibberish and gnashing at the air.

Hayden made to move, but Zareen stopped him again with a hand on his arm. He glanced down at her. Her hair was cut short, just under her chin. There was something almost exotic about her, aside from the spear she held casually. Excitement glistened in her eyes. Or insanity. Either way, Hayden was suddenly very aware of her standing so close, touching him, and the look of her bare thigh earlier. Nothing that could compare to Shira, but...

A thunk drew his attention back to the alley. The van slammed into the dumpster, which sent it into a maniacal spin back toward the door to the DQ. It smashed several people trying to get through the door—one poor man had his skull popped like a balloon filled with brains—and somehow managed to wedge itself into the door.