Once Bitten, Twice Dead - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,81

contagion to produce her results.

Sellars needed to know why Sarah was immune. For whatever reason, Sellars didn’t seem to realize, or didn’t care, that Xavier was also immune. The rogue scientist’s target was Sarah, not Xavier. From the video, Sellars seemed to assume her so-called “military escort” was some nameless, faceless soldier who was just along for the ride.

Xavier would be only too happy to show Sellars how very wrong he was. No doubt the scientist expected him to fight, and to fall. Sellars had no idea Xavier wouldn’t go down that easily. That was the only ace in the hole Xavier and Sarah had going for them at the moment.

“I have movement to my left,” Sarah said softly. “About ten yards in.”

Xavier immediately went to high alert. “I see it. Let’s keep the railroad tracks to our left or our backs. I don’t think they’ll cross the open area where the tracks are to come in behind us.” The tracks were a good five feet above where they stood. A small hill covered with grass rose from the edge of the trees and the tracks rode its ridge.

About fifty yards into the trees, they had to halt. “They’re in front of us now and to our right,” Sarah breathed into the foggy silence.

The zombies were arranged like an offensive line. It looked like the most gruesome football team of all time. Even worse, each guy was bigger than the next—bloody, ragged and disturbing as hell. This was not going to be fun.

“As soon as you see a clear target, start shooting. We don’t have time to waste.” Xavier raised his weapon, waiting for the distant signs of movement to take form in the fog. Damn the weather. These were not ideal circumstances for this kind of mission, but they had to play the hand they were dealt. “You take the ones in front, I’ve got the right flank.”

They positioned themselves, their backs at a ninety-degree angle to each other, ready for action. It came sooner than expected as the zombies did something Xavier had never seen another of their kind do. They rushed forward, like an offensive line, faster than he would have credited.

They were male. Young and big. College students, no doubt. Poor kids. Scratch that. They were a fearsome line of undead muscle making a killer play for him and Sarah.

“Retreat!” he urged, already moving backward, firing as he went. Sarah was right beside him, getting off a few shots as well, but there were too many of them.

“I think the whole freaking football team was infected.”

Sarah’s voice came to him, low, urgent and filled with both resolve and fear. It was the fear that nearly killed him, but they had to muscle through.

“Oh, God,” she breathed.

Xavier followed Sarah’s gaze to the line of zombies that were moving faster than any he’d ever seen. They weren’t running, exactly. It was more like a fast shuffle. Still, it was intimidating when paired with the size and quantity of the creatures closing in on them.

Then he saw her. A young woman. Maybe eighteen or nineteen years old. She wasn’t a zombie yet, but she was in the clutches of one. She was beating at his chest and screaming a name. Tony. Maybe the zombie holding her had once been someone the girl knew.

“We’ve got to help her.” Sarah kept firing, just as he did.

He’d hit each one of the creatures once. There were at least eight of them in his sights. He popped an empty ammo clip and reloaded on the fly, sending another round of darts home. He noticed Sarah doing the same, though she was a little slower on the reload than he was. That was to be expected. She wasn’t used to this weapon and hadn’t practiced with it as much as he’d have liked.

“I’ve got eight targets with two darts in each. How about you?”

“Seven. I’m working on the second rounds now.”

“Let’s get four in each and then we can do something about the girl.”

“They’re moving too fast. I don’t think we’ll make it.” She kept firing, even as doubt entered her voice.

“We’ll make it. We can retreat up the embankment to the railroad tracks if we have to.”

“For the record, I don’t like this.”

Her grim humor hit him head-on and he realized something important. He was falling in love with Sarah Petit. The gutsy woman at his side was the perfect partner for him in any situation, including the most unlikely comrade-in-arms he’d ever