Page 48 of When the Living Fall

“He’s fine. He makes an amazing sidekick and is out there protecting people to his heart’s content. Without ripping their legs off. Now, what did you say that he didn’t like?”

I give a sheepish grin. “That his brother is better than him, in every single way.”

The orange light streaming in through the window pulses, growing larger. Sounds of gunfire and chaos filter in through the broken window. Yet the most deafening sound is the silence from Max.

Between the growing shadows, I can’t make out his facial features. The colony’s disintegrating around us, but my only concern is the man in front of me.

He gets to his feet, and I follow. I squint up at him, but I can’t get a read on him. Not until he pushes me up against the wall—in a way I actually like—and covers my mouth with his in a fierce, possessive kiss. It’s the kind of kiss that makes the noise, the smoke, and even the threat of Nathan all fade away until we’re the only ones left in the world.

My body melts with his touch. I lean into him, savoring the safety he brings for a second longer, letting my fingers clutch the back of his jacket.

He pulls back, breathless, his voice rough. “We’re in the middle of hell, and you still find a way to make the worst scum alive jealous by calling me better. You upset the bane of our existences by complimenting me. I’m so fucking wild about you, pet.”

His hand slides down and squeezes my ass, pulling me against him so I grind against his erection. Then the smoke reaches us, and I press my hands against his chest. “We might have to pick this up later.”

His eyes return to a vibrant green, and he kisses me once more before pressing his forehead against mine. “You bet your sweet, perfect ass we will.”

26

WILLIAM

Idon’t know when I lost sight of Max. It was at some point during the madness—between slicing through rotters and fending off the attackers. Nathan’s men are the real dregs of this godforsaken world.

They keep on coming. It never seems to end. The growing horde surrounding us dwarfs any we’ve faced before—except the one we saved Josh from. That horde was the horde of all hordes. I can’t help but think if we hadn’t taken it out, then we would have fought it off here, too. Still, where have all these been coming from?

Nathan pulled these rotters in from somewhere, but I wouldn’t put it past him to have made them from other survivors.

When I cut down yet another rotter, my gaze catches Nathan slipping through the chaos, darting between buildings. I can’t believe that fucker is alive. Someone needs to take him down.

The temptation to take down the man responsible for so much pain, agony, and bloodshed is strong, but when I see something far more important—a flash of movement on the other side of the street—I hesitate.

Emily charges out of a building, her blade gleaming as she takes down rotters left and right to protect her people. Max follows close behind, but he’s pulled into a brutal clash with one of Nathan’s men, leaving her alone to fend off an advancing wave.

I need to get to her.

Leaping onto the nearest wall that borders the town, I scan the mess below. Flames lick the sky as fires rage across the colony. Rotters flee from the flames, but they’re trapped inside by the walls. I’ve never seen rotters this frenzied before. One man grabs a rotter that’s trying to claw its way up a wall and throws it onto someone else. The rotter sinks its teeth into its victim’s arm, and the man runs away, but not before grabbing the dismembered leg of another rotter, lighting it on fire, and tossing it at another building to catch it on fire, too. When he turns his back to cause more destruction, I curse under my breath, rear my arm back, and throw the knife. I fist pump the air when it embeds into his back, and he drops to the ground like a stone. I can’t believe I made that. After Emily threw her knife the first time the four of us encountered some dregs, I started practicing myself. It finally paid off.

People fight desperately in the streets; defending their homes, their lives, and everything they’ve held on to during the downfall of civilization. The fires spread fast, too fast, and my chest tightens at the thought of all these people losing what little they have left. But right now, Emily needs me.

I spot a townsman stumbling near the wall I’m standing on. He bends over with his hands braced on his knees, panting hard. I jump down. He flinches when I land in front of him and raises his knife at me. I hold my hands up in surrender. “I need your help.”

He swipes at the air, and I take a step back. “I ain’t helping no one. Leave me a—oh wait, you’re one of Emily’sfriends she brought here, aren’t you? One of those guys they put in the cell?”

“Yeah, I am. Is there a running car around here?”

His breathing settles, and he lowers the knife. “Running away, are ya? Smart guy.”

“No,” I snap, angry at the implication. “I’ve got a plan to pull the rotters away from here. If we can get them out, then the people might have a chance. So, what do you say? Are you going to help me or not?” I growl out the words, expressing my urgency. I hate that I’m wasting time explaining myself to a guy who assumed I would run away. He should have taken me to the damn vehicle already.

The man studies my face, then nods. “That’s a good plan.”

“I haven’t told you what it is yet.”

“Doesn’t matter. If it can save these people, then it already sounds good. I have a truck outside this here wall. Let’s go.”

I heave him up, and then scale over the wall myself before dropping down on the other side where his beat-up truck waits. First order of business is to get the rotters out. Then we can go back in and kill the dregs. I sure hope this works.

“Name’s Kevin,” he says while we jog the short distance to the truck.

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