Page 16 of Hunter's Valentine

Even if I got out of here alive, I’d probably die because I’d caught whatever he had. But I didn’t have time to think about that. Because his zombie woman friend was coming my way.

Instead of attacking me, though, she dropped to the ground in front of him and started eating him, gut first, like she was one of the bugs. I wanted to hurl.

The woman that still seemed most human ignored the macabre scene before us. Since her friend was distracted by the impromptu feast, I trained my weapon on her.

I can do this.

Breathe in.

Gag.

Unable to go through the full routine I just fired, hoping it was good enough. But this one was fast. She zig-zagged through the store, using the clothing racks to block my view. Where the hell was she? I saw her zooming between some shelves and fired again, only to miss. She was almost at the counter now.

Fuck! I was going to die!

I panicked, firing several more times. She was close enough at this point that I really didn’t need to aim anymore. Finally, she fell dead just an arm’s length from the counter.

I didn’t have time to analyze the fact that she’d come charging into battle unarmed despite knowing that I had a weapon. I could hear shouts and footsteps coming down the mall corridor.

By the sounds of it, there were plenty more where these three had come from. I needed to get out of here. I wheeled my bike carefully around the body and back into the mall. I had just made it outside when they came into view.

Holy shit! There were a lot of them.

I climbed onto my bike, deciding that it was still faster to cycle despite the snow, and started pedaling as hard as I could. That had been the wrong choice because the wheel started sliding out from under me, and I found myself sprawled on the ground.

So. Here it was. This was the end.

Damn it! I should’ve stayed with Mur’k. What I wouldn’t give to go back in time and make that choice instead.

There was a sudden metallic click, and I flinched as something flew over my head. A giant net fell over the group of zombie-like people.

I whipped around to see a smug-looking Mur’k leaning against his shuttle that Isworehadn’t been there just seconds ago.

“Still getting into trouble, I see.”

“You came for me.”

“The second I heard your weapon, little hunter.”

That meant he had been nearby. I didn’t even care that he was tailing me. I was just grateful he was here.

Mur’k moved suddenly, drawing his axe, his eyes fixed intently on something behind me. One of the crazy infected guys had avoided the net and was charging toward us. But he had no chance against Mur’k and his plasma-edged weapon.

I watched as Mur’k moved like a natural predator. He was quick and efficient: the perfect hunter. And he was saving my life yet again.

He looked hot as hell doing it too, especially with the storm raging around him. Talk about cinematic! Seconds later, he was stalking toward me, his axe already cleaned on the newly fallen snow.

I found myself being lifted off the ground. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, burying my face into the crook of his neck, glad to smell something that wasn’t that horrible stench.

“Come, little hunter,” he said, even as the purring started up again. “We need to get these spores off you.”

Chapter 10: Mur’k

Sara reeked of the scourge’s fungus, and everything in my being demanded that I remove every offending piece of clothing and get her into a decontamination unit this very instant.

“I killed them.” Her voice was hollow, like the look in her eyes.

This must be the first time she’d killed one of her own species. Had she never encountered infected humans before?

---