Page 66 of Night of the Living Manny
“Stay in the car! There’s one coming from behind you!”
He turned to look, and fuck a doodle doo. There were three. The closest one was in range, so he pushed out the window and fired.
It went down in a lump, and the others stared at it, obviously confused. Right. He cocked and shot, cocked and shot. When he turned back to Liam, though, the things were almost on him. Oh God.
Liam bounced up, running toward the car. “Get down! Down, Brenden!”
He blinked, but his body obeyed even when his brain was fighting him.
Liam was out there.
“Shut the window! Come on, love. Shut the window!”
No. He peeked over the edge of the window to see three big military vehicles coming. Therat-tat-tatof gunfire sounded, and he put the window up, not sure what Liam had in mind. He would follow Liam’s play.
He had to trust, right?
Liam was roaring, obviously trying to keep the attention off the SUV. “Don’t shoot me! I’m right here. No shooting!”
He winced, wanting to look, but Liam had told him to keep down. God, this was crazy.
“Are you alone?”
“You know it. I’m not infected. I’m—”
“We know who you are, Mr. Whitehouse. You’re under arrest.”
“What are the charges?” Liam sounded belligerent rather than scared.
“You’re coming with us, sir. Now.”
“Fuck you, assholes! I came out here willingly to—”
“Where are your children?”
Brenden gasped as he heard Liam say, “Gone. They’re gone, okay? I lost them days ago….” Liam managed a credible sob.
“Let’s move,” the military guy said, voice clipped.
“The vehicle, sir?”
“Leave it. None of these things can drive it, and it will just slow us down.”
Brenden sent up a prayer of thanks that he’d turned off the ignition when he decided to leap out of the Hummer to help Liam.
“Get your hands off me, assholes! This is all on you.” Liam was losing his shit. “You can’t hold me!”
“Don’t make us sedate you, Mr. Whitehouse.”
“Stop it! I have rights!”
The sound of a struggle made Brenden bite his hand. He’d promised he’d take care of the kids, and he couldn’t if they found him. He was freaking lucky they didn’t search the vehicle. Liam’s whole show was to keep them focused on him, not the Hummer, and Brenden knew it.
“Move out!” The order was shouted, and heavy motors started up. More shots rang out, and he closed his eyes, praying like he never had in his life.Please let that be zombies and not Liam.
God, what was he going to tell the kids?
Silence fell, stretching out, and he waited for endless minutes before cautiously raising just above eye level with the window. Nothing. He was alone.
