Page 96 of Livewire Witch

It’s at that moment I notice that the woman’s head isn’t actually attached to the rest of her body.

Bile surges up inside me and I have to breathe deeply through it.

“Fuck.”

“Did it...”

“Tear her head clean off her body? Yeah, I think it did.”

“So you thinkthisis the kind of hinky shit we’re supposed to be looking out for?” Hanna asks drily. “I don’t know about you guys, but that looks kind of like....”

“A corpse walking around.”

“A fuckingzombie.”

The stumbling gait. The gurgling groan that’s coming from deep inside the thing's throat. Plus, thesmell. Yeah, whatever this thing is, I don’t think it’s alive. Or truly sentient. As it gets closer, there doesn’t seem to be any intelligence behind its glassy eyes. Just a slack jaw and gray skin.

I don’t know what any of us were expecting, but it wasn’t for there to be damnzombiesstumbling around the city.

Hanna, Rook and Roscoe spread across the mouth of the alleyway in a line without seeming to realize what they’re doing. It’s a protective stance, stopping thatthingfrom getting anywhere near the main streets.

“Are we thinking this fuckery is a coincidence or not? The curse didn’t work on Fabian, so the Bad Vamps decided to raise corpses from their graves? Is that what’s happening here?” Ro says, taking a step back as the thing comes closer. “Oh, fuck. It stinks so bad.”

The thing is moving slowly, but only a few more feet before it’s at risk of stepping out onto the street.

“Does anyone actually believe in coincidences?”

“Who cares right now? We should kill it, right? Kill it with fire?” Hanna says.

“Yeah, I think that sounds like a good course of action,” Roscoe says.

Hanna steps forward and before we can say another word, she’s throwing a fireball at the thing. It doesn’t react. Doesn’t stop in its staggered walk toward us.

She glances around and grimaces before lobbing another couple of fireballs at it.

This time, the thing’s clothing catches alight.

But it still doesn’t stop.

Instead, it continues to advance closer and Ro lets out a little ‘eep’.

“Flaming zombie. Nice one, Han,” Rook says, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her backwards. He then places his body in front of Hanna, like he’s going to use his body as a shield against the monster lumbering toward us.

“It doesn’t even seem pissed off,” I mutter.

It’s true. It doesn’t seem to know that it’s on fire.

Maybe it doesn’t feel pain? If so, then I don’t know what to do with it.

“Better try again,” Hanna says. She sidesteps Rook and lobs another couple of balls of flame at the monster.

This time, the thing lets out an awful shriek as the fire engulfs it. The flesh on its legs is bubbling and there’s a fucking rancid stench of cooking flesh and decay. It’s ripe enough to make my mouth fill with saliva as, once again, I try not to gag.

The thing crumples to the ground as a pile of burned clothing and twisted flesh.

“Is it dead?”

“Er, dead-er?” Roscoe adds. “It’s not moving. That’s good enough for me.”

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