Drafted By The Magi (Exemplar Hall Book 1) by Auburn Tempest & Ruby Night

Author:Auburn Tempest & Ruby Night [Tempest, Auburn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JL Madore
Published: 2019-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

T he mid-afternoon sun is blocked by the thick canopy of leaves above, but the air remains humid. The heat slows us down considerably. Mark and Shaquille take off their shirts, and I wish I can do the same. My shirt sticks to my back with a layer of sweat that starts at my scalp and trickles all the way down to the crack of my butt. It’s been hours since we emptied the water from the canteen, and everyone feels it.

With all the moisture in my body seeping out, my throat is painfully dry, and my lips are splitting. I bend my head and wipe the sweat from my face onto my upper arm.

“There’s a source of water at the next location,” Mark says, studying the map.

River finds us a bush of edible wild berries, but the sour bitterness of the fruit leaves my mouth even drier. They also highlight the fact that we had nothing for lunch. Nora was right. I don’t like missing meals.

“Everyone down,” Mark demands in a harsh whisper.

Despite the conflict that seems to be a constant within our group, we’ve acclimated to Mark as our leader and don’t hesitate to follow his orders. Legacies—despite being total turds—are a good asset to have.

All of us drop to the forest floor.

Mark lies on his belly in a tangle of scrub, aiming his gun towards a far-off noise. Shaquille crawls up next to him, aiming as well. I realize that I can’t defend myself lying on the ground, so I crouch low in the tall weeds surrounding a tree and tuck Jack behind the trunk beside me to hide.

Everything is silent for a moment, and I hold my breath. I listen for footsteps. A twig snaps far out in the maze of trees. What is it? Other students headed in our direction? Senior zombie squads about to overtake us? Animals foraging and minding their own business?

The sound comes again, higher in the tree branches.

River hears it too, and his head tilts up. His gaze darts high above. Whatever it is, it’s incoming. Fast.

The ends of the tall grass brush against my side as Jack shifts behind me.

“Jack,” I whisper, motioning for him to stay hidden. “Be still. Be quiet.”

The branches above me shake and snap again. I look up, waaay up, as a shower of maple keys spin free and rain down around Jack and me. Perched on one of the highest branches is the hulking mass of a guy in beige camo.

He shifts to jump, and I scramble.

“Jack, move.” I dive away and roll in the dirt.

The zombie soldier drops straight down. He falls what has to be forty-five feet and lands on the ground where I had hunched in the weeds. I don’t know how he doesn’t break both his ankles, but he doesn’t even flinch.

I don’t have time to dwell.

“Down,” Mark yells, barely waiting before firing.

Two tasers fly past Jack and embed themselves in the zombie, one in each shoulder. Zombie boy is down. He goes stiff as a board, falls to his knees, and his body quakes with convulsive jerks.

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