A World Alone - A Zombie Novel

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Logan P.O.V

My finger squeezes around the trigger before my arm is even in the air. The bullet strikes one of them in the leg, their figure sprawling forward in a black blur. Despite his injury he lunges at me. I swing the gun up and squeeze again, a faint mist settling on my skin as the air temporarily takes on a red hue. His body falls limp against me as one of the others rush towards Stella. She kicks them back as I push the body away from me in time for another to grab me.

He throws my hand in the air and holds it their with a firm grip as I try to twist my wrist in a direction that the gun will get him. My other hand I find against his throat, clamping down on his esophagus as he vainly attempts to do the same to mine. Throwing my head back I swiftly bring it back, crashing against his temple with a crackening thud. He falls back with a wail of astonishment, his grasp falling free from my hand as he tumbles to the ground. I lower the gun to his level and slowly start to squeeze the trigger until-

"Stop!"

The sound catches me off guard amidst the chaos. I lose focus of the figure in front of me, and find myself turning towards the source of noise.

I almost sigh when I see Stella held up against one of them, a thin blade pressed against the curve of her neck.

"Drop the gun or I'll slit your friends throat." His voice comes muffled from the balaclava, but even still, it's obvious how young he is from the unnatural depth he forces into his voice in an attempt to sound intimidating.

"Go ahead, she's not my friend." My gaze shifts from him to Stella, and then flicks down to the blade glinting silver in the moonlight. His brows crease as he considers what I said.

"Fair game, you won't mind if we take her then." He roughly pulls Stella against him, emitting a small noise from her as he holds the knife in place. "A lot of things we could do with a pretty girl around here."

His gaze slithers the length of her body, the knife pressing closer against her neck as she struggles against his hold. I aim the gun at his head, lining the sight up with his temple. Before his eyes pull away from her, I pull the trigger.

Click.

His eyes widen for a second, his features pulling into one of momentary shock before his eyes begin to glint with amusement, his lips pulling into a smile hidden behind his mask.

I pull the trigger again.

Click. Click. Click.

He laughs, holding the knife a space away from Stella's neck to accommodate the movement in his arm as he chuckles.

"Well, well, wel-" Before he has time to finish Stella throws her head backwards, her hands creeping up the front of her throat and throwing his arm away from her. He curses loudly as she spins away from him, making a grab for the knife but missing.

He staggers a step away from us, blood spilling through his fingers as he clenches his nostrils shut. He waves the knife between us wildly as he continues sputtering curses.

"We don't have time for this!" One of the other men growls, his gaze cautiously flicking towards mine before continuing in a lower voice, "Peter's waiting."

The one with the knife and hopefully a broken nose seems to sober up at this. He drops his hand to his side, letting the blood trickle freely down his front as he raises the knife towards my throat.

"Give us the keys to your car then." He says slowly, his gaze threatening and his voice no longer trying to maintain a sense of false intimidation, but actually achieving it.