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  Kiss Me Deadly

  R LEE MOORE

  To Everyone Who Keeps Me Going. And Coffee, definitely lots and lots of coffee.

  Copyright © 2021 R. Lee Moore

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  Cover design by: Doelle Designs

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  Kiss Me Deadly

  Dedication

  Copyright

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  About The Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  The storm rolled in just as the sun had begun to set. Dark and heavy clouds rolled over the night sky eager to engulf the moon and swallow it into their embrace. Torrents of rain and shrieking winds swept out over the hills, whipping out across the landscape with a ghostly squall than ran shudders down the spine.

  As they sped down the near deserted freeway, the small convoy of armored vehicles shook, lurching back and forth from the storm’s assault. The pounding of the rain, the wall of driving water streaking over the vehicles blurred the streets ahead making it difficult to see.

  The line of Bearcats closed distance between them to keep each other in sight following the bright flashes of red and blue flickering light dancing from the roof of the vehicles ahead. Without slowing, the vehicles veered onto an off-ramp and sped down into the narrow streets of the industrial area just beyond the freeway.

  There was little traffic on the roads for them to contend with, LAPD had made sure of that long before the convoy had arrived. What people they saw darting between the run down husks of boarded up storefronts and the burnt out remnants of factories and warehouses, weren't their concern. Some watched from the shadows with lifeless eyes devoid of hope. Others scurried away casting terror-stricken gazes and dug themselves deep into whatever shelter they could find. They knew what was coming.

  The convoy turned down a narrow street towards a large decrepit warehouse that loomed out over the decay and ruin that surrounded it. The line of Bearcats split off in different directions, surrounding the structure ahead of them and positioning themselves to strike from all sides at once.

  Thunder cracked overhead as the trailing vehicle shot forward in a burst of speed. It rammed through the barely standing chain-link fence that surrounded the structure. It screeched across the wet pavement, lurching and jumping over concrete islands that separated the garbage and debris strewn parking lot from the rest of the facility.

  The vehicle spun to a stop just beyond the edge of a crumbling loading dock, and a hatch on the roof flipped open. A pair of figures rose up from within and began securing a large crew-served weapon into its turret. The weapon creaked as it began to traverse back and forth, sweeping a wide path out across the front of the building. Searching. Watching.

  The back doors of the Bearcat crashed open with a heavy metallic thud as it landed on the cracked pavement below. A swarm of armed men and women surged out from the interior, heavy boots stomping almost in unison down the ramp in tight formation.

  Rain roared into the interior and began to pelt and hammer at the Kevlar and chain mail body armor they wore over black tactical uniforms. They moved in tandem, weapons raised up to their shoulders, racing through the rain and splattering mud towards the very edge of the raised loading dock. They spread out into a firing line along the concrete wall in front of them. Eyes and weapons scanned around the perimeter. Fingers twitched next to their triggers.

  In the center of the formation, a dark haired woman with sergeant's chevrons emblazoned on her shoulder scanned in front of her. The barrel of an AR-12 shotgun sweeping from side to side looking out at every shadow, reacting to every faint sound heard over the drops of rain and cracking thunder.

  She couldn't see much ahead of her. The large rolling doors of the loading dock hung half open, and what lay beyond was blanketed in an almost impenetrable darkness that steadfastly refused to let her peer too far into the interior.

  Without taking her eyes away from the doorway, she calmly reached down to her belt and tugged a flare free from the clip holding it in place. The flare burst to life in her hands a mere second before she pulled back and sent it arching through the air in front of her. Light burst out along its path beneath the door until the flare dipped down and skidded across the floor showering the interior in a bright burning light.

  The light lit up just enough of the interior for her to see the hunched over figure chattering wordlessly as it busied itself pawing over a pair of bodies that lay in pools of their own blood. The thing crouched down nearly to all fours beside a stack of crates and broken pallets that served as a barrier keeping the area beyond safe from the light and shrouded in darkness. The creatures head jerked up with a twitch as the burning light caught and diverted its attention. It skittered back away from the light with a wet, gurgling sounding growl hissing out behind it.

  It may have been human once, but that day had long since passed. Rotted flesh dangled down and dripped from gaunt and desiccated features. Straggles of thin wild hair fluttered in the wind from the top of its head. Large chunks of flesh and skin had long since rotted away exposing the bone beneath. Tattered musty looking clothes hung loose from its frame as it scrambled away from the flare dropped suddenly at its feet. Hollow, sunken eyes shot back and forth warily as it hissed and snarled out into the darkness.

  The woman reached her hand to the Mic clipped to her shoulder, her eyes focused on the creature shuffling off back into the shadows.

  “Steel-6, this is Steel-3,” she said. “In position at the loading dock. Positive identification of ghoul presence. Permission to breach?”

  She waited for the response. The weapon on her shoulder shifting and scanning for the ghoul hidden in the shadows in front of her. She took a deep breath, held it, and zeroed in on the thing's last known position. Adjusting her sights to compensate for where she thought it had gone, instinct guided the barrel of her weapon into position, and she stilled herself in preparation.

  “Steel-3, cleared to engage,” a voice growled over the radio. “Sweep and clear Martinez. Watch for civilians.”

  A quick tapping of the Mic key gave off a wordless chirp as a response. Now wasn't the time for words. Gently stroking her trigger, the weapon bucked hard against her shoulder. A bright white cloud of lead and flame burst from the barrel with a thunderous crack sailing out in a spray into the narrow opening beneath the doorway. A wet sounding impact echoed back followed by a gurgli
ng shriek of pain and the clattering sound of a body crashing into shattering wood. She triggered a second shot to silence the shrieks sending a heavy slug streaking into the darkness at her target.

  “Move out,” she ordered.

  As one, the whole of the team rose up and scrambled onto the loading dock with their weapons at the ready. They surged forward splitting off into three teams, one for each of the partially opened doors. They moved with a rapid purpose covering the distance silent and focused on what lay ahead.

  Martinez reached the central door, dropped to a crouch, and rolled beneath the slim gap between the door and the concrete below. Once inside, she rose up to her feet and swept the area in front of her with her eyes and weapon working in tandem. The light of the flare lit up just enough for her to see the scattered movement just beyond the edges of light.

  The surrounding darkness filled with the sounds of claws skittering and scraping along concrete. There was a whispering that drifted through the air. Wet, feral sounding growls and soft gurgled whimpers that began crawling closer. Her whole body tensed in anticipation. She couldn't see them, but she knew they were there. Just from the sounds alone there had to be at least ten to twenty of the things waiting in the darkness. They were holding back for now, but it wouldn't last long.

  Ghouls were nothing if not predictable. Skittish at first, but once they got themselves worked up, they were fearless. Ravenous. The stench of death was everywhere. The smell of fresh kills and blood. Whoever it was they'd gotten their rotted claws on before she'd arrived wasn't likely to have satiated their hunger. It would have been easier if it had. Ghouls usually became docile and lethargic after feedings. Even if it did take a lot of meat and blood to fill their needs.

  Martinez waited until she was sure her team was in position around her. Waited until just the right moment knowing that if she was even just a bit off it could spell disaster for her and everyone with her. She had to be precise. Waiting to act until just before the ghouls had worked themselves into an unstoppable frenzy to catch them off guard.

  “Light it up!” she called out. The light would stun them. Disrupt them just long enough to gain the advantage.

  Flares burst to life all around her and sailed overhead spinning off into the interior of the warehouse. Within seconds the whole of the area lit up like it was high noon. All the darkness chased away and bathed in a hail of bright phosphorescent light.

  The ghouls stood scattered around all in front of her. Crouched on crates, partially hidden behind shattered and broken pallets, twitching and jerking as they crawled forward on all fours. The fetid stench was near overwhelming, and it wasn't just coming from the ghouls. The floor, the walls, and even the stacks of crates had been splattered with the blood and gore of their victims. Half-eaten and torn apart bodies lay strewn in pieces all around the creatures. Little bits of blood and meat dripped from the rotting maws of the ghouls as they whimpered, whined and snarled out into the air.

  The creatures were shivering. Quaking. The sudden eruption of light had startled and momentarily stunned them, and they began to skitter away back towards the shadows. Then it was as if someone had flipped a switch inside them, a pulse seemed to ripple through them. As one, they all dove forward towards the warehouse doors charging on all fours at those who'd interrupted their feeding.

  Martinez thumbed her selector switch on her weapon up to the burst setting and squeezed her trigger. The shotgun bucked hard against her shoulder cracking out a trio of phosphorous slugs that raced out and tore violently into the first ghoul she saw. The heavy rounds lifted the creature up off its feet and sent it flying backward with chunks of flesh and splinters of bone spraying out in all directions all around it.

  The rest of her team opened fire. Concentrated bursts of fully automatic fire scythed through the ghouls sending them tumbling back and forward. They crashed into and tripped over each other's bodies as round after round stitched into their rotting desiccated bodies. Ghouls danced and shrieked in impotent rage and agony with each round that tore into them.

  Most of the impacts did little more than slow the creatures down and take them off their feet. Some fell and twitched on the ground from a lucky shot or two, but most kept getting right back up no matter how many shots drove through them. As little more than lifeless husks with the barest spark of life within them, ghouls were never all that easy to kill.

  With the ghouls withering under the hail of gunfire poured into them, Martinez began to take careful aim. A head-shot was the only guaranteed way to take down a ghoul, which wasn't easy with the jerking and twitching way they moved even without the gunfire forcing them back. She triggered a careful and steady burst into one of the closest creatures. The first two shots bore deep gaping holes into its chest and lifted it up off its feet. The third slug smashed directly into the things face sending shards of its skull and splatters of what lay beneath spraying out behind it.

  She adjusted her aim to the next target, and fired off another volley that tore another of the ghouls in two from the trio of burning slugs that hammered through its chest. What remained twitched and writhed on the gore covered floor. It was still technically alive, and clawing at the air around it, but the threat it posed had been heavily diminished. They'd finish the thing off before they moved on, but for now Martinez had to focus on the rest of the undead around her.

  The rest of her team followed suit. They'd slowed down their fire just enough that they were able to turn each aimed burst of gunfire into killing shots whenever they could. They began to push deeper into the warehouse rushing forward and leapfrogging in pairs closer and closer towards the writhing mass of undead in front of them.

  One by one, the ghouls fell into twitching piles of rotted destroyed flesh. Martinez and her team quickly encircled and overwhelmed the mass of ghouls, yet no matter how many they killed, the rest kept on with their relentless assault. Driven by instinct alone the creatures threw themselves into the hail of gunfire without any thought in their rotted brains other than the mindless urge within them to feed and kill.

  When the last of the creatures had fallen, Martinez dropped and replaced the empty magazine in her AR-12. The clattering of the magazine on the concrete at her feet was echoed by similar sounds all around her as the rest of the team changed magazines with her. Her eyes scanned the room around her. The light of the flares bounced off the piles of gore that had plastered and painted the floor and walls of the loading dock. She could hear the muffled sounds of gunfire from further inside. The other teams had breached and were pressing deeper into and clearing out their own sections of the warehouse, but they weren't her concern. Her team was, and at least for now her team was in the clear.

  “Anyone bit?” she called out loudly over her shoulder. Even with the heavy armor, it was still a risk. Even the smallest bite from a ghoul could kill just from the infection alone.

  One by one the replies from the rest of the team came back in the negative. They'd all managed to make it out of the first engagement without any injuries, and more importantly, without any deaths.

  “Spread out and cap anything still moving whether you think it's still alive or not,” she ordered. It was never smart to leave anything to chance. “O'Brien you take left, Lin you go right. Keep an eye out for civilians. Kill anything that ain't human.”

  Without another word, Martinez thumbed her selector switch back on the AR-12 back to semi-automatic and pressed the stock back tight against her shoulder. She moved forward with slow methodical steps towards the very edges of the flare light. Every so often the crack of a rifle would go off behind, or to the left or right of her as the rest of the team put rounds into any of the corpses that were still twitching.

  At the flickering edge of the light, the shadows danced along the wall and up along the face of a heavy metal door. There were claw marks all up and down the front, the handle had been ripped clean off. Deep fist sized dents had been hammered into the hard metal surface, but they hadn't managed to breach through
the door. The ghouls must have tried to batter down the door, she thought, but it didn't look like they'd been able to get through. The metal door had been too much for them.

  She crept forward and leaned in towards the door listening intently for signs of life on the other side. There was a faint rustle of movement, and she could hear soft whispered fearful whimpers. Someone, or something was on the other side.

  Martinez stepped back and motioned for the two members of her team that had followed behind her to take up positions on either side of the doorway. She wasn't going to take any chances. Just because there was something on the other side of the door, didn't mean it was friendly. Caution was always preferable.

  Once her team was in position, Martinez again stepped forward close to the door. She pressed the muzzle of the weapon tightly beneath where the handle had been, and shifted the barrel to angle her aim towards where the locking mechanism should have been. She turned to the man and woman on either side of her and mouthed a silent countdown from three.

  The shotgun bucked against her shoulder the moment she squeezed the trigger. The heavy slug drilled into the door frame boring a wide hole clean to the other side sending bits of metal bursting out the other side. Martinez surged forward with her shoulder driving into the door ripping it loose and flinging it open in front of her.

  Terror filled screams greeted her sudden entry into what appeared to be a storage room. She swept the room with her eyes and weapon working together in tandem searching for targets. The stench of both blood and fear flooded into her nostrils thick and heavy. Three people, two women and a man, all in ragged filthy clothes hunched over the body of a third woman that lay writhing helplessly in a pool of her own blood. Her stomach had been ripped open, and the four of them were frantically struggling to hold her insides in place.

  With her finger hovering over her trigger, Martinez sized each of them up with a clinical and dispassionate gaze. They were in bad shape, but they were alive, and they were human. Above that, it wasn't her concern. She wasn't here for them.