Dead Days (Book 1): Mike Read online

  My vision begins to narrow into a tunnel and for a moment I think I’m going to pass out. Then the door is opening, and I have a second to think that the tramp isn’t dead after all, that he’s come back to finish the job.

  But then I see that it’s Cass, she has opened the lock through the window and is climbing into the van. She has also retrieved the hammer that I left embedded in mister Tramp’s head. She is pale and trembling but her eyes are blazing.

  “Get…me…the fuck out of here.”

  The world swims back into focus and I nod. I start the van with shaking fingers and as I start to drive, I feel steadier.

  We say nothing, I concentrate on the road. Cass’s view is obscured by the tramps blood but mine is ok. She is staring into the middle distance.

  “Is that where Tess is? Surrounded by those things?”

  I swallow once, then nod.

  “And you think we’ll be able to get to her through them?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I almost jump as I feel her gently place a hand on my arm.

  “I do. Mike its suicide.”

  I don’t have anything to say to that.

  “Mike? Did you hear what I said?”

  “Yeah I-”

  My phone beeps. I almost don’t understand where the noise has come from, and then, when I realise, I’m scrabbling for my pocket. I see the message header. It reads:

  TESS

  “It’s Tess!” I turn to Cass. “She got a message through! She’s alive! Cass she’s fucking-”

  Cass’s face changes.

  “Mike look out!”

  I have a split second to see the truck barrelling towards us and I wrench the steering wheel to the left. It hits us side on, and I feel the world turn upside down. Cass is screaming beside me as we roll, over and over again, glass shatters, I hear the squeal of twisting metal, then something strikes me hard in the back of the head, and my own personal universe switches off.

  NEXT:

  PART 2; TESS