Frightliner Read online

  "I've arranged for any of you to leave now. No obligations. No penalties. With twenty-thousand dollars to thank you for your efforts. You can return home to a standard apprenticeship. You can start on a whole new career. All I ask is that you remember what you've learned these past six weeks. If that's what you want to do, come here, pick up your contract, and throw it into the fire."

  A moment of everyone shuffling and looking at each other. Katie pushed away from Spud, picked up her backpack and walked to Neeta. She stuck out her hand. The light reflected off her tear-streaked cheeks.

  After they watched the flames devour the envelope, Neeta stood and gave her a hug.

  "I'm sorry, Neeta," she whispered.

  "There's nothing to be sorry for."

  They broke apart, and she turned to look at each of her former teammates.

  "I'm sorry," she told them. "I want to help people, I really do. Zombie extermination is so important, but I can't. I can't watch another person die. I just can't!"

  She heaved a heavy sigh, lifted her chin and strode out of the circle toward Bergie's shrine. She kissed her fingertips and pressed them to his picture, then headed toward the waiting cars.

  "Well," LaCenta said, "There's one liability gone."

  "I heard that, Placenta, you witch!"

  "Beautiful!" Dave said into their headpieces.

  ~ * ~

  Home once again, Roscoe leaned back in his computer chair and turned on the webcam. After checking his hair in the image projected on his screen and mashing his lips to give them more color, he set it to record. "Okay, so LaCenta said it first, and she was a totally out of line for saying it when she did, but honestly..."

  He leaned in close, sharing a secret. "...we were all thinking it."

  He checked the file, saved it and uploaded it to his Zombie Death Extreme blog.

  "And then there were five!" He wove his fingers together and moved into a yoga stretch.

  Oh, gawd, was there any high better than surviving another episode?

  Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator

  By Karina Fabian

  2010 Damnation Books

  Learn more about Neeta Lyffe at:

  Zombiedeathextreme.com

  Purchase it in Kindle or print from Amazon

  About the Authors

  KARINA FABIAN

  From truck-driving vampires to zombie exterminators to dragon detectives, Karina Fabian's universes make readers laugh, cry, shiver and think. Winner of the 2007 EPPIE Award for best sci-fi and the 2010 INDIE Award for best fantasy, she enjoys following her characters into bizarre worlds and situations. In her real, anything but bizarre, life, Karina Fabian is married to Colonel Robert Fabian. They and their four kids call home wherever the Air Force sends them. Learn more about Karina and her books at:

  www.fabianspace.com.

  If you'd like to learn more about upcoming books from Karina Fabian, sign up for her newsletter at:

  http://eepurl.com/dc-8M.

  COLLEEN DRIPPÉ

  Colleen has written SF, Fantasy, children's books, and miscellaneous articles. Novels include GODCOUNTRY and forthcoming GELEN!, as well as children's books, CHRISTMAS AT THE LITTLE BLUE HOUSE, GROWING WITH THE LITTLE BLUE HOUSE and MYSTERY AT MINER'S CREEK. Her sf and fantasy short stories pop up here and there, most recently in ISIG II and FUNGI.