The Good, the Bad, and the Undead
Chapter One
I hitched the canvas strap holding the watering canister
higher up on my shoulder and stretched to get the nozzle
into the hanging plant. Sunlight streamed in, warm through
my blue institutional jumpsuit. Past the narrow plate-glass
windows was a small courtyard surrounded by VIP offices.
Squinting from the sun, I squeezed the handle of the watering
hose, and the barest hint of water hissed through.
There was a burst of clattering computer keys, and I
moved to the next plant down. Phone conversation filtered in
from the office past the reception desk, accompanied by a
belly laugh that sounded like the bark of a dog. Weres. The
higher up in the pack they were, the more human looking
they managed, but you could always tell when they laughed.
I glanced down the row of hanging plants before the windows
to the freestanding fish tank behind the receptionist's
desk. Yup. Cream-colored fins. Black spot on right side. This
was the one. Mr. Ray raised koi, showing them in Cincinnati's
annual fish show. Last year's winner was always displayed
in his outer office, but now there were two fish, and
the Howlers' mascot was missing. Mr. Ray was a Den boy, a
rival of Cincinnati's all Inderland baseball team. It didn't
t ... read full excerpt from The Good, the Bad, and the Undead ebook
