Free The Zombie Chronicles - Book 2 (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) by Chrissy Peebles

incident. It was nice to know we could actually stay the night somewhere without the place being ransacked by zombies. Tahoe’s signal remained motionless, so we had to assume he either hadn’t gotten up yet or the zombies had enjoyed a delicious traitor omelet for breakfast.
    I zombie-sat Val while the others made sure it was safe to venture out of the gym where, in spite of the stale smell, we had managed to get a good night’s sleep. Staring across the gym at the punching bags, I squeezed my eyes shut. The possibility of losing Val hurt so much. I looked at her, sleeping soundly, curled up in a ball like a tired kitten. She had been feverish the night before, but her skin had cooled down noticeably, and her heavy gasps for air had slowed into shallow breaths, signaling that the virus was finally giving her a few hours of peace. I looked away as my thoughts consumed me once more. If we don’t get that serum soon, we’re gonna lose her. It wasn’t news or a sudden realization, yet the knowledge still hurt, the emotional turmoil tugged at my heart, making me want to hurl and shout at the top of my lungs. Why did this have to happen to my sister? Why this century? Why our world?
    Jackie came from behind and touched my arm, startling me. She knew the anguish I was going through, for I had shared my thoughts with her the night before. “We’ll get that cure back, no matter what,” she said softly.
    I nodded grimly, wanting to share her optimism. Part of me believed wholeheartedly that we’d save Val, but lingering doubts banged around inside my head. Even if Tahoe managed to escape the frenzied flock of zombies, there was no guarantee that we’d find him easily or in time to save Val. And what if he sees us coming? What if he manages to evade us once more? Val was slowly but steadily turning. If we missed that fragile moment between her life and death, she’d be gone to us forever.
    I nodded as I scooped my sister up and exited through the doors, then gently placed her on the bed we’d set up inside the pick-up truck, where we could see her and act quickly should something change about her condition. Nick had come up with the idea; he said the cool air would do her good and keep her health from worsening, buying us a few more hours. The unspoken reason was for our safety. The sunlight cast a murky green glow over her skin, and her breathing morphed into small, animalistic pants as droplets of sweat rolled down her forehead.
    “ Nick,” I said, “she looks horrible.”
    “ I know,” he answered grimly.
    He was the suffer-in-silent type, but the worried lines running across his face made what was going on inside more than obvious. His gaze shot over to Jackie and Claire, who were sitting in the bed of the truck next to Val. Claire was wiping off Val’s sweaty face with a damp washcloth, while Jackie held her hand.
    “ Claire, Jackie,” Nick said, “I want you to ride up front with Lucas, okay?”
    “ But Val needs me,” Claire said.
    Nick cleared his throat. “Dean and I would like to have a private moment with our sister. I hope you understand.”
    Of course it was true, but I knew there was also a hidden meaning behind his words. Val had hung on for as long as she could. Our sister’s turning was inevitable—and close. She was going to change, and he wanted Claire and Jackie safe inside the truck when she did.
    Claire touched Nick’s shoulder. “If you need anything…”
    He nodded but didn’t answer.
    Claire lingered a tad longer, then left with Jackie, and they squeezed inside with Lucas.
    The more I thought about it, the more I was glad it was just the two of us in the back with her. We were her family, and we would be with her to the end, just like family is supposed to. My throat tightened as emotions welled up inside. I just wanted that girl back, the one I’d met the day we’d crashed into that zombie nightmare—that spunky being full of spirit, just like Mom. I didn’t want to lose Val.