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

I couldn’t, and I vowed we wouldn’t. But to keep that commitment, we needed to find Tahoe.
    Lucas stomped on the gas pedal and pulled onto the main road. The warm, gusting wind blew through my hair as the smell of wet grass and rotting cornfields drifted all around us.
    The sun disappeared, and the sky grew dark, signaling an approaching storm while the pickup raced down the deserted highway. I gripped the side tightly as we wobbled over every bump and jolt, always keeping my gaze on Val, trying to be sure she wasn’t too uncomfortable.
    After a little while, she opened her eyes and met my gaze. “Dean,” she whispered between gasping breaths, “tell Mom and Dad I love them and that I never blamed them for giving me away.”
    “ I will,” I said, choking back tears.
    “ And…and don’t blame yourself for this.”
    My eyes welled up, and I squeezed her hand. Even though we barely knew each other, I felt as though she could peer right into my soul. “I should’ve done more. I’m so sorry, Val.” My voice quivered as emotion rushed through my body.
    “ You did everything and more. I couldn’t have asked for better brothers.”
    “ Dean’s right. It wasn’t enough,” Nick said.
    “ Meeting you and Nick changed my life in the short time I had the chance to know the two of you.” She took another gasping breath. “ The lengths you’ve gone through to try and save me have been heroic…admirable.” She grabbed Nick’s hand, then mine. “You can’t…don’t live in the past, boys.”
    I pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes as she paused.
    “ Appreciate your life. Stop complaining about what you don’t have and start living with what you do have.” She coughed, then continued. “If you fall down five times, get up six. Despite the struggles you’re facing, never let go or give up. Always keep hope alive.”
    “ Always,” Nick said, holding her hand.
    Lightning streaked across the dark sky just seconds before a loud clap of thunder rumbled overhead.
    “ If you can’t save me, at least find the cure and save others.” A trembling cough escaped her throat, and her eyes glazed over for a moment, as though she was losing it again. “It could save millions. Take our world back, help…”
    A tear rolled down my face as she closed her eyes and slipped into unconscious. Her words stayed with me for a long time, and I wondered if I would ever see my sister normal again. Everything hinged on us finding Tahoe.
    The wind whipped through my hair as a blur of scenery passed before me. Val gasped and fought for every breath. Every time I thought she’d taken her last breath, she proved me wrong, making me weirdly proud of her. She was a fighter, and I hoped she’d win the game.
    The girls and I had never witnessed a turning, and I couldn’t imagine a loved one changing into a freak who’d want nothing more than to feast on my brains. The whole thing made me feel nauseous, but it also scared me. I didn’t know if I could ever hurt her, even if I had to.
    Nick sucked in a trembling breath. It was all very hard on him. He always felt the need to play ‘tough guy’, but his emotions were getting the best of him. We both wished we had the cure in our hands. Even if we did possess the precious serum, though, I think he doubted that the doc’s formula would work. He scooped Val up and held her in his arms, then shielded her from the wind with the blanket.
    Freezing rain poured down, but I didn’t care. A deeper pain tore through me at the sight of Val’s sudden ashy color. Her breathing quickened for a second or two and then, ever so slowly, it stopped. My heart thumped harder, and hope filled me that it would be just like before—that she would breathe again. When thirty seconds passed and nothing happened, panic grabbed hold of me.
    “ Val?” I asked, my voice raspy, broken.
    She didn’t answer.
    My fingers wandered to her neck to check for a pulse, but I felt none. “Val?” I said, this time