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

louder, my voice filled with terror.
    She looked so peaceful and calm, as if she was sleeping.
    I scooped her up from Nick as tears welled in my eyes. “It’s gonna be okay, sis,” I whispered. “I promise.” I don’t know why I made a promise I wasn’t sure if I could keep; it just seemed like the right thing to do. Even if the cure didn’t work or we couldn’t get it back from Tahoe and had to end her life, I knew she’d be in a better place. Nick agreed to do it because there was no way I could. I refused, even if it would mean sending her to a better place. How could I ever go back to our parents and tell them I shot their only daughter?
    “ That’s it. She’s gone,” Nick whispered.
    I shook my head, unwilling to believe him. “No, just wait. She’ll come around.”
    Lightning flashed, followed by a roll of thunder that rocked the air, as if the whole universe was angry about the death of our sister.
    Rain dripped down Nick ’s hair and face “She’s gone, Dean.” He punched the side of the truck. “I can’t believe she’s dead!”
    I cradled her close , blinking through the rain. Wet drops rolled across her green, tattered skin. I pulled the blanket up so I could protect her face. “What are we going to do?”
    Nick ran a hand through his wet hair, as if in thought.
    “ You can’t shoot her!” I snapped. “I don’t care what she made us promise back at that airport control tower.”
    “ Of course, but she’s gonna change eventually. You have to understand that.”
    I glared up at him. No ! I knew it was going to happen, but facing it seemed scary, numbing, and surreal.
    Nick grabbed some rope from the corner of the truck bed, the rope we’d used to hold the zombie that Claire had shot. “We’ll have to tie her up,” he said.
    It seemed so cold, so heartless, but I knew it had to be done.
    “ You need to put her down and get away,” Nick said. “That’s not our sister anymore.”
    “ But it’ll be our sister again,” I said, “as soon as we get the formula.”
    He nodded slowly.
    I kissed her on the head. “Everything’s gonna be okay, Val.” I gently laid her down as Nick started to tie her hands behind her back.
    “ You said the cure was supposed to be given once she became a zombie,” Nick said over the howl of the wind. “Can she be a zombie for a while, or does it have to be given to her immediately?”
    “ I dunno. Doc didn’t say. He just said she had to be a zombie. I never planned on watching Val turn into one without having the cure in my hands to even try.” I clenched my fists as Nick tied the ropes around her arms. “I hate doing this to her,” I said.
    He tugged at his wet clothes and turned his gaze to the passing scenery. “I know, but you know we have to. What other choice do we have?”
    “ We’ll find Tahoe and get the vials back,” I said, determined. “We’re going to save her.”
    A long hiss made me jump. I shuddered as I stared into Val’s white eyes, devoid of any life or understanding as to what was going on. For a minute, the world around me froze. She looked so different, so evil. I didn’t recognize her, and she certainly didn’t recognize me as she eyed me hungrily.
     
     
     
     

Chapter 13
     
    After a brief, heavy shower of icy rain rolling down my skin and soaking my clothes, the clouds cleared, and the sun peeked out. Shivering, I wiped the droplets from my face and let the brilliant sunrays warm my bare skin as I gazed up at the clear, blue sky. I jerked as the truck suddenly slipped to the right, and the sound of the rubber tires slapping against the wet asphalt soon snapped me back to reality.
    Lucas didn’t seem to mind and just kept speeding down the highway like a madman, oblivious to what had just happened only a few feet away, on the other side of the partition window. He and the girls had no idea that Val had just died and come back to life as a zombie. I’d seen it with my own eyes, and even I couldn’t believe