Free Life After The Undead (Book 2): Death to the Undead by Pembroke Sinclair Page A

could have said to him, so many things I wanted to tell him. I could have given him a speech about taking pride in his nation and wanting a better life for his followers, for his children. I could have told him he would be a hero, that future generations would tell his story for years and years, but I didn’t. I didn’t waste my breath. Instead, I followed Quinn out of the building.
    We sat in the parking lot for a long time. The engine ran, and Quinn stared out the windshield.
    “I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.” He didn’t look at me. “Not even a thank you.”
    “Why would you think he was going to thank you? He probably thinks we’re the ones who doomed him.”
    He took a deep breath. “I know. And that sucks.” He looked at me. “What other choice did we have? If we didn’t say anything and The Families found him, he’d blame me. Now, he blames me for warning him. It was a situation we couldn’t win.”
    I placed my hand on his thigh. “But at least we’ll have a clear conscience. Whatever they do now, that’s on them.”
    He took my hand in his. “You’re right. I can’t save them all. I knew that when I started this. It doesn’t make it easier, but at least I know I’m doing the best I can.” He forced a smile before putting the truck in gear. “What do you say we get a couple of hours of sleep before heading back to Dashton.”
    I patted his leg. “Sounds like a good plan to me.” He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the jail.
    I stared at him as we drove down the road. Quinn was always so confident, so sure of himself. Even in the direst situations, he remained calm. I had no doubts we’d be victorious in North Platte because Quinn was by my side. He had faith, so I did too. After the last few weeks, I could tell his confidence faltered, unraveling at the edges. He still tried to portray calmness and stay in control, but I could tell he didn’t feel it. I doubted anyone else noticed, they didn’t know him the same way I did.
    On one hand, it scared me that he was frightened. He was supposed to be the rock. On the other hand, it was refreshing. He was human. He didn’t have to be strong all the time. He was allowed to have feelings. I knew no matter what lay ahead of us, we were going to face it together. We were going to be each other’s support. We had to be. We couldn’t count on anyone else.
     
     

CHAPTER 7
     
     
    Quinn was really tired, and he slept soundly. I heard him snoring in the cell next to mine. Even after a cup of coffee, I was able to sleep for a few hours. It was nice. It helped refresh me. When I woke up, though, my shoulder ached. I wasn’t quite ready to get up, so I lay in bed, hoping the pain would go away. I couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation with Duncan, either. I realized the reason they had survived for so long was because they stayed out of other people’s affairs. If I could live blissfully in a mall and bake cookies all day, I would do it too. But the outside world doesn’t stay outside for long. It finds a way in. You can’t ignore it. No matter how hard you try, eventually you have to face it. I wondered what they were going to do when they couldn’t ignore it anymore. I wondered if they would try to find us, volunteer to help. I doubted it.
    The pain grew so intense, I couldn’t lay down anymore. I slowly sat up and draped my feet over the edge. I ran my hand down my face. I expected things to be difficult, especially since we dealt with and fought against people who were older and had more experience, but I never imagined it would be almost impossible.
    Looking back, we were lucky to overtake North Platte. The guards didn’t have to give up as easily as they did. They could have fought bitterly. We would have eventually won. We had numbers on our side, but the death toll could have been a lot greater. We were also lucky when Mrs. Johnson’s bodyguard came up. They could have wiped us out right then and there.