Free Survival Ties (The Outbreak Chronicles Book 1) by Trisha Leazier Page A

the
small boy was more animal than human and didn’t stop until he passed out.
Angela was crying and hanging onto Sydney.
    Sam spread some ointment onto
the burned flesh and wrapped it up with an ace bandage. He looked ragged as he
picked up Thomas from Aaron’s lap and brought him out to one of the couches. He
sat down and placed Thomas’s head on his lap.
    “Now what?” Angela asked as she
picked up her brother’s legs and laid them across her lap. She was careful not
to touch the bandaged wound.
    “Now we wait till he wakes up.
We keep that bandage clean and keep out any infection and we watch him for
symptoms.” Sam answered as he squeezed Angela’s hand, “We’ve done all we can
here. When we get to Paradis Roulette my nephew has a fully-staffed hospital.
He’ll have them do everything they can.”
    “Will he be ok?” Angela asked
again, she was watching her brother’s sleeping face.
    “I hope so but we won’t know
anything right away.” Sam responded. “Tone, you good to drive? We have to get
moving.”
    “Yeah I got it.” Tone said and
walked back to the driver’s seat. Sydney joined him in the passenger seat while
Aaron stayed with us. He had both Daisy and my hand; I hadn’t even realized I had
reached out to him when he had gotten up from holding Thomas.
     
     
    Thomas slept even after we got to
where Tone decided to park the bus for the night. Sydney was already asleep in
her seat and Tone reclined his. Sam was still sitting with Thomas lying on his
lap watching his every breath. Angela had fallen asleep where she was sitting
on the couch; she was holding one of Thomas’s hands.
    “All of you should sleep
there’s nothing more we can do for him tonight.” Sam told us and we all
listened to him.
    Daisy didn’t want to sleep
alone so she had Sawyer and I join her in her bedroom. Axel and Micah took the
room Sawyer and I had been sharing while Aaron went to Sydney’s room. None of
us said much to each other. The bus that had been filled with laughter was silent.
We all went to sleep hoping Thomas would be awake in the morning.

Chapter
Nine
     
    The morning came and was just as grey
as our moods.
    Everyone was edgy, eyes darting
over to Thomas and back to the cereal we were eating. Thomas was still asleep
on the couch. Sam was no longer sitting with him; he was up with Tone in the
front of the bus with the door closed. Sydney was trying to cheer us up, but it
was impossible with Angela sitting there. She had tears leaking constantly out
of her eyes.
    “All of you are going to upset
Thomas when he wakes up.” Sydney said as a last effort “He’s going to think he
has no chance.”
    “Does he really have a chance?”
Angela asked, talking for the first time since we found Thomas.
    “Yes, Sam did everything he
could and I think it was his best chance.” Sydney said to her as she crouched
down in front of her and took both her hands.
    “If I would have brought him
with me he wouldn’t have been bit.” Angela sniffled.
    “No honey it wasn’t your fault,
we all should have been paying more attention. He’s young and curious.” Sydney
told her.
    I didn’t realize how much she
was blaming herself for what had happened. She thought Thomas was her
responsibility with their parents being gone.
    “Will he get better?” Angela
asked not quite voicing what we were all worried about—would he turn?
    “First he has to wake up and
then we will see.” Sydney told her.
    We all found a place to sit near
Thomas as the bus started rolling again. Daisy coaxed Angela and Axel into
playing a game of Monopoly.
    Sawyer sat whispering with
Micah. I was sitting near Thomas’s head and fiddling with his hair a bit as I
watched Daisy play with Angela and Axel. They both seemed to be letting Angela
win. She was somber, even when she smiled or laughed.
    Thomas finally started to wake
up and at the first moan Sydney was there. She got him up slowly and held him.
He seemed groggy but smiled when his