Free The Zombie Chronicles - Book 4 - Poisonous Serum (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) by Chrissy Peebles

out a huff.
    I knew Howard might have been up to no good, but there was a chance that he wasn’t and that something was genuinely wrong up top. If Claire had known anything about my brother, she’d have realized that, for him, duty was always a top priority; it even took precedence over love. If we made it back to the island alive, he’d rejoin the Army in a heartbeat and go back to fighting again. Back on the island, I rarely saw him because he was always out on missions and fighting the undead. Claire wasn’t about to change him, no matter how hard she tried. In fact, no one could. Fighting zombies was in his blood, maybe even bred into his DNA.
    She grabbed a flashlight from the dresser. “Well, Dean, I guess it’s just you. Follow me for your surprise.”
    I followed her down the long corridor as she flashed the light beam ahead of us.
    “ I don’t get your brother,” she said.
    “ Welcome to the club. I don’t think anybody does. Nick’s just…well, he’s Nick. I know you like him,” I said, “but you really shouldn’t fall so hard for him, Claire. He’ll do nothing but break your heart. He’s all about the Army and fighting zombies, and nothing takes priority over that for him—nothing and no one.”
    “ There’s more to it than that. I just haven’t figured it out yet.”
    “ He hasn’t been the same lately. He’s nothing like the Nick I knew before all of this happened, and things just got worse because of the incident with Darla.”
    “ Yeah, he’s talked about losing her and told me he was forced to shoot her, but he won’t go into too much detail about it.”
    “ She turned into a zombie and devoured two of his buddies. When Nick walked in, she came right at him, and he had no choice but to defend himself. Plus, he knew Darla would never want to be like that. It destroyed Nick. It made him cold, bitter, and heartless.”
    “ I’m so sorry to hear that,” she said. “I know Nick is still hurting, even if he tries to hide it.”
    “ Nick’s broken, and you can’t fix him. Even more than that, I don’t want to see him hurt you, and he will. Trust me on that. It’s probably best to just leave him alone before you get any more attached.”
    She opened a door and smiled. “Did I mention we’re making a pit stop?”
    I walked into the beauty parlor and shined my flashlight around. “Um, I don’t really do makeovers, Claire.”
    She turned on the large lantern that was hanging on the wall, then placed fresh clothes on the counter. “Yes you do.”
    “ I think I’m just fine the way—”
    “ No offense, Dean, but you smell like rotten eggs and spoiled milk and zombie guts. It’s nothing personal. We all smelled like that when we got here.” She reached over and handed me a washcloth, towel, and a bar of soap. “You gotta wash up for dinner anyway. I’ll be back in a few minutes, and you best be glistening from head to toe.”
    I bit my lip. Getting cleaned up didn’t seem like such a bad thing. Nothing major was happening, and the building was all secure. I stunk to high heaven, and my hair looked like road kill, dirty and caked in grease. There were a few gallon jugs of water, and shampoo by the sink. No hot water, but we weren’t too choosy about the luxuries anymore. I cleaned up, washed my hair, and put on a pair of jeans that were a tad too tight and a black and blue button-up shirt that someone’s granddad probably got for Christmas.
    I dried my hair with the towel and looked into the mirror. I couldn’t even believe the reflection. Am I even the same person? I’ve changed so much since I left the island. I wasn’t the same naïve kid who’d crashed in the forest. It had only been a short time since then, but I felt I’d grown in leaps and bounds. I’d become something else altogether: a tough guy, a survivor, a fighter. I hadn’t seen half the things Nick had, but I already understood why it had all made him so cold. I worried that I might be starting to