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

sway that way. I didn’t want to become jaded and hardened like my big brother. Scenes of our zombie battles popped into my head, from walking across the plank with zombies below to hand-to-hand combat when I was trapped in that hole. My hands shook with the memories, and I had to struggle to keep it together. Maybe I’m suffering from some kind of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Maybe that’s what happens when fate throws a normal kid directly into the pits of hell. Maybe we’re all going crazy without even realizing it.
    I thought about Jackie and how drawn I was to her. Her beautiful face flashed in my head. I was falling hard for the girl. We were both just trying to survive in the cold, cruel, dilapidated world, yet we shared an amazing connection like none I’d ever felt with anyone—especially not with any of the other girls I’d dated.
    A knock on the door broke me out of my thoughts.
    “ It’s me,” Claire said.
    “ Come in.”
    “ Wow! You clean up pretty nice, don’t ya? You look like a million bucks!”
    I laughed. “It’s amazing what a bar of soap can do.”
    She led me to another room not too far down the hall. I walked in and smiled at Val and Jackie. Candles were aglow everywhere, and soft jazz music played in the background. A blanket was spread out in the middle of the room, filled with a vast array of canned delicacies. Val and Jackie had dressed up for the occasion. Val was wearing jeans and a white, long-sleeved blouse. Her hair was clean and silky, glimmering in the candlelight. I’d never seen her in makeup, but it made her look radiant. Jackie was stunning, as always, and took my breath away in a blue swirled shirt with a plunging neckline and blue jeans. She had her face painted as well, and her fire engine-red lips definitely caught my attention. I couldn’t help but picture my lips locked against hers in a deep, passionate kiss.
    “ You all look amazing,” I said.
    They smiled and thanked me.
    Jackie hugged me, and she smelled wonderful. She ran a hand through my hair. “Wow. Who’da thunk you’d have a full head of gorgeous, luscious, soft hair under all that grease and grime and zombie slime?”
    “ So…where’d you get the music?” I asked, grinning.
    Claire swung her flashlight around. “This is the activity room. We found a tape recorder, and can you believe the batteries are still working?”
    “ You, Nick, and Lucas were supposed to be the guests of honor,” Val announced proudly. She looked at me, cocking a brow. “So why are the other two AWOL?”
    “ They couldn’t make it,” Claire said. “Duty calls and all that jazz.”
    “ Duty? Why? Are we being attacked?” Val asked.
    “ No.”
    Val frowned. “Then why couldn’t they spare a few minutes for dinner? We went to a lot of trouble here, and I don’t usually walk around looking like some freaking Barbie doll!”
    Claire shrugged. “You know men.”
    Jackie shot me a brilliant smile and wrapped her arms around me. “Welcome.” She motioned around, and I couldn’t stop smiling. She always made me feel special, this time especially so, and I thanked her with a kiss right on the lips.
    “ This is wonderful,” I said, sitting down on the floor. “You ladies never cease to amaze me.”
    “ We just wanted to personally thank you for saving our lives,” Val said. “We each have a bit of a speech prepared. We’ll start with Claire.”
    Claire looked up at me, her pretty blue eyes sparkling in the candlelight. I had to admit, she was quite the hottie, even if her personality rubbed me the wrong way. She brushed her long red hair behind her shoulders and began, “Dean, you rescued me at one of the lowest points of my life. My entire group had been killed, and Jackie and I were forced to fend for ourselves in a new world we were ill-equipped to handle. When I met you, I was a little brat. I refused to use a gun and thought I could make a life for us in that beautiful glass house. Had you left us