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

behind like I wanted, we’d have been long dead by now.” She took a deep, trembling breath. “But you refused to take no for an answer when we told you we weren’t leaving with you.”
    “ I wouldn’t have left without you,” I said.
    “ You taught me how to fight, how to survive, and you never gave up on me. Then, when the unthinkable happened, you risked your life to give mine back to me. You gave me a second chance at life. I’m only here because of you.” She wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit of a crybaby sometimes.”
    I touched her hand and smiled at her, silently urging her to continue.
    “ I’ve said I wasn’t meant for this, for fighting, but in the world we’re in now, it’s not a matter of choice. I must fight to survive whether I like it or not, and I promise you that I will, to the best of my ability. I’ll shoot a gun, and I’ll be as brave as I can. No matter what, I’ll have your back. I’m not the wimpy girl you met back in the forest. I am stronger now, and that’s all because of you, Lucas, and Nick.” She rushed over and hugged me.
    I held her tight as she squeezed me.
    “ Thank you, Dean, for coming into my life.” Her voice wavered. “There aren’t enough words to say how much you and your brother and Lucas mean to me.”
    Her words touched my heart, and I was speechless, so I just nodded as she stepped away.
    “ Okay, I’m up next,” Val said. “I was living a perfect life, something of a fairytale, I suppose. Then, in the blink of an eye, my world crashed down around me. I lost my home, my family, my fiancé, my job, my dogs, and my life. Just before the world turned into a zombie hell, I found out the shocking news that I’d been adopted. My biological grandma begged me to come to the island, so I did. On my way, I was bitten, but I really couldn’t have cared less. As far as I was concerned, my life was already over anyway, but I did still want to meet my family before I took my last breath.” She paused and sighed heavily, then continued. “I was scheduled for execution, but you—a brother I hadn’t even known—stepped in and selflessly risked everything to save my life. You did everything you could, from taking the antidote from the lab to breaking me out of jail. You risked life, limb, and reputation—your whole future for a sister who hadn’t even been part of your past. When we crashed, I again put your life in danger. I’m so sorry about that, but you loved me, and you quickly proved that you’d do anything to help me. The wonderful thing about it is that you did that without even really knowing me. But we had this connection, this bond. Dean, you’re my brother, and I love you for that. But even more so, I love you because you’ve stuck with me through all of this. You even put up with me when I fought with you, like that little battle we had in the grocery store. We may not always see things the same way, but I know we both have one another’s best interest in mind, and that means everything.”
    I couldn’t help laughing at the memory, even as her eyes welled up with tears.
    “ You’ve never given up on me and even continued to fight for me when I became a zombie. Nothing could stop you. You were determined to find me and risked your life again to go into that deranged city. You almost died in their makeshift arena, and nothing hurts more than knowing it was all because of me.”
    “ Val,” I softly said, “you’re my sister, my blood. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
    “ I know that. I just wanna tell you that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Finding you has been the most wonderful thing. I couldn’t ask for a more fantastic brother, and I love you from the bottom of my heart.”
    I embraced her in a long hug and tried to contain my emotions.
    Jackie gripped my hands next. “My turn,” she said with a smile.
    I smiled right back at her; that grin of hers was irresistible.
    “ You and I have such similar