Free The Zombie Chronicles - Book 5 - Undead Nightmare (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) by Chrissy Peebles Page B

office, a cold, nasty place that even zombies apparently avoided; all things considered, we couldn’t really blame them. “We didn’t find any gassed-up cars, but we’re bound to find one somewhere in this town.”
    We laid Lucas down on the bench in the waiting area, and he groaned as he tried to get comfortable.
    Behind the counter were a few desks, and the place was only dimly lit by the light coming in through the high windows; it was somewhat of an added bonus that the windows weren’t too low to the ground.
    “We could probably spend the night here with no trouble,” Kate asked.
    “I-I don’t know about that,” Lucas stammered.
    “Why?”
    “Because it’s hotter than the lake of fire in here, and the air conditioner is on the fritz,” he said, giving her a weak half-smile.
    I had to admire the guy; even burning up with a fever, facing a zombie apocalypse, and suffering from a possibly life-threatening infection, he still had jokes.
    “Shh,” Val said, moving the hair off his sweaty forehead. “It’s hot because you’re burning up and the air conditioner isn’t working because there’s no electricity. You need to rest,” she said in a more nurturing tone.
    “Let’s just find the lab,” Jackie said. “Lucas can rest here, and when we find some wheels and the medicine he needs, we’ll come back to get him. We’ll all be much safer once we’re on the road.”
    Lucas began to laugh deliriously.
    “Gosh. His fever is getting the best of him,” Val said. “We’ve gotta hurry and—”
    “No, no…it isn’t that,” he stammered. “It’s just that…she’s, uh…talking about grand theft auto while we’re sitting in the BMV. Don’t you find that…isn’t it a little…ironic,” he said, but he couldn’t even smile this time, and his eyes began to roll back in his head.
    “Lucas!” Val screamed, gently rubbing his forehead. She looked up at us in desperation. “Like I said, we’ve gotta hurry.”
    “I don’t wanna stay in this town,” Asia said. “I’m all for hauling our butts out of here. Can’t we just find a vehicle, and then get Lucas some medicine once we get to the lab? They’re bound to have antibiotics and Lucas can rest in the car. Prancing around town looking for a pharmacy is wasting time.”
    “What if we stay the night and search this place high and low and turn up nothing?” Kate said. “We definitely know the lab will have medicine.”
    Jackie sighed. “The lab is not a pharmacy.”
    Val shook her head. “We need medicine now. I don’t think waiting until we get to the lab is a good idea. Especially with all the problems we could run into, like herds or downed trees blocking roads, it could take two or three days to get to the lab. And what if we have to hide out for a few days for some unknown reason? Lucas could be…it might be too late for him by then.”
    “Val’s right,” Claire said. “We didn’t plan on staying at that nursing home, but the flood and the storm forced us to. Something like that could easily happen again. We can’t take any chances with Lucas’s wellbeing.”
    “I won’t risk Lucas’s life,” Nick said. “He’s my best friend.”
    Lucas’s eyes finally fluttered back open. “Why couldn’t they have stabbed me back at the old folks home? That place had an entire pharmacy.”
    “Murphy’s Law,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
    He closed his eyes as sweat dripped down his chin. “Yeah…go figure.”
    “There’s gotta be a pharmacy or drugstore here somewhere, right?” I said.
    “Sure,” Val said. “If worse comes to worst, we could find a vet. They have antibiotics for animals.”
    “Very funny, Val,” Lucas whispered. “I know you don’t think all that highly of me, but calling me a dog is just—”
    “Hush,” she scolded. “I’m serious. We’d just have to adjust the dosage, that’s all.”
    “I’m so sorry to be such a pain,” Lucas said, breathing heavily.
    “You’re not,” she