Free Infected: Die Like Supernovas (The Outlaw Book 2) by Alan Janney Page B

examine at me. “Why the costume change?”
    “Do you like it?” I said and I held out my arms to the side.
    “Very much. It’s quite dashing. You have nice arms. But…”
    “But what?”
    “I remember you being bigger than this,” she said, with a confused grin. “I vividly recall feeling minuscule when I sat in your lap.”
    “I believe,” I said slowly, carefully, thoughtfully, “that I might be able to…increase in size?”
    “Wow!” she laughed and clapped her hands. “Really?”
    “That would explain why my shoes have split in the past. And why I look bigger in some pictures,” I said, thinking out loud. “But it might only happen when my heart rate speeds up? Or my adrenaline is pumping? I’m not sure. I haven’t figured this out yet.”
    “Like the Incredible Hulk?” she asked. “So you really have super powers?”
    “No,” I said. “No super powers.”
    “Then how on earth could you increase in size, silly?”
    “I’m not positive that I can. But I might. And it’s from a disease.”
    “A disease?” she asked, concern wrinkling her forehead. “What kind?”
    “I don’t know the technical name,” I said. “I don’t know much about it at all. I know it’s rare. As it takes over my body, it activates certain organs and does weird stuff and makes me stronger and quicker.” The truth just kept pouring out of me. I hadn’t planned on sharing my secrets, but the control I could exercise over my body was…diminished, at the moment. I was able to mask my voice to a dark growl, but it was hard. I had too much energy!
    “Sounds similar to the movie
Phenomenon
,” she said, her eyes raised to the sky in thought.
    “I haven’t seen that one.”
    “Great film. John Travolta has a brain tumor that engages more and more of his brain as it grows. The tumor makes him much more intelligent.”
    “Yeah,” I agreed. “It does sound similar.”
    “Except he dies at the end.”
    “Yeah, me too!”
    “That’s not funny.”
    “I’m not joking,” I said. “Almost always fatal.”
    “No,” she said, her hands going to her mouth. “Please be joking.”
    “Very high mortality rate.”
    “No no no no,” she said again.
    “But. I plan on beating it.”
    “Have you been to the doctor?” She took one of my hands between both of hers.
    “No. It’s extremely rare and most people just die from it and nobody knows why.”
    “Have you told anyone? Does anyone know?”
    “You’re the first,” I admitted.
    “Gosh. You must feel so alone, all the time. I forgot how much we have in common.”
    The phone rang. In my helmet. It startled me so badly that I jumped. It must be the guy who’d been texting me.
    “Hang on,” I told Natalie and then I answered the device in my helmet. “What?” I growled.
    The speaker’s helmet crackled to life and a male voice said, “Greetings idiot.”
    “What do you want?”
    “Oh nothing. Just to tell the mighty Outlaw that he’s about to be arrested.”
    “Explain,” I demanded and I turned in a circle, scanning the area.
    Natalie North noticed the change in my demeanor and whispered, “What’s going on?”
    The voice said, “The FBI has been monitoring your girlfriend’s building, genius. They have arrived and are on the way up.”
    “Oh jeez,” I groaned.
    “What?” Natalie asked again.
    I told her, “We’re about to have company.”
    “Don’t take off yet, dummy,” the voice in my head said. “I want to hear what the Feds have to say.”
    “They’re here to arrest me,” I shouted into the helmet. “I have to leave now.”
    “Who is here?” Natalie asked. She was glancing around in alarm.
    “Listen idiot,” he said in my ear. “You need to trust me. They are too well organized right now. They’d track you straight to your house. I’m working on it. Talk to them and don’t run until I give the signal.”
    “Who
are
you?”
    “I’m Infected, baby. Just like you. Except I’m awesome,” he said and I could hear a