Apokalypsis | Book 6 | Apokalypsis 6 Morris, Kate (cheapest way to read ebooks TXT) 📖

had to do it three more frantic times before it pulled back, and Roman was able to shut and lock the door. The automatic locks slid home electronically, but he wasn’t taking any chances and locked it manually at the top, too.

They both took a second to catch their breath before continuing on as the monsters beat at the door another few minutes. Roman slid his hand down her arm and took her hand in his own.

“Are you sure there’s none in here?” she whispered, leaning up to say it directly against his ear.

“I don’t think so. No way in without the code.”

“What if someone left a door open?”

“They shut automatically.”

Roman led the way, and immediately he could tell it was a lot darker, quieter, and empty. They turned a corner and used the passcode again to gain admittance into the doctors’ sleeping quarters. Even if there was a remote possibility of any of them being in the other section, none were going to be in the lounge rooms.

There were offices, desks, lounge rooms with televisions, and coffee machines, vending machines, and small kitchenettes. Then they came to another swipe or passcode entry, and Roman entered the numbers more calmly this time. The hallway was long, with doors on either side across from one another.

“The doctors on rotations slept in these small rooms,” he explained.

Roman opened one, not needing a code, and let her go in first. Inside was a full-size bed, a small nightstand with a lamp, no windows, and a door that locked. It felt safe and was utterly silent.

“We’re safe here,” he told her. “You can put your stuff down on the bed if you want.”

She nodded unsurely.

“Jane, we’re safe. Nobody can get in here. Nobody at all. Stay here, and I’ll make sure the rest of the wing is empty, but I’m positive it is.”

Her eyes widened when he turned on the bedside lamp.

“I’ll bring back some drinks and food,” he said. “I want to go to the end of the hall anyway and see if I can get reception on the radio.”

“’Kay,” she murmured and looked around.

He touched her shoulder and left.

As he’d suspected, the ward was completely empty. He checked the other entry door and found it set to lock manually, too, which meant that nobody could’ve come in from this end anyway, not even with the passcode. He searched the lounge areas and each of the sleeping rooms and found them empty, as well. He radioed the others and got Elijah.

“We’re in,” Elijah said. “It’s safe here.”

“We can’t get to you,” Roman said. “We’re safe, too. Up on the sixth floor. We’ll stay here where we are for the night and meet up in the morning.”

“Better make it late morning,” Alex replied. “Come down around ten. If you come too early, some of those things might still be around.”

“Got it,” Roman answered.

They exchanged more details of their whereabouts and finally ended their conversation to conserve batteries.

Roman broke the glass on the snack machine and took what he wanted, stuffing things into his pack. Then he jammed in his knife tip and twisted the key apparatus on the side of the drink dispenser. The door swung open, and he took four beverages. When he returned to their room, he knocked twice.

Jane said quietly through the door, “Roman?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

She opened it and looked very relieved.

“We’re cool. This wing is totally locked down. Totally empty, okay?”

She nodded with uncertainty as she took his pack from his outstretched hand.

“Got us some snacks and drinks,” he said. “I feel like I’m running on empty after all that.”

They sat on the bed, she cross-legged. He drank an orange Gatorade and forced Jane to drink some, as well. Her hands were shaking, so he insisted she eat a few crackers from the snack pack he’d foraged to help calm her nerves and distract her mind. Then he downed some Oreos, potato chips, and pretzels. Jane ate only a few bites.

“The bathroom is right through there in case you didn’t see it,” he said, pointing to the door on the other side of the nightstand.

“How’d you know about this place?”

“I told you,” he reminded her. “I used to run all over this hospital when I was a kid. They’ve added on some here and there, but the basic layout is the same. I thought this place was cool, like being on a navy ship or something with all the narrow hallways and bedrooms and no windows.”

She offered a grim half-grin and looked around. Soon after, they turned in. They kept their shoes on this time, and he placed his pistol under his pillow.

Jane slept on the side of the bed nearest the outer wall and nightstand, so she shut off the light. Then she turned it back on.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her.

“Um, nothing,” she said and turned it off again.

“You can leave it on if you want,” he offered.

She paused in the dark before saying, “No, it’s okay.”

They both tossed and turned and ended up facing one another. After a few minutes, her hand slid up the sheets under the blanket and found his.

“Thanks for coming for me,” she said softly.

“I wasn’t about to leave you out there alone.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Roman,” she said and sniffed. “Not after what I did.”

“Hey,” he said, leaning up onto his elbow to stare down at her, even though their room was pitch dark. “Just because we’re…well, whatever. I’d never want anything bad to happen to you, Jane. I still feel responsible for you. I still care about you.”

“I was so scared,” she admitted and sniffed harder.

Roman laid back down and pulled her into his arms. Then he rubbed her back because he knew she was crying a little but trying to hold it back.

“Where the hell did you go?” he asked and pulled back so she could talk.

“I just ran,” she explained. “I got separated from the others and just ran. I was trying to make it back to the family