N87 Virus | Prequel |Outbreak Kadin, Karri (best english novels for beginners txt) 📖

pleased. Veronica’s eyes landed on the gas gauge. Right at a quarter of a tank. That wouldn’t be enough to get her to the pickup point. She used the fancy dashboard buttons to find the Jeep’s miles per gallon and then pulled to the side of the road to evaluate the map. She studied all of her route options, but none of them could get her there without more gas.

“Well, fuck.” Timber’s ears perked up. Veronica turned off the engine and hopped from the Jeep with the big dog by her side. Veronica took her little gas can and poured what was left in it into the Jeep’s tank. She tossed the plastic can into the back as she climbed into the driver’s seat and immediately regretted not putting the cap back on it as the smell of gas filled the Jeep. She cranked the engine on and rolled down the windows as she viewed the gas gauge.

“Double fuck.” Still not enough to make it there. She had to find a gas station.

A tiny town was a few miles east, out of the way, but according to the pump icon on the old map there was a gas station there. It was her only option besides trying to make the last fifty miles on foot. She downed another bottle of water and headed toward Viekerson.

Silhouettes spotted the fields walking along the horizon. Veronica kept her foot on the gas and tried to ignore them as she sped by. Every few minutes she would spot a new figure scurrying across the farmland and her stomach would drop. The number of sick turned monster was increasing. An image of the woman with delicate features whose skull she had put a bullet in flashed in her mind. Her mind flooded with questions. Who had she been? Could she have been saved? What else could she have done to save Timber but spare the woman?

The black veins of infection had been absent on the woman. Why? She looked so normal, minus the blood smeared across her pale skin and the wild eyes. Why did some turn into nightmares while others died? And most importantly, how many more times was Veronica going to have to kill to survive?

When the city limit sign for Viekerson appeared, every muscle tightened as her body shifted to high alert. Timber sensed the change and sat up tall in his seat and surveyed the surroundings. The town couldn’t be over ten blocks wide, and the little buildings looked as if they had been long deserted. This town was dying before the apocalypse. A worn green and white sign with a smiling dinosaur on it indicated the gas station up ahead, right off the highway.

Veronica slowed to stop in the middle of the road and leaned toward the window, listening. Birds chirped, and the wind whispered through the trees. Timber seemed relaxed as he looked around and pressed his nose against the opening in the window, trying to push his head through. She rolled his window down more so he could hang his head out. She slowly pulled forward, taking the time to thoroughly look down each street she passed on her way to the pump. The gas station had a solitary old yellow truck parked to the side. It was up on a rusty jack and missing a tire. Someone had probably left there it long ago.

She pulled up alongside the pump and killed the engine. Timber turned to her and licked her face. She held his head between her hands and kissed his nose.

“Stay.” He whimpered, and she scratched his ears before hopping from the truck. The nozzle went in and the pump turned on with no problem, but it wouldn’t start. The screen flashed; “See Cashier.” The windows of the building were dark and dirty. No telling who or what was inside.

Veronica opened the passenger side door, and Timber jumped to the ground. She reached into the center console and pulled out the handgun, slipping it into her waistband. She hurried to the door of the store and looked in. The sunlight from the windows dimly lit the interior. The shelves were fully stocked and nothing seemed out of place. She yanked on the door and the jingle of a bell pierced the silence as it swung open. Veronica paused, Timber pressed against her leg, but the interior of the store remained still. She slipped behind the counter and hit a button near the cash register that was flashing “Pump 2.”

“Hopefully, that does it. Let’s grab some snacks.”

She grabbed a bag from behind the counter and walked along the aisles, searching the shelves for something that would make this feel like a joyous road trip instead of the soul-sucking nightmare it really was. Timber stayed by her side, his tail slightly wagging. She found a few logs of beef jerky and opened one up and tossed it to him before dropping the rest in the bag. Timber laid on the floor and chewed on his dried-out meat treat while Veronica continued her little shopping spree. The store was small and didn’t seem to carry much of anything. But it didn’t seem to have been ransacked, and the few shelves it contained were still full. She loaded up on all the shelf-stable food she could carry except for the lone bag of Fritos. She hated those crunchy curls of despair. They were an insult to the glorious corn they were made from.

A gunshot broke through the air, followed by a woman’s screams. Veronica dropped to her knees and listened. More gunshots, more screams. Timbers’ deep growl vibrated in the air as he raced to her. Veronica’s mind immediately went to the unlocked door to the store. Timber pressed his body against hers; the hair along his spine stood straight up and he kept his eyes locked to the front of the store. Veronica scurried on hands and knees across the floor, making her way to the door. Timber followed.

Veronica