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

reached the entrance to the store just as a group of people ran across the parking lot. She reached up and flipped the lock on the door before pushing it forward a bit to make sure it locked. Veronica moved from the door and sat against the wall next to a rack full of sunglasses. She glanced around the rack to glimpse what was happening outside. Her arms wrapped around Timber and held him close, making sure they both weren’t visible from the parking lot.

There were at least a dozen people outside now. Monsters had surrounded a group of survivors. The sick outnumbered the healthy. Gunshots again. Veronica scrunched up her body with her knees to her chest, making sure the display of sunglasses hid her entire body, and kept a hand on Timber. There was a loud slap and the jingle of a bell as something slammed against the door. A man’s scream pierced the air so loud it could have been right next to her head. Timber let out a low growl followed by a whimper, and he nudged his head against her neck. She leaned forward to get a glimpse of the parking lot but could only see a large blood smear on one of the glass doors, starting midway up the pane and ending at a body sitting with its back against it. Two human figures hunched over the body. Their movements were frantic as their hands traveled from the body to their faces and back again. Every few seconds a snarl or a growl interrupted their fevered movements.

Another scream, now further away, caught the silhouettes’ attention, and they bolted away from the door. Veronica’s hands shook. She clenched them into fists, trying to force them to steady. It was then that across the store she saw an “Employees Only” sign on a door. Her heart raced as fear gripped her throat. The doors in the back of the store could be unlocked. She jumped up and sprinted across the old laminate tile. Her hand landed on the doorknob just as it turned. She jerked back on it and leaned back, using her body weight to keep the door shut. Timber was by her side, teeth bared and growling.

“Help me! They’re coming! Open the door!” a woman’s voice screamed.

Veronica grasped the lock with her fingers and twisted until she felt the click of the locking mechanism sliding into place. There was a bolt at the top of the door, and she threw that into place too. The woman banged on the door.

“Please! Open the door! I don’t want to die!” More banging.

Guilt burned in her chest like a wildfire. She grabbed the doorknob and started to unlock it when the woman screamed. Animalistic growls and rapid footsteps reverberated from behind the door. Timber started barking as the door shook as if something heavy had just hit it. The woman’s screams ended abruptly, and the door shook again. Veronica snapped her hands over Timber’s muzzle, cutting off his barks. She held her face in front of his and locked eyes with him.

“Shh.”

She looked over her shoulder at the parking lot and saw a group hunched over a body near the Jeep. Sounds on the other side of the “Employees Only” door now reduced to low grunts and wet smacking. The crazed cannibals jumped from the pile of gore at their feet and took off down the road. The screech of tires told Veronica that someone had got away. She locked eyes with Timber.

“Quiet now. Don’t be a stupid dog.” She slowly released her grip on his jaws. His spotted tongue hung from his mouth as he panted. “Good boy. Now let’s move.”

She picked up her bag of food and stood at the glass door overlooking the concrete lot. No movement. She reached up and yanked the bell from the door, holding the clapper so it wouldn’t ring. She slipped it into her bag, burying it in her treasure of food. No signs of anyone. She listened, but only silence found her ears. She inhaled deeply and pushed open the door, refusing to look down at the body at the entrance.

Veronica sprinted to the Jeep, averting her eyes from the fresh flesh that stained the concrete red, and flung open the door. She tossed her bag inside, and once Timber was in, she quietly shut the door. She checked her surroundings while muscle memory helped her get the pump going. Gasoline sloshed into the engine. She kicked herself for not investing in an electric car. The new ones could run for 24 hours of drive time on a single charge. It took an apocalypse to convince her that electric cars had some perks.

Veronica climbed behind the wheel, locked the doors, and let out a long sigh. It took a few tries, but she buckled her seat belt. Her hands shook, and she held the wheel to steady them. She cranked on the engine and fled the town of Viekerson.

Vibrant oranges and reds saturated the sky as the sun slipped beneath the horizon. Fields spread out on both sides of her, always at least one of those monsters off in the distance. As dark silhouettes against a gorgeous sunset, they almost appeared charming. Almost.

Nightfall was quickly overtaking the landscape, but Veronica couldn’t stop. She had lost precious time at the last two towns and if she stopped she would never make it to the pickup site in time. Blood thirsty freaks littered the countryside, and none of the little farmhouses she passed convinced her they could keep her safe from a group of them. She glanced at the time and then pulled out her map. Interstate 35 was a few miles ahead and taking it could shorten her trip by a couple hours. She desperately needed those couple hours. She ran her finger along the worn paper, tracking the interstate to her destination. It didn’t seem to run through any major cities at this point.

“What do you