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

Timber wagged his tail and tried to lick her cheek. She blocked his slobbery kisses with her hand and then patted his head.

“Interstate it is.”

Darkness fell, absorbing the silhouettes that had dotted the fields, adding an eeriness to the night. Veronica cracked the driver's side window and a warm breeze flowed into the Jeep. It was deathly silent. No animals, no cars, nothing. Goosebumps ran down her arms. The headlights illuminated a green road sign indicating she was almost to the on ramp for the interstate.

She barreled onto the ramp and caught herself looking over her shoulder for oncoming traffic. She shook her head and let out a laugh. Traffic was a thing of the past. She pushed the pedal to the floor and watched as her speedometer climbed.

After a good while of breakneck speeds, she slowed to a turtle’s pace as she navigated through a multi-car pileup that had blocked the road. Veronica dimmed her headlights to the lowest setting and prayed they didn’t attract anyone’s attention. She rolled down the window and listened to the sound of something scraping against metal. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the darkness only added to her uneasiness. Timber sat at attention in the passenger seat, keeping a close eye on each car they passed. Veronica swore she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, but no one ever approached the Jeep. She migrated the vehicle into the grassy median to bypass the wreck. A silver sedan was smashed to bits in the median, right in Veronica’s path. It was pressed up against the guardrail and the space between it and a small truck with its front end smashed was microscopic.

She slowly eased the Jeep forward, pressing its bumper to the front of the small blue truck, trying to push it back out of her way so the Jeep could pass, but it barely budged. She paused and listened for a moment. Silence. She rubbed Timber’s chest.

“Stay.” Veronica quietly opened her door and slipped from the Jeep. She hurried to the small truck and looked inside. The driver’s side window was obliterated. She reached inside and tried to put the truck into neutral, but the stick wouldn’t budge. Timber whined from the Jeep. She pulled open the door. The sound of scraping metal filled the air as the door swung open and fell from its hinges. It smashed into the cement like a dinner bell.

A humanistic screech sounded off in the distance. Veronica hopped into the driver’s seat of the truck and pressed her foot on the clutch while putting all her weight onto the gearshift. Another screech, this time closer. Her muscles trembled, and she struggled to take a full breath as panic surged through her body. The truck popped into neutral. She dashed back into her vehicle, rolled up her window, and locked the door. She hit the gas, and the Jeep lurched forward, pushing the little truck to the side, it wasn’t much. But it had to be enough.

She kept her foot on the gas, scraping the Jeep against both the truck and silver car as she squeezed between them. The metal against metal was like nails on a chalkboard, and she knew every living thing in a five-mile radius could hear it too. The Jeep made it through and on the other side the road was clear. She floored it and didn’t look back.

When Veronica’s brain stopped racing long enough to glance at the clock, she was surprised by how much time had passed. The interstate had not been as bad as she expected, minus that one spot. The Jeep had proven to be the perfect vehicle for this trip. She spotted a mile marker, then clicked on the overhead light and inspected the map. She slowed down so she could manage the wheel and the map at the same time.

“I think we just might make it, Timber.” The dog wagged his tail but remained sprawled out across the passenger seat and center console, trying to sleep.

A high-pitched scream cut through the night air, sending a chill through her blood. Timber bolted upright, his ears perked up to attention, his eyes scanning the surrounding darkness. Veronica turned off the cabin light and peered into the darkness. A low growl vibrated from Timber’s chest. Veronica slowed to a reasonable speed, worried she may miss something hiding in the cloak of night.

“It’s okay, boy. It doesn’t sound too close.”

A few minutes past with no screams she relaxed. She was nearing a large town where she would need to exit the interstate and get back onto the state highway to continue to her rendezvous spot. Veronica spotted the exit and moved into the correct lane, knocking her map to the floor. She leaned down and grabbed it. When her eyes found the road again, she screamed.

A woman stood in the roadway covered in blood, frantically waving her arms above her head. She was too close. Veronica hit her brakes and swerved to the right. Time seemed to stand still as the left tires left the ground, and the Jeep flipped over, landing on the roof. It skidded across the road and slammed into a guardrail near the exit ramp. Timber yelped as his body flipped inside the cab.

Veronica’s heartbeat pounded in her ears and chest felt like a weight was on it. She hung upside down by her seatbelt and stared out the shattered windshield. Her one headlight still shining through the black night. Timber whimpered. Veronica looked over and spotted him trying to stand in the crushed vehicle. He seemed to move normally, but had a bleeding wound on one of his legs. Someone ran up to the wrecked automobile and looked inside. The woman from the road.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Before Veronica could answer, the unmistakable howl of a former human filled the air. Terror washed over the woman’s face. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I’m so sorry.