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

Timber launched himself through the door and Veronica slammed it shut as soon as he cleared the frame. A thud slammed against the door as she closed it, causing the door to bow slightly. She heard screams on the other side. The door handle jiggled as the woman yanked it from the other side. Could they open doors? She didn't want to stick around to find out. Timber growled and barked at the door. He was in full fight mode. Veronica grabbed him by the neck and pulled him down the steps. When they were at the bottom, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

“We have to go.” She patted her thigh, encouraging him to follow as she jogged away from the house. She looked back over her shoulder and gasped. The door was shaking so hard; it seemed like it might come off the hinges.

She picked up her pace and looked forward. She could still hear the door shaking behind her. The rain poured and visibility was shit. Off in the distance she caught sight of some structure and she took off in that direction.

She tried looking back behind her, but could never get an unobstructed view of the house. Timber kept pace with her, sometimes running ahead. But he would always slow down until she caught up with him again.

When she reached the structure, the rain had soaked her to the bone. Her clothes clung to her body, and the water weighed her down. It was an old red barn, but it seemed like it was standing the test of time.

Veronica found the door and pulled it open. She stepped inside out of the rain, and Timber followed. She pulled the door shut, and was surrounded by darkness, with only the light from the loft window high above highlighting the center of the room.

A low grumble off from the side startled her. She whipped around, and saw an old man with black veins across his face, dragging himself across the straw covered floor towards her. A wheelchair set in the corner. She backed away, but he kept coming. White foam dripped from his mouth, and his hungry eyes latched on her.

Timber growled and snapped at the man, but it didn't stop him. Hanging on the wall to her right was a slew of farm instruments. She grabbed the first one she could reach, and brought the tip of a shovel blade down on the back of the old man's neck, severing his spinal cord. He lay still on the barn floor, eyes still wide open, looking hungry, but he was dead.

Veronica stumbled back until she hit a wall. Then slid down and curled herself into a ball as she cried. Timber nudged her and whimpered. She wiped her tears and got up. She secured the barn door with a large wooden plank on some brackets. They didn't need any of those things coming in after them. That would be a disaster.

She slowly searched the large barn to see if there were any more hidden surprises. There were none. But she found a little corner, full of supplies, a radio, and food. A comfy looking sleeping bag with an old book on top was spread out next to an old wood stove. The man had been here for a while. He probably thought it was safe. She wondered how he got sick and if he was related to the woman and toddler, but pushed the thought from her head. She couldn't think about anyone else right now. What was she going to do?

The desire to stay alive burned at her core like an Olympic torch. For the first time since Alejandro died, she truly wanted to live. Not for him, but for her.

She stripped off her wet clothes and hung them on the fence separating some paddocks, one of which was full of chickens. She put some wood in the old stove and was able to get it to light. It didn't take long for the whole barn to warm up to a toasty level.

Veronica dug through the hay in the chickens’ area and found some eggs, which she scrambled up and fed to Timber and herself. She took an old bucket and climbed up the loft of the barn. She placed it in the loft shed window to catch rainwater. The rain was still coming down in torrents. And she wondered if a tornado would follow. That's just what she needed, a natural disaster during the apocalypse. She closed the window as much as she could, without knocking the bucket over and went back downstairs. She glanced over in the house's direction, but couldn't see it through the pouring rain. Did that woman and that child get out of the house? Were they hunting for her out in those fields? A shudder went down her spine.

Tucked in the old man’s things was an old crank emergency radio. Rows of canned food lined the wall. Everything so neatly organized. He had really been prepared to stay here for the long haul. The radio had a little solar power panel on it. She gave it a crank.

An announcement broadcasted on a loop, talking about safe zones and listing towns she didn't recognize. She pulled out her map, looked for the towns but couldn't find them. She had no idea where she was, or how close to one of these said safe zones she could be. How could she go hunting for a safe zone when she didn't even know where she was?

She found a can of tinned ham and opened it. She heated some slices on the stove for herself and gave some cold slices to Timber. He'd already lost some weight, just in the days since she’s had him. He ate his cold dinner and rolled in the hay with a happy smile plastered across his face.

When her clothes were finally dry, she redressed. She found a few pieces of the old man's