N87 Virus | Book 1 | After the Outbreak Kadin, Karri (booksvooks TXT) 📖

“We are just friends. He is a great teacher for this self-defense stuff. He makes me feel like I can be an action movie hero.”

“Whatever you say. You should invite him over tonight! We can play Candy Land and have a little bonfire in the backyard. It would give you an excuse to spend time with him without him training you.” Morgan skipped, excited about her idea. Allison could think of many reasons this wasn’t a good idea but couldn’t tell Morgan any of them since they all went back to her being a former Infected with government henchmen trying to hunt her down. So she just gave Morgan a slight nod. Morgan leaped into the air like a little kid who just got a full-size candy bar dropped into her Halloween bag. Morgan began chattering away, plotting the night ahead, but Allison’s thoughts were far away from a fun night around a bonfire because she knew the night would end with a goodbye.

Even if she didn’t have reason to expect the Collectors any day now, the longer she remained in New Harbor, the harder it would be on her and everyone else when she disappeared. Not to mention the more likely it was her friends would find out her secret. Luckily, her flashbacks had slowed since arriving in the town and she had always been alone when they hit her. But her luck would run out. If she decided against her better judgement to stay, it would be evident that she was a former Infected, different, one of the monsters everyone feared. The thought of her friends knowing what she was tied a knot in her chest that pulled all of her muscles so tight she could barely breathe.

On top of all the reasons she already had to leave town, she found one more while reviewing her notes. Allison was close to the cabin. At least she was 90% sure she was near the cabin. She had to go there. She needed to leave while she was still strong-willed enough to do so and before anyone got hurt because of her. She would tell everyone tonight that she had to go. She would just tell them she needed to find her family.

When Morgan and Allison arrived at the field, they split off in different directions. Morgan took a seat on the sidelines while Joe was teaching a group of men how to break out of holds. Allison headed infield toward Trevor who was waiting for her.

“Good morning. I figured we’d start a little differently today.” He began stretching a little as he spoke. Allison watched his muscles tense beneath his shirt before averting her eyes. She needed to stay focused on the training, not Trevor’s lickable body.

He said, “We have been practicing everything for days. I think you have the mechanics down pretty well. You know what to do; it’s just a matter of if you can actually use your skills when it matters.” He lunged for Allison as soon as the words left his lips. She was taken aback by his charge and couldn’t move out of the way quick enough. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to put distance between herself and him. She clenched her fist on her captured hand. With her free hand she grabbed her clenched fist and pulled up hard and fast where his thumb and fingers met, encircling her wrist. She jerked free and put space between them. She braced herself for his next assault, her arms up, ready to block any more of his advances. He raced toward her and threw two punches at her head. She blocked the first, but the second landed solidly on her jaw. A wave of pain shot through to the back of her head. Her mouth filled up with warm blood, coating her tongue with the taste of iron. She spat blood onto the green grass at her feet while she took the opportunity to return blows. He blocked all of her strikes. Allison felt her adrenaline pumping and the familiar urge sitting right below the surface waiting to erupt. She wanted to win this fight, but she did not want to risk severely injuring Trevor. She tried to push the thought down, to hold on to her logical senses as she battled against her instincts, trying to suppress her rage.

She had only been preoccupied by these thoughts for a moment, but that’s all Trevor needed. He moved in, delivering a punch to her gut followed by a kick to her legs, knocking her down onto her knees. He swooped behind her, wrapping her neck in-between his arms. She couldn’t breathe. She struggled against his arms, clawing at them with her nails. His hold tightened. She was going to pass out. An eruption of heat burst from the center of her body to the surface. She firmly grasped his arms and stood to her feet, hoisting him from the ground.

Trevor grunted and his hold loosened as his feet left the ground. “What the fuck?”

Allison threw him forward over her head. Yards away, he hit the ground with a thud. He stretched his arms above his head as he tried to catch his breath. Her body surged with energy as her vision blurred around Trevor, leaving only him in focus. Her ears filled with the beat of her racing heart. Kill him. She clenched her jaw as hate built up a fiery heat in her core, radiating throughout her body, sending her stomach into flips. Allison ran toward him and threw her body on his, pinning him to the ground. Blood dripped from her mouth onto Trevor’s face. A deep rumbling filled her ears, deafening her.

Allison’s lips upturned in a snarl flashing blood-tinged teeth.

“Aaa . . . Allison . . .” Trevor stuttered. He scurried backward across the ground, separating himself from her. “Stop, Allison, stop!” he screamed. She pounced on him.

That’s when she