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

She used this brief moment of clarity to push the rage and heat back to her core where it belonged and quickly jumped up off of him. He sat up, staring at her as she backed away from him. Guilt overtook her.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen.” Tears filled her eyes and she wiped her arm across her face, leaving streaks of blood and tears on her sleeve.

“Allison . . . what . . . ?” Trevor stammered while shakily trying to rise from the ground. Allison turned and ran. She saw Morgan out of the corner of her eye, staring at her from the sideline, mouth agape while Trevor screamed for her to stop. She ran till she was back in her room, alone, and cried until she fell asleep still covered in earth, tears, and blood. What have I done?

Allison awoke to the sound of voices from the kitchen. She opened the door just a crack, peeking out. She could hear Matt, Morgan, and Trevor. It didn’t sound like anyone else was there. Once she knew the coast was clear, she silently walked toward the kitchen.

“So, you are telling me that little Allison threw you over her head four feet away from her?” Matt asked, the snark evident in his voice.

“Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying.” Trevor’s tone was tense.

“He’s telling the truth. I saw it. I saw her do it. She threw him like he weighed nothing at all. It didn’t even look like it was hard for her. It was amazing!” Morgan’s excited voice was louder than the others.

“Let’s say what you guys are saying is true, that you aren’t fucking with me. You know what that means then, right?” Matt’s voice was serious now.

“She was infected.” Trevor’s voice quivered as he spoke. “I’ve heard the stories of former Infected with these superhuman abilities. I’ve even met a few former Infected, but none of them were anything other than your average person.” Allison’s gut twisted in response to the shakiness in Trevor’s voice.

“So, what do we do now?” Matt questioned. Allison stepped into the room, coming face to face with the group. They all took a step back from her, so in step with each other they could have been a chorus line. Allison kept against the wall, giving them as much space as possible.

“It’s true. I was infected,” she said as she pushed her body into the wall, feeling the rough texture of it press into her bare arms. Maybe if she leaned into it hard enough she would become one with the wall and escape this conversation.

“And you’re super strong now?” Matt asked, furrowing his brow, his eyes dark with worry.

“Yes. Look, I know this is weird. I know that you are all freaked out now and I get it. But you don’t have to be. I’m leaving tomorrow.” Allison slipped her hands into her pockets to keep them from shaking. “I am sorry, Trevor. I didn’t mean for things to happen like that. Sometimes I just can’t control it.”

“You can’t leave! Tell her, Matt!” Morgan cried out, pleading with her brother. Matt looked at his sister, then back at Allison. Silence filled the room and Allison inched back, heading into the hall. Trevor broke the silence by pulling a chair out from the dining table, scraping the legs across the floor. He sat down and pointed to the chair across from him.

“Sit. Tell us your story.” His voice was calm and smooth, like a parent comforting a child. Allison crossed the room and took the seat. Her hands shook and she clasped them together to steady the shaking. One, two, three—stay calm—four, five, six—stay focused—eight, nine, ten—don’t forget to breathe. Morgan sat down next to her and looked at her brother. Matt hesitated, shifting his weight from leg to leg.

“Well if we are going to do this I need a drink.” He stepped over to the fridge and opened it, sighing before pulling out a pitcher of milk. “I was hoping for something stronger than this, but whatever. This will have to fucking do. At least it’s not water.” He grabbed some glasses and set them on the table with the pitcher of milk before taking a seat next to Trevor. Morgan jumped up and rushed out of the kitchen.

“I have something that will make this better,” she said as she left the room. The others sat in silence at the table and Morgan returned holding a can of powdered cocoa. “I found this before we made it to this town. I’ve been holding onto it for a special occasion and I think this qualifies.” She set it on the table with a spoon and took her seat next to Allison again. Everyone made themselves glasses of chocolate milk, the clattering of spoons against glasses filling the dead air. Allison ran her fingers around the rim of her glass.

“My mom used to make me chocolate milk when I was upset. I miss her so much.” Allison quietly murmured. “So, what do you want to know?”

“How about everything?” Trevor said firmly. Allison took a deep breath and clasped her shaking hands in her lap. With her head down and voice trembling, she began. She told them about waking up in the woods, finding out about the outbreak, the party where she was infected, about Gabby, Dave and Sandra, and her flashbacks. She told them about Dr. Neff, Nurse Catherine, that they stole part of her journal and how they have been tracking her. She told them everything, every detail she could remember minus the gory ones. Her friends sat without speaking, listening to her as she opened the floodgates of her miserable story.

“So that’s why I have to leave. I need to make it to that cabin to see if I can remember anything else. And if I stay here too long, Dr. Neff will find me. I need to keep moving.”