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

“I thought this was stupid,” Morgan said with a hand on her hip, glaring at Trevor.

“Yeah it fucking is. But I’m still coming. Look, I don’t have anyone left. As far as I know everyone I knew is dead. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.” Trevor made eye contact with Allison as he spoke his last sentence. Allison’s stomach fluttered and a half-smile graced her lips. Matt eyed the two of them.

“We will be somewhere over there, anywhere but here in tension town,” Matt said as he pushed Morgan along toward Allison’s truck.

“I’m sorry I stormed off last night. I understand why you are doing this. Living with the guilt you have must eat at you. Not knowing if your friend or family is alive . . . I can’t imagine that. I let my emotions get the best of me. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I want to help you.” Trevor stepped closer to Allison as he spoke and placed his hand on her forearm, sliding it down until his fingertips brushed hers. She felt the thump of her heart in her ears. The world slowed but her breath quickened as he leaned forward till his forehead touched hers. Her skin tingled under his touch. A lump formed in her throat and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. “Please let me help you.” His voice was quiet and sad. She brushed her palm against his, interlocking their fingers before taking a small step back, breaking the touch and the electricity in the air between them.

“Okay.” She looked into his sapphire blue eyes and saw them glistened with moisture, not quite tears but close. She stepped away, widening the gap between them as he regained his composure when Morgan broke the silence.

“Hey, wasn’t your truck blue?” she called to Allison. The sun was up just enough for its rays to backlight the truck, showing Allison it was now a much darker color than the blue it had been. She walked over and placed her hand on the hood, feeling tackiness beneath her hand. She lifted it and saw smudges of Army green staining her hand.

Trevor said, “I painted it with some spray paint. It’s not the best paint job, and it’s not fully dry yet. But I figure Dr. Neff has his people looking for a girl alone in an old blue truck. Not a group in a green truck. Plus, if we have to ditch the truck in the woods it will blend in better this way.” Trevor pulled a towel from his bag and handed it to Allison. She smiled and rubbed the paint from her hand.

“Oh, that reminds me!” Morgan dug through her bag and pulled out two boxes of hair dye, one red and one brown. “I’ve been holding on to this. Now seems like the perfect time to use it. We can change our appearance. I thought it would help keep us hidden in plain sight.”

“That is a great idea!” Allison said. Morgan smiled and shoved the dye back into her bag.

“Good thinking, Morgan. We can use it as soon as we are out of town.” Trevor walked over to the others standing by the truck. “I added another toolbox in the back for us to put our bags and weapons in. We won’t all fit with it up front.” Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

Trevor had on a shoulder holster with two handguns secured in place. He pulled two holsters and another gun out of his bag. He handed Allison the holster reminiscent of ones seen in old Westerns. She clipped it around her waist and put her pistol in it; it was a snug fit but it worked. She then slipped a thin jacket on, concealing the guns from view. Trevor held the gun and second holster toward Matt and Morgan. Matt stepped forward and took it, slipped it on, checked the magazine and clip for bullets, then secured the gun in place in such a fluid motion Allison and Trevor were both stunned. Matt smirked in their direction.

“My dad was a cop and most of our family were avid hunters. I know my way around a gun,” Matt said as he tightened the holster and slipped on a flannel shirt to cover his holster from view. “Do you have an extra clip?”

“Yeah, here.” Trevor handed him another loaded clip, which Matt put in his pocket. Trevor then pulled a knife from his bag along with a sheath meant to attach to someone’s thigh and extended it to Morgan. She hesitated but took it and strapped it onto herself. They all loaded up into Allison’s truck, the fit was tight but they managed, and then she drove them out of town.

Allison, with her new red hair in a damp bun on the top of her head, drove with her friends for a few hours before they encountered their first manned checkpoint. The men in their all-black uniforms and long guns standing alongside a gate which blocked the road made Allison’s heart feel like it was tearing out of her chest. She gripped the steering wheel to calm herself, causing her knuckles to turn white. Her body flushed and her hands turned clammy. She started to sweat as they inched closer and closer to the gate. Seeing the Collectors in front of her was bad enough, but knowing that there were so many more nearby who could come at a moment’s notice made her stomach roll. She caught the bile as it surged into her throat and swallowed it back down. Trevor reached over and patted her leg.

When they got up to the gate she rolled down her window and smiled sweetly at the Collector looking in at her. He was older, and his hair was shaggy with a slight curl to it. If he wasn’t in a Collector uniform, he would look charming. His broad shoulders filled