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

for the first time.” Allison sniffled as tears burned her eyes again.

“Are you talking about the Infected over there?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck that! Killing an Infected isn’t murder, it isn’t bad, it’s self-defense!”

“It still hurts. She was a person. Like there’s this burning in my stomach that won’t go away. Like my heart is being torn from my body. Like I can’t breathe . . .” Allison fell to her knees and wailed.

Morgan wrapped Allison in a tight hug, pressing her cheek to the top of Allison’s head. Allison buried her face in Morgan’s chest as she cried.

“You defended yourself. Anyone else would have done the same thing. If I saw the Infected that turned my uncle, that killed my family, I would kill them too. They should all die.”

Allison’s tears slowed, and she pulled herself from Morgan’s arms.

“So, I should die? I killed so many innocent people and it all started here, with her. This is where I became a monster.”

“That is not what I meant. You are not infected anymore. You are cured.”

“But at one time I wasn’t.”

“But you are now and that is what matters.”

The girls sat in silence. Allison twisted her hair around her finger, letting it unravel just to twist it again. Morgan drew pictures in the dirt with her finger, avoiding looking at Allison.

“I do get it,” Allison said. “The urge to kill the Infected.” She clasped her hands in her lap to stop herself from playing with her hair. “I even agree with killing them in self-defense, when you have to. But if possible, I want to cure the last of the Infected, not kill them. It wasn’t their fault they were infected.”

“Yeah. A cure is good if it’s even fucking possible.” Morgan continued drawing in the dirt, never taking her eyes off the swirls she traced.

After burying the bones, at Allison’s insistence and Morgan’s indignation, they continued on their way. Darkness was setting in, and none of them wanted to be walking in the dark. Allison knew they were close to the cabin and urged everyone to continue. As the sun kissed the horizon with the last light of day and filled the sky with watercolors on the top of a hill, the cabin came into view.

Chapter Twenty-One Allison

Allison stared at the cabin, unable to move. Fuck. This is it.

Morgan took Allison’s hand in hers. “You okay?”

“Not really.” Allison bit her lip.

“But you will be. You can do this.” Morgan smiled. Matt patted Allison’s shoulders and rested his chin on top of her head.

Matt said, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our abode for the night. I made reservations in advance so I hope their turndown service is on point. It may look worn and rugged on the outside, but don’t worry, the inside is sure to match!” He squeezed Allison’s shoulders and then said to Morgan, “Hey sis, let’s walk around the place and make sure no one is holed up in our home away from home.” Allison smiled at the twins as they walked away.

“Do you need a minute?” Trevor asked, slipping his hand around her waist.

“A lifetime,” Allison groaned.

“Behind that door are answers.” Trevor pointed to the green front door of the cabin.

“Or nightmares.”

“Probably both. Most likely both. But you’ve been there, done that. You can’t change the past. But you can learn from it. So let’s go learn what this cabin really means to you, what really happened here. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Together.” Trevor enveloped her in his arms. She buried her face in his chest, breathing him in, soaking her tears in his shirt. He pulled away, taking her face in his hands as he looked down at her.

“What if I can’t handle what’s behind that door?” Allison peered up at him, grasping his hands as he held her face, his thumbs gently stroking her cheeks.

“You can handle anything. It isn’t just you anymore. Together. We will do this together.” He pressed his lips to her head, the stubble on his chin scratching her forehead. She leaned into him, soaking up his touch. He pulled away and held his hand out toward her.

“Let’s go,” he said.

“Together,” she said, taking his hand.

Trevor took it upon himself to check inside the cabin before letting everyone follow. Matt tried to help but Trevor insisted he rest. Once they knew it was safe they all went inside and locked the place up tight so no one could come in behind them. The lights weren’t working, but candles and lanterns were all strewn around the cabin, so they lit those. They foraged the cabinets for food and were pleasantly surprised to find them heavily stocked with canned goods. There would be no rationing tonight. The cabin was small, only three rooms. The living room and kitchen were combined and could be crossed by Trevor in ten steps. The living room was pretty bare: a couch, recliner, fireplace, and bookshelf with a radio on it. Matt leaned back into the recliner smiling.

The kitchen was a few cabinets, a sink, a small refrigerator, and a large hotplate. No oven or even a stove. Trevor turned the handle on the sink.

“No water,” he said.

“Aww, man!” Morgan whined.

Allison walked over and stood in front of the sink. She traced her hands across the edge. The sink. The sink from her flashback. The sink once covered in the man in the overalls’ blood. She swallowed hard trying to push the knot in her throat away but it remained.

“There was a generator out back but it was out of fuel. We can start a fire and warm up some food. I’ll go get wood.” Trevor headed toward the door.

“I’ll come with you,” Matt said.

Allison wandered down the hall to a small bathroom. She twisted the handle on the faucet but no water came out.

“No water in the bathroom!” Allison shouted. “A shower would have been nice.” She walked a little further down the narrow hall and searched a large storage closet full of useless items