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

sunk his blade into the temple of the Infected on the ground. Trevor was holding his own, but two Infected flanked him. Morgan was nowhere in sight. Fear flooded Allison. She embraced the heat, letting it flow freely throughout her body. The smile spread across her face again as the rush overtook her. She twisted the head of the Infected beneath her, a sharp crack announcing she’d internally severed its spine. It went limp.

Allison ran toward Trevor just as one of his assailants leaped toward him. As the Infected was midair, Allison jumped and swung, landing a fist in the Infected’s chest. It fell back with Allison on top of it, stopping with an abrupt jolt as they hit the ground. Allison’s fist didn’t stop. It plowed straight through the Infected’s chest and out its back, leaving her fist in contact with the bloody soil beneath the Infected’s now-still body.

Trevor was in fighting stance, knife in hand, dodging every move the last Infected made. The Infected screeched each time Trevor avoided its grasp, frustration creased across its face. It lunged at Trevor just as he brought the knife forward, sinking it into its eye. The Infected clawed at its face as it fell to its knees, cries of pain erupting from its lips. Trevor pulled the knife from its eye socket as it swung its bloody hands in his direction. Trevor embedded the knife in the Infected’s temple and it toppled to the ground in an unmoving heap. Allison felt the heat retreat back to her core as her heart rate slowed to normal and the euphoria of bloodshed passed. She shuddered as she tried to wipe the feeling from her mind.

Darkness had overtaken the forest. The moonlight filtered through the trees, casting ominous shadows across the forest floor. Matt shined his flashlight into the dense trees.

“Morgan!” Matt turned, looking all around as he screamed for her.

“Morgan! Please come back,” Allison called.

“Stop,” Trevor warned. “You both need to be quiet. We don’t know how many more may be out here.” He pulled his knife from the brain of a dead Infected.

“I thought this area was clear?” Allison asked.

“It’s supposed to be. We can’t leave her out here,” Matt said.

“We need to get back to the cabin to hole up for the night,” Trevor said. “We can’t help her if we’re dead. Going after her now is a suicide mission. She has a better chance surviving out there without us calling out to her. That would only attract more Infected to her and us.” He wiped the blade of his knife across the shirt of one of the bodies before sheathing it back into his boot.

“We can look for her in the morning,” Allison said. “Morgan is smart. I’m sure she’s found a safe hiding spot and is just waiting until the sun comes up to come back to us.” I hope.

Matt turned and headed back to the cabin without a word. Allison and Trevor followed close behind, keeping an eye on their surroundings. Allison’s body relaxed when the flashlight landed on the cabin.

Once they were all inside, Matt plopped down on the couch, allowing his head to lean back till he was looking up at the ceiling, his whole body limp. Allison turned the lock on the door and jiggled the handle to make sure it worked. Trevor lit a couple candles and covered the windows with towels and blankets. Matt’s face was covered in dirt and tears. His eyes were red and swollen.

Trevor handed Matt a flask which he eagerly drank from, scrunching his face as the liquor poured down his throat. Allison sat next to him and held her hand out for the flask. He passed it to her silently before allowing his body to go limp again. Allison took a long gulp, shivering as the liquid burned her throat but made her belly feel comfortably warm. She passed the flask back to Trevor who took a quick sip before putting it into his pocket.

“I’ll keep watch first,” Trevor said. “We can go in shifts. I think it’s best for one of us to be awake at all times. Not just for our safety but in case we hear Morgan outside and she needs our help.” He moved the recliner to face the door before sitting in it, his pistol on his lap.

“When she comes back, wake me up,” Matt said.

“I’m so sorry, Matt. This is all my fault.” Allison’s voice quivered.

“You didn’t do this. You didn’t make her leave.”

“I killed your family. I—” Matt quickly shifted his body to face Allison, his eyes meeting her gaze.

“You were sick. You had no control over what you did. Morgan’s hurt and is taking all that shit and putting it on you. But you are not the cause of her hurt. The outbreak has caused so many people to do so many fucked up things. You have a legitimate excuse; you were fucking sick! There are others who have done worse just to save their own skin.” Matt patted Allison’s leg. “You take the bed. I’ll sleep here on the couch so I’ll be right here when she comes back. She will come back. She really can take care of herself when she needs to.”

Allison stood as Matt stretched out on the couch with his back to Allison and Trevor. Trevor stood, taking Allison’s hands in his and giving them a tight squeeze. She looked at him with a half-smile before he pulled her into him and folded his arms around her, holding her tightly, resting his chin on her head. She let her body fall into his, slipping her arms around him, holding him right back.

The dawn light peeked through the narrow window and found a direct path to her eyes, which ached from crying herself to sleep. Allison stretched on the covers, appreciating how much better it felt to wake up in a bed instead of a sleeping bag. She sat up when she realized no