N87 Virus | Prequel |Outbreak Kadin, Karri (best english novels for beginners txt) 📖

cuddled up against her body. She threw an arm over him and cried into his fur. Once her tears ran dry, she set up and kissed him on his head.

“Are you ready for a road trip?” Timber shuffled his enormous feet as if he was doing a little happy dance.

Veronica walked to Alejandro’s car in the garage and found an old atlas shoved down between the seats. Outdated was better than nothing. Paper was better than digital because who knew how long her phone would continue to work. She brought the maps inside and found the pickup location. She ripped the pages she needed from the book. Using a red pen, she mapped multiple ways she could get there. It would take a day if things were normal, but things were far from normal. If she didn’t run into trouble, she could make it. She picked a route that would take more time, but it snaked around larger cities. Her and Alejandro’s cars were too small and low to the ground. If she needed to leave the roadway, she would become an appetizer in a tin can.

The sun was setting, casting an orange hue across the sky. Veronica didn’t want to have any lights on in the house after dark, so she needed to hurry. She packed up everything she could think she would need in the rugged backpack from the neighbors’ house. Matches, the limited canned food she had left, some socks, underwear, female products, among a few other essentials. She set it by the door along with her tent, a case of water, a small gas can from the garage that was only half full, her axe, and Timber’s food.

She peeked through her blinds just as the streetlights were coming on. She had to find a suitable vehicle. Something that could handle back roads and maybe mow down a few of the sick if needed. She spotted a white Jeep in a driveway four houses down. Perfect.

The street was empty and quiet. She cracked open her front door and listened. Silence. She picked up the axe and stepped outside. Timber followed, pressed against her side.

“No, Timber. Inside.” He gave her hand a lick and whimpered. “Inside. It’s not safe.” He just stared up at her. “Fine. Be quiet.” Veronica held a finger to her lips.

She stayed close to the houses in the shadows as she made her way to the Jeep. Timber stayed silent by her side, ears perked up, and the tuft of fur along his spine raised. She rested her hand on his head when they made it to the jeep.

“Good perrito,” she whispered.

The sky was dark and starless. Light shined from windows of a few houses and dim streetlights cut crisply through the night. The owners of those homes had probably left in a hurry and didn’t worry about a sky-high electric bill. The apocalypse changed your priorities. She kept her eyes on her surroundings but kept her feet moving forward. She tried the doors on the Jeep only to find every one of them locked.

“Shit.”

She walked around the house the Jeep sat in front of. The house was dark and motionless. She stood at the front door and pressed her ear to it. Silence. She gently turned the handle, and the door opened. Relief flooded her body. Veronica felt her way along the wall, trying not to bump into anything in the dark. Turning on the lights would just draw unwanted attention. She cursed herself for not being adult enough to own a flashlight. She felt along the top of what must be an entryway table but didn’t find any keys.

When the duo made it to the living room, streetlights filtered in through the sheer curtains, illuminating the silhouette of furniture that made up the space. Veronica moved along all the tabletops in the living room, feeling for keys before moving to the kitchen counters. A fucking flashlight would be really handy right now. Timber still pressed against her side trembled before emitting a low growl from clenched teeth. A humanistic growl from the hall answered him back.

“Fuck!” Veronica put her back against the cabinets and raised the axe above her head as she scoured the room for movement. But it remained still. Another growl drifted from the hall. Veronica held her breath and stood frozen in place, eyes glued on the dark hallway to her left.

Timber took a few steps forward, and Veronica moved with him. She kept her axe raised above her head. The growls grew more intense as they approached the hall, but nothing came out of the darkness. Saliva dripped from Timber’s jaws as he growled and snapped at whatever was in the hall.

Veronica stood at the entrance to the hall and felt along the wall until she found a light switch that she was pretty sure was for the hall.

“Ready, Timber?”

She flipped the switch, and the hall illuminated. Timber leaped forward, closing his jaws around the forearm of their attacker. It swatted at Timber, but when Timber released his death lock and backed away, it didn’t move forward. Veronica gasped.

The monster was a man in pajama pants and no shirt. He had heavy chains wrapped around his torso and legs secured with heavy padlocks. The chains attached to anchors in the wall and ceiling. It tried to run forward, but the chains kept him locked in place. Black veins covered his face and white foam flowed from his lips. A handwritten note hung on the wall at the entrance to the hall.

To whoever finds this,

This virus took my wife. Took my kids. Took my life. I won’t let it take my soul. I won’t let it make me a killer. If you find this note and I’m one of them… leave me in chains so I can die with my family. My family are all tucked safely in their beds where they spent their final moments. Let me be with them, let nature take its course.

May God spare you