Life After The Undead (Book 2): Death to the Undead (48 page)

“Yeah,”
I
croaked.
“I’m
okay.”

I
moved to the sink in the
corner
of the
room
and
turned
on the
faucet.
A trickle of
water
came out. I
frowned.
I
peed
more
than that. I
shrugged
and
splashed
my
face
several
times
before
heading
to the
door,
wiping
the
wetness
on
my
sleeve.

Kyle’s
elbows
rested on the
cross bars, his
hands
folded
in the
hallway.
He
acted
totally
nonchalant.
Bill
had
his
hands
on his hips, his
eyebrows
pushed
together.
They
wore
the
same
orange
outfit
as
I,
and
their
faces
were
a
little
pale
from
not being
in the
sun.
Otherwise,
they
looked
fine.
They
might
have
even
put on a
little
weight. It was
amazing
what non-canned
food
could do.

“What
happened
to
your
arm?”
Bill
wondered.

I
glanced
at
the
sling,
like
I
noticed
it
for
the
first
time.
“Liet
shot me.
Broke
my
shoulder
blade.”

“Are
you
all
right?”
Kyle
sounded
concerned.

It
was one
of those
stupid
questions
to
ask.
Of
course
I
wasn’t
all
right! I’d
been shot,
my
shoulder
was
broken,
I
had limited mobility
in
my
arm.
Plus, after
seeing
the
doctor
in
Florida,
I
apparently
was
going
to
be
deformed.
Stupid
as
the
question
was,
it
was
socially
polite to
ask.
I
contemplated
giving
him
a
sarcastic response,
I
was still
tired
and
grumpy,
but
thought
better
of
it.
No
need
to
take
my
frustrations
out
on him, he
was
just being
nice.

“I’ll
survive
this,”
I
responded.

Bill
stepped
forward
and
grabbed
the bars.
“So
what’s
the
plan?
Is
the rest of the posse
on their
way?”

“Yeah,” Kyle
chimed
in.
“How
are
we
gonna
get
out
of
here?”

A lump
developed
in
my
throat.
“We’re
not.”

Bill’s
brow
furrowed
deeper.
“What
do
you
mean?
Why
are
you
here
then?”

I
took a
deep,
shaky
breath.
“Liet
captured
me and
brought
me
here
to
pay
for
my
crimes.”

They
stared
at
me,
waiting
for
an
explanation.
I
told
them
everything
that
happened
after
we
split up in
Wyoming.
They
listened
intently,
the worry
and
concern
deepening
the wrinkles
on
their
foreheads.

“Liet
surprised
us in the
cave.
He
grabbed
me and
uh…he,
um…” The
words
stuck
in
my
throat.
“He
shot Quinn.” That phrase was physically painful to say.

The
brothers
stared
at
me
in
disbelief. M
y
breathing
came in
rasps.
Every
inch
of my
body
ached
from Quinn’s loss. I
wanted
to
curl
into the
fetal
position
and
ball
up so
tightly
I
would
disappear.

“Was
he dead?”
Kyle’s
voice
was
soft.
Another
one
of those
questions.

I
nodded.
“There was
blood
everywhere,
and
he
wasn’t
moving.”

Kyle
bit his lip
and
lowered
his
head.

“What
about the others?”
Bill’s
tone
was
serious,
unemotional.
“They
still
coming
for us?”

I
stared
at
him.
Had
he
heard
anything
I
just said?
“Why
would
they
come
after
us?
It’s
over. There’s nothing
left
to
fight
for.”

Bill
huffed. “It’s
not over. We
still
have
a
job.
People
to
liberate.”

I
took a shaky breath,
the
sadness
once
again
hardened
into anger.
“These
people don’t
want
to
be
saved. They’re
happy
living
like
sheep.
We’ve
already
given
so much,
and
what
have
they
done
in return?”

“They’re
not
happy,
Krista.
They’re brainwashed
and
scared.
We’re
the only
ones
who
can
do
anything.”

“How?”
My
voice
was
on
the
edge
of
yelling.
“Quinn’s
dead
and
we’re
in
jail.
More
than
likely,
they’re going
to
execute
us.
And
what
do
I
care
if these
people
are
happy
or
not? Do
I
look like a
fairy
godmother?”

“C’mon,
Krista. There’s
always
a
way. Figure
something
out.”

I
leaned
my
head against the
bars.
“What’s
the
point?”

“Because
Quinn would have
wanted
it that
way.”

I
clicked
my
tongue
on the
roof
of
my
mouth in
irritation. “Quinn
doesn’t have
to worry
about
it now.
And
neither
should we.”

Kyle
shook his head. “C’mon,
Krista. Don’t
talk
like
that. The
world
isn’t
that
bleak.”

I
scoffed.
“Isn’t
that
bleak? Have
the
weeks
in here
made
you
forget?”
I
pressed
my
face
through
the
bars.
“It’s
not only
the zombies who
want
to kill
you
out
there.”
I
pointed
at
the
door. “It’s the
humans
too.”

“We
know,”
Bill
said
flatly. “Tanya’s
the
one
who
put us in
here.”

I
dropped
my
hand
to
my
side.
“I
know. She told
me.”

Kyle’s
eyes
widened.
“You
talked
to
Tanya?”

I
sighed.
“She found
us
in
North
Platte.
Then,
after
we
abandoned
the city
and
headed
to the
mountains, she
confessed
everything.”

“What
did
you
do to her?”
Bill’s
voice
was low.

“Nothing.
There
wasn’t
time.”