“No, it’s too dangerous.” She met his gaze in the rearview mirror with a mutinous glare, her mouth set in that stubborn line he knew so well from childhood.
“I said, turn around,” he shouted, his hands gripping the backrests of the front seats until his knuckles turned white.
Eliza appeared to soften and sighed. “Aiden, please. Be rational. Dee’s gone, and if we go back to look for her, you’ll put everyone in this car in danger. Do you really want to do that?”
Aiden pressed his lips together. She had him there, and she knew it. His twin knew precisely which buttons to push and was well aware that he’d never willingly endanger anyone. He was too noble for that.
“Come on, bro. Let’s just go back to my dorm for now. It’ll be safe there, and we can come up with a plan to find her. I’m sure she’s fine. In fact, why don’t you call her?”
“My battery’s dead,” he said as frustration filled him. Why did everything have to go wrong tonight? First, he forgot to charge his phone, then he invited Eliza and her stupid friend along, and now he’d lost Dee. Still, blood was blood, and he could never have abandoned his sister at that nightclub. The guilt alone would kill him, not to mention his mum and dad when they found out.
“You can charge it at my dorm room. It’ll only take a few minutes, and then you can call her,” Eliza replied in soothing tones.
Aiden forced himself through the gap between the two front seats and dropped into the passenger side with a grunt. “Fine, but the moment I hear from her, I’m taking the car and fetching her.” He threw Lolly and her unknown friend a nasty look. “And this time, no one will stop me.”
The strange boy raised his hands, and said, “No problem, trust me. I was just helping Lolly back there. It wasn’t safe, and you weren’t listening.”
“Whatever,” Aiden grumbled as he subsided into his seat. The rest of the drive passed in silence as he ignoring them all while brooding over Dee.
By the time they reached Eliza’s dorm room, he was frantic with worry. He plugged his phone into her charger and stared at the blank screen, willing it to come to life. Slow minutes passed. Finally, his cell beeped and switched on. He dialed Dee’s number, praying she’d answer. Beep, beep, beep. Nothing. All he got was the busy tone.
“Damn it,” he growled and jumped up to pace the tiny room.
The other boy with them had slipped away in the meantime, and Lolly had excused herself to go to the communal bathroom. That left Eliza and Aiden facing off against each other like two territorial cats.
Eliza eyed him with irritation. “Relax. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“How would you know?” he answered.
“Well there’s nothing you can do about it now,” she pointed out.
He ignored her and tried to call again.
And again.
And again.
Still nothing.
Eliza flopped down on the bed and switched the TV on. She flipped through the channels until she came to a news report detailing numerous outbreaks of violence just like the one they’d experienced at the night club. “Look at this.”
Aiden paused to listen as the news reporter warned people to stay indoors and fort up. “Those afflicted with the virus are extremely dangerous and can pass on the infection through contact with their saliva. If you’ve been bitten, please report to your nearest hospital for treatment.”
Horrific news footage of infected people attacking and eating each other followed. Aiden blanched at the ugly scenes, and even Eliza looked a little green around the gills. Finally, she switched the television off. “I can’t watch anymore.”
“Me neither,” he agreed.
“You know what this means, right?” she asked.
“What?”
“It’s the zombie apocalypse.”
Aiden snorted. “There’s no such thing.”
“Oh, yeah? Then what do you call those?” she said. “Some of those people shouldn’t even be alive, let alone running around and attacking others. You saw it. They were eating people!”
“So?”
“Think about it. It’s a virus that makes you go nuts, eat people, and not feel any pain. You can only be killed by destroying the brain, and it’s passed on through bites.” She waved her hands for emphasis. “That’s zombies!”
Aiden had to admit she was right. The signs were all there. “You’ve got a point.”
“Of course, I do,” she said with a smug smile. “I’m always right.”
“I have to find Dee. If it’s true, she’s in even more danger than I thought.”
Eliza rolled her eyes. “Forget about Dee. She couldn’t even be bothered to wait for you. Some girlfriend.”
“Shut up, sis.” Aiden paced around as he tried to formulate a plan. Just when he was about to leave and look for Dee, his phone rang. It was her.
“Dee? Is that you?” he answered. He spent the next few minutes reassuring himself she was okay. After warning her about the zombies, he told her to wait for him outside. “I’m coming to fetch you. Just wait for me. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He pocketed his phone with a feeling of intense relief. At least, she was safe for the time being. He turned to look at Eliza who lounged on the bed as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “I’m leaving.”
“To fetch your precious Dee?” she asked with a smirk. “Waste of time if you ask me. She’d be better off as a zombie.”
His simmering anger burst to the forefront with such force it took even him by surprise. “I didn’t ask you, Eliza. In fact, Dee’s right. You are a cold-hearted bitch.”
“Well excuse me, Mr. High and Mighty. I’m just looking out for you. You’re my brother, and that girl’s not good enough for you.”
“Nobody is ever good enough for you, Eliza,” he answered.
She shrugged a lazy shoulder. “That’s because we’re better than the rest, Aiden.”
“You really believe that?” he asked.
“You should too.” Eliza got off the bed and laid a hand on his arm. “Forget Dee. She’s gone, but I’m still here. In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a zombie apocalypse going on out there.”
“That’s exactly why I need to find her. It’s dangerous out there.”
“What about me?” she asked, her eyes narrowing. “I’m your flesh and blood, your family. You should be looking after me.”
“You’ll be safe enough in here until I get back, Eliza. Or you can come with me. Your choice,” he said with firm resolve.
“What we should be doing, is going home, Aiden. Not running around after your trailer trash girlfriend.” Eliza stamped her foot. “It’s either me or her. Decide.”
Aiden stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. Or maybe he was seeing her, the real her, for the first time in his life. “Lock the door, and wait here. I’ll come back for you as soon as I’ve found Dee. We can go home after that.”
She sputtered, shocked surprise crossing her features. “You’re choosing her over me? Your twin sister?”
“Right now, she means more to me than you ever will,” he answered with cold indifference. Turning his back, he walked toward the door and turned the handle.
“Suit yourself, asshole!” Eliza said with venomous tones. “Don’t come crying back to me when your precious girlfriend tries to eat you.”
“Whatever, Eliza.”
“I’m telling Mom and Dad too.”
He rolled his eyes at the childish threat and opened the door, only to freeze at the sight of Lolly swaying in front of him in the hall. “Lolly?”
Lolly’s dead eyes fixed on his, and her lips peeled back in a snarl. She opened her mouth and pounced, her clawed hands grabbing him by the shoulders. Her nails dug into his flesh as she pulled him closer.
With a cry, he backed away and tried to fend her off. She was incredibly strong and attacked with vicious intensity. Her teeth clipped the air in front of his face as they wrestled, going round and round in circles.
Eliza screamed and backed into a corner furthest away from them. She held a pillow in front of her as a shield, her face pale and frightened.
Aiden swung Lolly around and smashed her into the wall, but nearly lost his footing when he stepped on a high-heeled shoe. He fell against the cupboard with Lolly less than an arms-breadth away and called to Eliza. “Help me.”
Eliza shook her head and sidled toward the exit, pausing only to snatch up his car keys and her jacket. “You’re on your own, brother.”
“What?” Shock flooded his veins, and his grip on Lolly’s twisting body loosened for a brief second.
Like a snake, she slithered from his grasp and struck like a cobra. Her teeth sank into the nearest piece of naked flesh she could reach: his face.
Her jaws snapped shut and raw agony exploded almost brought him to his knees. She reared back with a chunk of meat in her mouth, and the exposed nerve endings in his face shivered with fiery pain.
Eliza turned to run. “Eliza!”
She never looked back, her retreating back the last he saw of her. With a roar of anger, he clubbed Lolly in the head and tossed her to the ground. With one foot on her chest, he cast around for a weapon, even as she screeched her rage and clawed at his leg.
His eyes landed on Eliza’s closed laptop, and he snatched it up. With all his might, he crashed the edge into Lolly’s face, using it to batter her skull into an unrecognizable mush until she stopped moving.
Aiden dropped the laptop and backed away. His entire body shook with a mixture of shock, horror, and betrayal. He raised one hand to his wounded cheek, and hot blood streamed over his fingers. Despair crashed over him as he realized the sickening truth. He was infected.
End of Preview - Available Here
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B29PMHB
About the Author
South African writer and coffee addict, Baileigh Higgins, lives in the Free State with hubby and best friend Brendan and loves nothing more than lazing on the couch with pizza and a bad horror movie. Her unhealthy obsession with the end of the world has led to numerous books on the subject and a secret bunker only she knows the location of. Visit her website to sign up for updates, freebies, and more!
WEBSITE - www.baileighhiggins.com
Dee's Destiny Page 5
