by SJ Morris
“Tyler was pretty mad at you the day you were taken, but after you were abducted, he was a mess. Then, when I told him you had passed away, he was devastated. He said he’d give anything to go back and change his last words to you. Speaking of, I’ll go find him and send him down. He’s been asking how you were the last few hours while you were out. I know Troy is going to want to chat your ear off about the work he’s been doing too. He’s been making good progress with some yellow liquid stuff he’s concocted to kill the infected, but I’ll keep him out of your hair at least until tomorrow.”
“Thanks, I do have some interesting developments about the infected he might want to hear. I love Troy, but yes, I could use some rest before talking with him.” I smiled.
“Also, if it’s not too much, tomorrow morning I want to make sure I introduce you to Merv and his family. He was the man who you spoke to over the intercom when you first arrived. He and his family are our newest members, but Merv, he has been a massive help. I don’t think we would have pulled through everything as well as we did without him. He was a structural engineer before the outbreak, and he showed up the day after Brigantine’s men came. He saw the smoke from the fires and wanted to help. He’d been traveling north from Virginia with his family. He’s responsible for stabilizing the rest of the cabin after the fire. I was worried we’d have to abandon the entire upstairs, but he showed us what to do and how to do it. You’ll meet them tomorrow, but we’ll talk more then.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I missed all of you so much, and I’m glad we are still taking in new people.”
“We missed you too, Abby.” Chris kissed my forehead and left the room.
Tyler came in shortly afterward. Apparently, he had been listening in the hallway the whole time, so I didn’t have to explain everything again. He was understandably heartbroken that his brother was dead and furious that the man who was supposed to be their protector was responsible for everything.
Tyler lay in bed next to me, and we just hugged each other. He felt the babies moving and was excited at the thought of having two new siblings soon, but he was worried about my health. I reassured him I would be fine and gave him the whole spiel about women having babies long before modern medicine was around. I could tell he was still nervous, but I knew he would help me in any way he could.
We both ate dinner in bed, and we fell asleep quickly after enjoying our meal. It had been a very long day, for both of us.
Chapter 29
I woke up on my own to see Tyler snoring softly by my side. Covered with a small blanket, Chris was sleeping in a chair in the corner of the room. I had to stop myself from laughing because he looked so silly.
I sneaked out of bed and made it to the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and sighed in relief at the sight of working indoor plumbing and a shower built for one person with a door for privacy. I hadn’t taken a shower by myself in months, and I was going to enjoy this one immensely.
I indulged in the pretty smelling shampoo, and conditioner as well as the body wash with cocoa butter in it that made my skin feel ten years younger, not to mention the lusciousness of the razor and shaving cream.
I took a good long look at myself in the mirror, and I barely recognized the person staring back at me. I was around four months pregnant but I looked skinny. The skin on my face was taught and sunken in. I had large dark circles under my eyes. I just looked exhausted. I hoped that now I was home, I could relax a little and take better care of myself for the sake of the babies.
My hair had grown reasonably long in the months I was confined. I laughed at myself when I made a mental note to see who could give me a haircut. With the babies coming, I was going to need the signature, short, mom-haircut. On the plus side, short hair meant less for the infected to grab onto. My how our lives and priorities have changed.
The infected attacking me was something else I had to worry about now that I was not one hundred percent zombie proof anymore. I was sure the infected from up at the compound weren’t going to make their way down here all that quickly, but I had to prepare for it none the less. We already knew how fast the Perdition Virus spread before, so I wasn’t going to be taking any chances.
I was just about done, when there was a soft knock at the door, “Hey, you’ve been in here for an hour. Any chance a guy can take a leak in his own bathroom?” Chris laughed as he opened the door slowly, “Sheesh, it’s like a sauna in here.”
I smirked at Chris, “Hey, I haven’t had a shower by myself in months, and I have a lot more surface area to cover now,” I replied as I rubbed my belly.
Chris hugged me from behind and put his hands on either side of my growing stomach. The babies responded by kicking wildly, and Chris’ face lit up with a huge smile, “I felt that! Wow, they are little soccer players in there.”
“They’ve been much more active since we got back. I think they’re responding to how happy I am.”
“Well, you’ll be even happier to hear that Jasmine and the others followed the tracks Peter left, and they found a bunker with the bombs and the nerve agent still inside. They said it was hidden in the side of a hill so well that without the tracks they never would have located it. Unfortunately, there was no Peter. They did say they found a pool of blood with signs of a struggle, but no Peter and no other bodies. There was an alternative exit, but it led to underground tunnels and into a sewer system. Peter and whoever he fought with could be anywhere by now.” Chris sighed.
“I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of him, but as long as we have the bombs and the nerve agent, we know it isn’t in the wrong hands.” I smiled with relief.
Chris looked pleased but was still all business. “I agree, but we need to secure the bombs and close off the tunnels, so no one can get in and try to take the weapons. Jaz and the others are already on that. You don’t have to worry about it, babe. All you have to worry about is how much I am going to feed you and these babies,” Chris said as he kissed the back of my neck sending shivers throughout my body.
“Don’t you start that, Santa. We need to get some food into my stomach before I can even think about that,” I smirked.
Chris kissed me and opened the door to leave, “Oh, Grayson has been asking for you. Doc Baker has taken a liking to him, and he to her, but he was worried about you after you took your spill last night.”
“I’ll get dressed and be right out. We can see him together. He needs to learn that not every man is going to do what Peter did to him, and I could really use your help with that scenario if you don’t mind.”
“I’m happy to do anything you ask, my dear.”
“Now you’re just being overly mushy. Cut it out,” I said as I playfully whacked his shoulder.
Dressed in some comfortable stretchy sweatpants and a t-shirt that used to be too big for me but now fit just right, I felt terrific. It’s wonderful what a hot shower and a good night’s sleep with your loved ones around you can do for one’s piece of mind and well-being.
I slowly walked up the stairs and through the hidden door into the pantry of the upper part of the house. It still smelled of fire, but everyone had done a fantastic job sealing off the damaged part of the cabin. Unfortunately, my room was the one on the corner that was destroyed. But as I looked around at everyone gathered at the table and in random places in the kitchen, happily eating breakfast and enjoying each other’s company, I was reminded that my things, my possessions, were all replaceable and we could rebuild the cabin. The people that helped make this place a home filled with laughter and love, people who would put their own lives on the line to help one another, they were irreplaceable, and they were what mattered.
Grayson welcomed me with a huge hug and a smile that brightened the room. Tyler motioned me over sit next to him. Chris brought a large plate of eggs with potatoes and set it in front of me with a smile. Lilly was even curled up at my feet waiting for me to drop something as soon as I sat down.
Lance and Allycia, as well as a lot
of others, were missing from our home, but I was going to cherish this moment for as long as it lasted.
We all had a lot of work ahead of us. Peter and whoever he was working with, or against I should say since they fought enough to draw blood, would always be on our minds. We needed to make finding him a priority, but we also had to rebuild. We had to make sure our supplies were enough to carry us through the end of winter, and we had to be ready to start preparations for the next winter as soon as spring came. A small kick in my belly reminded me that we were also required to make preparations for the two new little ones who were set to arrive in a few months.
I think most of all; we needed to heal emotionally from those we had lost and the traumas we had all suffered. Looking around at all of the smiling faces, I was confident we were each going to come out of this considerably stronger than we thought we ever could be.
Epilogue
I knew Constance wouldn’t listen to me. I told her that idiot, Jack, would screw everything up, but she never listens to me. Now everything is fucked.
Constance always had to make everything personal. It couldn’t just be business with her. She constantly had to play God.
It’s good I made a deal with that moron Dr. Stuart Dodges to replace the antivirus with something that didn’t work. I needed more time to put my own plans in place, but I never wanted her dead. Constance might have been a shitty boss and an even worse wife, but I didn’t want her dead.
“Ugh, snap out of it Pete!” I yelled at myself.
I needed to get to the bunker and get the bombs ready for transport. Stuart was probably still hours away with my men, but I had to be prepared for them when they showed up.
I had no idea how long it was going to take for that bitch, Abby, to figure out I was gone for good and come looking for me.
I bet that whiny little shit Grayson told on me too. I knew I shouldn’t have taken him, but I didn’t know when I was going to get another opportunity like that. A man has urges and needs that have to be fulfilled. The apocalypse wasn’t exactly the best time to be choosy. I didn’t have time to groom the little shit, but he was so sweet. His fear made it almost too easy. He did what I said…No! I can’t get sidetracked. I need to stop thinking about him and get to the bunker.
Damn this snow is fucking hard to walk in and it’s cold as shit out here. Focus, Pete, focus.
Get to the bunker, get the weapons ready to move, and Stuart will be there with my army, and the world will pay for what it did to me. Constance might be dead, but I was going to show her I have what it takes to do what needed to be done. She never believed in me, but I’ll show her. I’ll show them all!
Thank you so much for reading Z-Strain: Book Two – The Road to Perdition. I hope you enjoyed the second installment of Z-Strain. Please leave a review, every single one of them is much appreciated! Also, please feel free to email me with any questions, comments or ideas that you would like to see our beloved characters run into next. You may contact me at [email protected]
Z-Strain: Book Three is expected to be released in 2019. Please check out my website for information on my upcoming books and events: SJMorrisAuthor.com
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SJ Morris was born in Anchorage Alaska, on Elmendorf Airforce Base, but now resides in Bordentown New Jersey, with her husband of fourteen years, their two children, and two dogs.
SJ Morris has written short stories for as long as she can remember and is known as a masterful storyteller within her family and among her friends. However, it wasn’t until 2013 that she started to focus on writing her debut novel, Z-Strain.
When she is not writing, SJ Morris enjoys spending time with her family as well as their pets, hitting the gym, playing video games, and whenever possible, lounging on the beach, completely immersed in a good book.
