“You don’t know that’s what they’re up to,” Jackie said. “And again, it’s so farfetched.”
“Yeah?” said Lucas. “Well, I hate to bring this up again, but I don’t recall zombies being exactly textbook.”
She shook her head, knowing he had a point.
“This is like something out of a Hollywood script,” I said.
Nick glanced over his shoulder. “I’m not sure what it all means, but I know it doesn’t sound good.”
“Not good at all,” Claire agreed. “What if there is a lab and they’re experimenting on strangers? How does that explain all the hallucinating?”
“Or transitioning?” I was quick to add. “Maybe the virus escaped from the lab and is starting to infect people.”
“What if it’s airborne?” Jackie asked in horror.
“We don’t have proof of any of that.” Lucas reasoned. “Maybe the scientists ran out of test subjects and started testing on their own people.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past these weirdoes,” Nick said.
Jackie gripped my hand. “Whatever the case, we need to leave as soon as possible.”
Nick nodded. “Staying the night here makes me nervous.” As we turned the corner, he suddenly stopped and bit his lip, and I knew something was on his mind.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Jackie and Claire have no ties to Val. Why should they risk their lives for somebody they hardly know? Maybe they should leave before something horrible happens,” he whispered.
“What’re you saying?” I asked.
“We need to give the girls an out.”
I didn’t want Jackie to leave and worried that I might never see her again, but at the same time, I didn’t want anything horrible to happen to her.
Lucas shot Nick a long look, as if contemplating his words.
Nick’s attention turned back to the girls. “Maybe you should take the old man’s advice and get out of town. We can find the best spot to hop the fence and meet up in a day or two.”
Jackie shook her head. “Absolutely not!”
A thought crossed my mind. “They’ll have no weapons. You can’t send them out to Zombie Land with no way to defend themselves.”
“Dean’s right,” Lucas said.
“But they’re in danger here,” Nick said. “You really want them to stay in a town full of nuts? If it weren’t for Val, we’d all be long gone. They should get out while they still can. Besides, I’m sure we can find weapons somewhere for them.”
“It’s my risk to take,” Jackie snapped. “Besides, it’s my fault you don’t have the vials. I’m staying to make things right.” She nudged Claire. “Tell them.”
“Jackie and I have discussed this already. We’re not leaving, and you can’t make us. We owe Val. She saved our lives back at that glass house. She had our backs then, and we’ll have hers now.”
Lucas smiled. “Sounds like you’ve made your decision, ladies. I guess that makes us a team—and one heck of one at that!”
“You bet!” Claire said, grinning.
Nick threw an arm around her. “Thanks for standing up to me. I really didn’t want you to leave, but I had to give you an out,” he said, pulling her close. “Thanks for putting up with me. I can be a real pain-in-the-you-know-what sometimes.”
“I could say the same about me,” she whispered back.
“I’m sorry for saying those horrible things to you before. I was grief-stricken, watching Val die like that. I guess words just tumbled out of my mouth, even if I didn’t really mean them.”
She hugged him tightly. “It’s okay. Even the most macho men hurt sometimes.”
Jackie grabbed my hand as we walked to the hotel door. “Think there’s hope for them?”
I chuckled. As I pulled out my keycard, I noticed that the door was already slightly ajar. “What the heck?”
“Was somebody here?” Lucas asked, dashing inside.
I raced into our room and immediately noticed the broken ropes and strewn covers. Val was missing! Nick’s eyes widened as my heart lurched. “Where’s Val?” I yelled.
To be continued…
The Zombie Chronicles – Book 3 – Deadly City
The Zombie Chronicles - Book 2 (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) Page 11
