The Truth is Contagious (The Contagium Series Book 4) (25 page)

Camo Pants tripped. Felicia stepped right on
top of him. Her foot pressed hard into his ribcage. He didn’t even
flinch. Her heel rocked back and she fell, her elbow hitting Camo’s
teeth. Blood dripped into his mouth. He shot up, taking hold of her
arm. A twisted smile lit up his face.

Purring, he stuck out his tongue, lapping up
the blood that dripped from Felicia’s arm. She hissed and pulled
back. Camo was stronger. He flipped her over, pinning her body down
with his, groaning as he sucked the wound.

What. The. Fuck. I blinked and turned around.
Now was as good of chance as any to grab Megan and get the hell out
of here. My foot caught something and I threw my arms out just
seconds before I fell.

Another person lay bound on the floor. Bites
covered their arms, pus filled and swollen. Cold, dead eyes stared
at me. Completely revolted, I jumped over him, rounding the
shelf.

Megan sat in an office chair with her hands
tied to the plastic arms. Thick brown hair covered her dirty face.
Red bite marks dotted her arms and legs. She was a wreck.

She screamed when she saw me. “It’s ok,” I
whispered. “I’m gonna get you out.”

“Kill me, please,” she begged. “I won’t turn,
I won’t turn.”

“I can get you help. One of my friends is a
doctor.” I knelt down. She was bound with electrical cords and they
were tied fucking tight. “We’ll take you to him and he’ll make you
better.”

“No,” she cried.

I worked on the knots at her wrists. I had
just about loosened one when Felicia threw herself at us. I dodged
out of the way. She landed on top of Megan, knocking the poor woman
over.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a stone
garden gnome being used as a door stopper. Felicia disentangled
herself from Megan. Camo was right behind her, so close I could
feel his body heat. His eyes sparkled from getting his fill of
fresh blood.

They stood there, staring at me. Felicia
tipped her head, leering. I made the first move and jumped back,
rolling to the floor. I grabbed the gnome, not expecting it to be
heavy cast iron. Felicia raised her hands up, lips curled over
teeth. She lunged at me. I was ready.

I swung the gnome, the pointy end of his hat
colliding with her forehead. Blood sprayed, warm on my face. I
tightened my grip on the gnome, bringing it back. I hit her again
and she fell. I raised the gnome up again and smashed it on her as
hard as I could.

Her body twitched. Parts of her brain were
exposed from her cracked skull. Camo looked at Felicia, writhing on
the ground dying of massive head trauma. He screamed, his breath
rancid from the fresh blood. His hands flew up to his face before
he leapt, unnaturally soaring through the air.

With a well aimed blow, the gnome busted open
his head. He fell, knocked out but not dead. I knelt down, ramming
the cast iron base into his skull over and over until pink brain
matter oozed onto the floor.

Panting, I stood. Blood dripped from my
hands. I backed up, looking at the carnage. Then someone grabbed
me. I flipped around. The old woman hissed. I pushed her shoulders
and she stumbled back, hip cracking when she hit the floor.

Knowing she couldn’t get back up on her own,
I flew back to Megan, frantically untying the cords.

“Can you stand?” I asked her once she was
free.

She stared at me, blinking. “You killed them
with a garden gnome.”

“Yeah.” I put my hand on her arm, ready to
pull her up and flinched back. It was impossible to touch her
without coming into contact with one of her open wounds.

“You…” She looked at the bodies. “Really? A
gnome?”

I shrugged. “Come on, we gotta get out of
here. I’m sure there are more.”

She grabbed onto me, struggling to her feet.
I hooked my arm around her, supporting her weight.

“I really won’t turn?” she asked.

“It’s been more than twenty-four hours?”

“Yes.”

“Then no, you won’t.” I paused in the
doorway, looking out. The hall was long and narrow, with cement
walls painted a hideous yellow. A battery powered lantern hung from
an overhead pipe. Down the hall and to our right was a door labeled
‘soiled utility’. Feet shuffled and dragged inside that room.

Zombies.

Yep…not going in there. Heavy footfalls
boomed above us. I held my breath, heart beating so fast it hurt. I
moved my head to the left. There was an unmarked door on the same
side of the hall that we were on. Then the hall forked. My eyes
went to the smears of blood along the floor. I had just found our
breadcrumb trail out.

“I don’t understand,” Megan said. I carefully
let her go, ducking back into the supply room to get the gnome. It
was the only weapon I had. “Everyone who gets bitten gets
infected.”

“Not everyone,” I whispered and stepped out
of the room. “I know two people who are resistant.”

“Oh.” Her body slumped even more.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re disappointed
by that news?” We edged down the hall. Someone ran above us. My
chest tightened. I forced myself to take even breaths for Megan’s
sake.

“Why did you come in here?” she asked.

“To get medical supplies.” We moved another
few feet, just yards away from the door.

“Me too.” Her head fell. “Do you have
children, Marrisa?”

I opened my mouth to correct her but stopped
short. I didn’t like where this was going. “No.” Sickness rose
inside of me.

“I do. Did, I mean.”

“I am so sorry.” I meant it. I didn’t know
what it was like to have a child. I loved Hayden more than anything
and the thought of losing him was bad enough. Of course, my brain
had to conjure the image of us having children together and then
watching them get eaten by zombies. “I can’t even imagine.”

“I was waiting to turn.” Tears dripped down
her face. “To forget who I was, to forget them and the pain. It
hurts so much.” She slumped against the wall.

“Megan, please.” I tugged on her arm.

She put her hand on the cement. “It was just
an ear infection. We didn’t have to stop. But when I saw this
place…”

Something scuttled in the cross hall. I
didn’t blink or take a breath. Megan sniffled, wiping her nose with
the back of her hand.

“You have friends up there?” she asked.

I nodded.

“You need to go to them, get out of here, and
never come back.”

“That’s my plan.” I stood, expecting her to
come with. “Megan,” I whispered. “Come on.”

She shook her head. “No.”

The zombies in the spoiled utility room
pushed against the door, their rattling death moans muffled. We
needed to get out of here. I had no idea how much longer that door
would continue to hold.

“There is a room full of zombies behind us.
We
have
to leave.” I pulled on her arm. Her eyes fastened on
the spoiled utility room’s door. She stood, looked at me, and
nodded. I gave her a small smile and pressed on, taking a few steps
before I realized she never followed. I whirled around to see her
sprinting down the hall.

“Megan, no!” I called after her, reaching
out. I lurched forward but was too late. She was closing in on the
door. I skidded to a stop. The metal knob rattled when she twisted
it, and then she threw the door open.

Hoarse growls and moans filled the basement.
Megan held her arms out to her sides and tipped her head up. She
was ready to die, to leave this harrowing world and all the pain it
caused.

My heart thumped in my ears. My throat,
suddenly dry, hurt when I swallowed. I watched Megan disappear,
pulled apart by zombies. I forgot to breathe and I couldn’t look
away. Her intestines pulled and snapped, flinging blood and
digested food into the air. Zombies scrambled for it, shoving it
into their festering mouths.

Angry voices upstairs startled me. I jumped,
my hand flying back and smacking into the wall. I blinked.

“Where is she?” It was Hayden. Oh, thank God.
He was alive. “Where is she?” he screamed.

I wanted to call to him, tell him I was ok,
but I couldn’t. My eyes flicked to the zombies. They were busy
eating…for now. Soon there would be nothing left. I took off,
walking as fast as I dared down the hall. I stopped when I got to
the fork.

Was that the dim outline of an exit sign or a
mirage? Whatever it was, I took my chance. Gripping the heavy
gnome, I ducked into the hall. It was hard to see but it was too
late to turn around and grab the lantern and risk bringing
unnecessary attention to myself.

I held one hand out, feeling my way to the
door. I opened it, fingers trembling. Stairs…maybe. I blinked in
the dark. Yes, there were stairs in front of me. The door would
close and I would be totally blind.

A zombie made its way down the hall, feet
dragging. Fuck it. What other option did I have? The door closed
behind me. Everything was black. Pitch black. I got a flash of
being stuck in the basement of that parking garage. Rider was with
me.

Rider.

It still hurt. I could still remember the way
he sounded, groaning and swinging his arms. I could still remember
the knife puncturing his brain and his body going limp.

“Orissa!” Hayden yelled. His voice was
louder. “Riss! Can you hear me?”

I fumbled my way up the stairs. It hurt,
keeping my mouth shut. His name was on the tip of my tongue, and I
wanted to shout it as loud as I could.

Finally, I reached a landing. I ran my hands
along the wall, panic building as each second passed.

“Riss!” Hayden was close, so close. Something
else could have been closer. I almost cried out with relief when my
fingers grazed the door knob. I needed out. The darkness pressed on
me, suffocating.

I turned the knob. The door was locked. I ran
my fingers along it, trying to figure out how to get out. Even if I
could see, there wasn’t a lock to pick. It had to be locked from
the outside.

“Hayden!” I called, slapping the door. He
didn’t answer. Dammit. I waited too long. He was gone. He couldn’t
hear me. I twisted the knob again, slamming my body against the
door. “Hayden!” I screamed.

I couldn’t go back down, not when the hall
was filling with zombies. I rapped my knuckles against the metal
door. “Hayden!”

Seconds ticked by. Nothing. I rested my
forehead against the door. He’d come back. He’d hear me. And he’d
do it before the zombies stumbled their way up the stairs.

“We already checked in there,” Wade said, his
voice muffled and distant. I leaned back.

“Guys!” I shouted. “I’m in here! The door’s
locked!” I banged. “Hurry there are zombies!”

“Riss!” Hayden was frantic. “I’m coming!” He
grabbed the door knob, rattling it. “Get back,” he told me. I moved
away from the knob, turning into the wall. I covered my ears just
before the shot rang out.

Hayden swung the door open, reached in and
grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the stairwell. I jumped away from
the door and slammed it shut. Then I turned to Hayden, our arms
flying around each other.

He pulled me in until my breasts crushed
against his chest. Panting, I held onto him and never wanted to let
go. His heart was racing. He put his hands on the side of my head,
and kissed me. He pulled away, wiping blood from his mouth.

“It’s not my blood,” I said quickly, bringing
my hand to my face. The blood hadn’t dried yet but was going thick
and sticky. Ugh. So nasty. Zombies pounded on the door at the
bottom of the stairs.

“We need to get the hell out of here,” Jason
said and turned around. He had my quiver hooked over his shoulder.
Wade had my bow. Hayden took my hand, leading me through a narrow
corridor. Faded notes were pinned on a cork-board. Dust covered
jackets hung below. A paper skeleton had been tacked to the wall.
Right. Halloween. That’s when this all started.

Wade went first, gun raised. He motioned for
us to follow; we sprinted through the lobby and out the front door,
not stopping until we reached our vehicles.

“What the fuck was that?” Jason panted. He
whirled around, eyeing the nursing home as if it might jump to life
and swallow him whole.

“Let’s get out of here first,” Hayden said,
getting his keys from his pocket. Wade nodded. We got into our
trucks and sped out of the parking lot, not stopping until a few
miles had been put between us and Silver Living Center.

We pulled over in the middle of the street. A
shopping center was next to us. The glass fronts had been smashed
in. Carts lay on their sides in the parking lot.

Hayden cut the engine. He turned to me,
running his eyes up and down my body. His eyes were misty when he
reached out for my hand, pressing it to his lips. I unbuckled and
leaned over the center console.

“That was fucking unbearable,” he whispered.
“I looked over and you were gone.”

His pulse picked up again. I put my hand on
the back of his neck. “I woke up and you weren’t there.”

He leaned away. “Woke up? You got knocked
out?”

“Yes. I’m getting really tired of getting
kidnapped.”

The doors to the Jeep closed and Jason and
Wade walked down the street, stopping by the truck. Hayden let me
go and got out. Clouds rolled over the sun. It was still hot and
the promise of rain made the air slightly humid.

Goosebumps broke out on my arms. I closed my
eyes, forcing myself to take a steady breath and push the image of
Megan surrendering to the zombies out of my mind. I had seen people
get eaten, ripped apart until there was nothing left. I had killed
countless zombies and crazies. All traces of humanity were gone but
I was aware—each and every time—that they were humans who used to
have families and relationships. Hell, I’d even killed those
bastards at Eastmoore.

None of that bothered me as much as someone
committing suicide.

“Riss?”

I startled. Hayden stood next to my door, his
hand on the open window. His face showed concern. I gave him a tiny
nod, letting him know I was ok. He opened the door and held out his
hand, helping me down. How did he know my legs felt like
Jell-O?