The Truth is Contagious (The Contagium Series Book 4) (53 page)

I looked at the little girl in Raeya’s arms
and smiled. “I know. I miss Zoe when she’s not with me.” I crossed
the kitchen and took my baby from Raeya. “She’s just so cute.” I
kissed her forehead, causing her to stir. “When are you gonna have
one?” I asked Raeya.

She looked up from the spilled dog food and
laughed. “This is enough for me. You know I do not ever want to be
pregnant.”

I looked at Zoe. “I loved being pregnant with
her since it was planned,” I laughed.

“Riss, you threw up every day for twenty
weeks then became anemic. Why on earth would you enjoy that?”

I laughed again. “Because you get something
like this out of it!”

“No thank you,” she said and put the broom
away. “Ivan and I are quite happy being the cool aunt and uncle.
Just don’t tell Hannah that. She thinks she’s the cool aunt.”

The front door opened and closed. Ben jumped
off the couch, screaming for his dad. Hayden scooped him up,
flipping Ben upside down. The boy cracked up then wiggled out of
Hayden’s arms to pester Ivan. Ben jumped up at him, trying to
entice him to play. Ivan jerked forward, giving Ben a head start.
Then he chased him around the house. Hayden took Zoe from me,
cradling her against his chest.

“How was it?” Raeya asked, opening the
fridge.

“Good,” Hayden said, gently rocking his
daughter in his arms. He smiled down at her. “Saw one gummy. Wasn’t
even a threat.”

“Maybe they’re finally melting,” Raeya said.
That’s what seemed to happen to them. Their skin hung from their
bodies, dripping off with each step. It was rare to come across
zombies now. But rare wasn’t good enough to feel completely
safe.

“It seems that way,” Hayden said. “We haven’t
seen a crazy in, what, seven months now?”

The packs of crazies were thinned now as
well. Every once in a while we came across one, alone and wandering
about, close to the next stage. Thanks to the vaccine Dr. Cara and
Padraic were able to perfect, a bite no longer posed as much of a
threat. There was still a chance of getting ripped apart and
eaten…that hadn’t changed, not yet.

“Go upstairs,” Raeya instructed to both of
us. “You can get a few hours of sleep before they get here.”

“Ok,” I said, giving Zoe one more kiss. “If
she’s hungry, come get me.”

“There is milk in the fridge,” Raeya reminded
me. “Like there has been all day. Get some sleep or take a shower.
We’ll watch Ben and Zoe.” She took Zoe from Hayden and shooed us up
the stairs.

Padraic, Brock, Olivia, Sonja, and Jason were
driving here from Arkansas for Ben’s birthday. They had stayed in
Marbles Falls at the compound having risen into new roles in the
village we had built.

After we had infected President Samael, the
truth had spread across everyone at the Regency. Some wanted to
stay and continue on as they had been, and other wanted to leave.
Gorge, the horticulturist who was friends with Martha, came back to
the compound with Hayden and I when we returned. Several hundred
others wanted to leave New York too, but had to wait until things
were safe.

Gorge helped up set up more greenhouses that
were only two hours from the compound. In just a few months, we had
our own endless supply of fruit and vegetables. It eased a lot of
tension for Hayden.

Over the next few months, my grandpa rose to
the role of leader. Being busy kept his paranoia away—well, if you
could call it that. Everything he was worried about turned out to
be right. It allowed Hayden and me the time we desperately needed
to be alone and cope with everything we had been through
together.

In the spring, construction on the cabins was
back in full force and a little village slowly grew, being added to
year after year. We still had to go on supply missions, and Hayden
never wanted to give up looking for survivors. Things weren’t easy:
we lost people on missions, zombies made their way into the fields
and got several of our cows before we battled them away, and a
nasty case of the stomach flu swept through the compound, claiming
the lives of one young child and several others.

No, it wasn’t easy. But everyday we were
getting closer and closer to what we had before. Moving to Kentucky
was something Hayden and I wanted to do. After all we’d done, all
we’d been through, we had to get away. Especially once we became
parents. We were ready to pass on the roles of leaders, ready to
just be a family. And with Padraic, Jason, and Brock still there to
oversee things, the compound was in good hands.

They chose to stay, continuing to spread what
Fuller had started and what Hayden and I had worked so hard to
continue, the thing that made life worth living. It was a word… a
concept. And it was dangerous, infecting one person to another with
little contact. Once you got it, it was hard to get rid of. It sank
into you, affecting every decision you made. It was something we
all wanted, something we all needed to keep going.

After all…what’s more contagious than
hope?

There are so many people I would like to
thank. First is my family, for not only supporting my love of
writing and obsession with zombies, but for ensuring I got the
quiet time I needed to make this story happen. Second is my editor:
you are a rock star! It’s not everyday I come across someone who
“gets” my books as well as you do. Thank you for caring about
Hayden and Orissa as much I do and making the series reach its full
potential. Thank you Lori, Lindsay, Elyse, and Stephanie. You guys
are my go-to beta readers and my biggest cheerleaders. I love you
all. Thank you to Michael at Permuted Press for working so closely
with me to give the series all it deserves. Dean Samed, thank you
for four amazing covers that represent the books perfectly. And of
course, last but certainly not least, thank you so much to my fans.
You guys have made the Contagium Series what it is today. I
couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.

The Guardian Legacies Series:

Unbound

Reaper

Moonlight

Beyond the Sea Series:

Beyond the Sea

Red Skies at Night (releasing 2015)

Dark Romance standalones:

Stay

All I Need

The Contagium Series:

Contagious

Deathly Contagious

Contagious Chaos

The Truth is Contagious

Emily Goodwin is the international
best-selling author of the stand-alone novel STAY, The Guardian
Legacies Series: UNBOUND, REAPER, MOONLIGHT (releasing 2014), The
Beyond the Sea Series: BEYOND THE SEA, RED SKIES AT NIGHT
(releasing 2015) and the award winning Contagium Series:
CONTAGIOUS, DEATHLY CONTAGIOUS, CONTAGIOUS CHAOS, THE TRUTH IS
CONTAGIOUS (Permuted Press). 

Emily lives with her husband, daughter, and
German Shepherd named Vader. Along with writing, Emily enjoys
riding her horse, designing and making costumes, and Cosplay.

www.emilygoodwinbooks.com

facebook.com/emilygoodwinbooks