Read Online Fractured: Outbreak ZOM-813 by Marie Lanza - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marie Lanza
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Next thing we knew, Jaxon was running and falling to his knees.
We followed him in.
“Close the door in case there’s more out there,” Jaxon directed.
I did as he said. Dan and Mayhem were already next to Jaxon. They were standing over a woman slumped in the corner. She was passed out from what I figured must have been blood loss due to the amount of it flooding the floor around her. We couldn’t see her face with her hair, once in a bun, now tossed around and falling down her face. She was wearing a white coat and holding a scalpel in her hand.
“She’s alive,” Jaxon said.
“Jaxon?” I was afraid of what he was about to say next.
“She’s my wife.” He looked up at us then back to his wife. “Karen. Karen, can you hear me?” Jaxon mildly shook her, holding her by the shoulders.
Karen let out a soft moan and winced in pain.
“Karen, sweetie, open your eyes for me.” Jaxon brushed her hair away from her face, trying to wake her.
Mayhem sat, a little confused, giving us a small whimper. Dan and I kneeled next to him.
Karen began to crack open her eyes and rolled her head in our direction. She stared at Jaxon for a moment before recognizing him, giving him a weak smile.
“Stay with me Karen.” Jaxon gently brushed her cheek.
“You’re alive.” Karen’s voice was so sluggish.
“Yes. Yes, I’m alive,” Jaxon assured her.
“They don’t give us much in the way of protection.” Karen weakly lifted her hand holding the scalpel, but doing so revealed much more. There was a large bite mark in her arm.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.” Jaxon was holding back his emotional pain.
Dan reached out and gave Jaxon’s shoulder a squeeze for some hopeful comfort.
“Karen, where’s Ethan?”
Karen opened her eyes wider at the sound of the name. I assumed it was their son. Karen’s mouth formed a frown and quivered.
“Karen, do you remember where Ethan is?” Jaxon asked again.
“He was locked in my office.” Karen didn’t have much left for tears. Her body was dying. “I’m so sorry, Jax.”
“Don’t do that, Karen. This was all outside your control.” Jaxon tried reassuring her.
“Promise me you won’t let me change into one of these things,” Karen begged as her eyes closed again. As she faded away, she whispered, “It’s in the bite, Jax.”
“OK.” Jaxon nodded and brushed her pale skin. “OK. I promise.”
Karen let out a long, last breath, and died in her husband’s arms.
Jaxon embraced his wife’s dead body and wept for her. He blinked back the tears and pulled out the beretta from his holster. Jaxon tenderly stroked Karen’s sweat drenched hair away from her face and placed the gun’s barrel against her temple. With a quavering voice he quietly whispered in her ear, “I am so, so sorry. I love you,” and pulled the trigger.
The discharge was deafening in the small tiled room. I watched as he dropped the gun, knowing that his choice of weapon had placed us in jeopardy. The bayonet would have been quieter but… deep down I understood his choice. I wondered whether or not I would be able to do the same thing if I were in his position.
“We’re so sorry, Jaxon.” I never knew what to say, and even in situations that are far easier to comprehend than this, words came with much difficulty.
“We need to find my son.” Jaxon laid Karen’s head back against the wall and stood up.
“Maybe take another minute, Jaxon.”
“We need to find my son,” Jaxon repeated.
The hallway outside the bathroom was clear. We moved fast, backtracking through the quarantine corridor and to the hallway that led to Karen’s office. The door was at the end of the hall.
Jaxon charged the door as if he would break it down, but suddenly hesitated. He pressed his face against the door and called out, “Ethan.”
There was no response.
My muscles felt tense in this matter of seconds. I wasn’t sure I was prepared to see a child’s body destroyed by the
We followed him in.
“Close the door in case there’s more out there,” Jaxon directed.
I did as he said. Dan and Mayhem were already next to Jaxon. They were standing over a woman slumped in the corner. She was passed out from what I figured must have been blood loss due to the amount of it flooding the floor around her. We couldn’t see her face with her hair, once in a bun, now tossed around and falling down her face. She was wearing a white coat and holding a scalpel in her hand.
“She’s alive,” Jaxon said.
“Jaxon?” I was afraid of what he was about to say next.
“She’s my wife.” He looked up at us then back to his wife. “Karen. Karen, can you hear me?” Jaxon mildly shook her, holding her by the shoulders.
Karen let out a soft moan and winced in pain.
“Karen, sweetie, open your eyes for me.” Jaxon brushed her hair away from her face, trying to wake her.
Mayhem sat, a little confused, giving us a small whimper. Dan and I kneeled next to him.
Karen began to crack open her eyes and rolled her head in our direction. She stared at Jaxon for a moment before recognizing him, giving him a weak smile.
“Stay with me Karen.” Jaxon gently brushed her cheek.
“You’re alive.” Karen’s voice was so sluggish.
“Yes. Yes, I’m alive,” Jaxon assured her.
“They don’t give us much in the way of protection.” Karen weakly lifted her hand holding the scalpel, but doing so revealed much more. There was a large bite mark in her arm.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.” Jaxon was holding back his emotional pain.
Dan reached out and gave Jaxon’s shoulder a squeeze for some hopeful comfort.
“Karen, where’s Ethan?”
Karen opened her eyes wider at the sound of the name. I assumed it was their son. Karen’s mouth formed a frown and quivered.
“Karen, do you remember where Ethan is?” Jaxon asked again.
“He was locked in my office.” Karen didn’t have much left for tears. Her body was dying. “I’m so sorry, Jax.”
“Don’t do that, Karen. This was all outside your control.” Jaxon tried reassuring her.
“Promise me you won’t let me change into one of these things,” Karen begged as her eyes closed again. As she faded away, she whispered, “It’s in the bite, Jax.”
“OK.” Jaxon nodded and brushed her pale skin. “OK. I promise.”
Karen let out a long, last breath, and died in her husband’s arms.
Jaxon embraced his wife’s dead body and wept for her. He blinked back the tears and pulled out the beretta from his holster. Jaxon tenderly stroked Karen’s sweat drenched hair away from her face and placed the gun’s barrel against her temple. With a quavering voice he quietly whispered in her ear, “I am so, so sorry. I love you,” and pulled the trigger.
The discharge was deafening in the small tiled room. I watched as he dropped the gun, knowing that his choice of weapon had placed us in jeopardy. The bayonet would have been quieter but… deep down I understood his choice. I wondered whether or not I would be able to do the same thing if I were in his position.
“We’re so sorry, Jaxon.” I never knew what to say, and even in situations that are far easier to comprehend than this, words came with much difficulty.
“We need to find my son.” Jaxon laid Karen’s head back against the wall and stood up.
“Maybe take another minute, Jaxon.”
“We need to find my son,” Jaxon repeated.
The hallway outside the bathroom was clear. We moved fast, backtracking through the quarantine corridor and to the hallway that led to Karen’s office. The door was at the end of the hall.
Jaxon charged the door as if he would break it down, but suddenly hesitated. He pressed his face against the door and called out, “Ethan.”
There was no response.
My muscles felt tense in this matter of seconds. I wasn’t sure I was prepared to see a child’s body destroyed by the
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