Read Online Resurrection (Apocalypse Chronicles Part II) by Laury Falter - Free Book Online
Authors: Laury Falter
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rest of us.
“Annnnd she’s back,” Doc muttered.
A quiet laugh ran through the rest of us, excluding Beverly.
While we caught our breath, Harrison asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.
“I’m wondering, Beverly, how you learned to swing like that.”
She dipped her head to inspect an Infected, not bothering to look at him when she replied. “Junior Varsity Softball, back in Minnesota, before I moved to Chicago.”
Then, despite the fact that her ability had just saved her life, her ego resurfaced long enough to compel her to mutter, “That was before I developed some class and learned how to use a razor.”
The rest of us lifted our eyebrows at the comment, but Harrison ignored it. Instead, he nodded to himself, spun around to survey the bodies left in Beverly’s wake and remarked, “Well, guys, I think we’ve found her weapon of choice…”
CHAPTER 4
W E WERE SPLATTERED WITH BLOOD AND dirt, and in desperate need of clean clothes and food. Water, we had in abundance, so we used the stream Harrison found to wash himself the night before. It was frigid, forcing us to limit our washing to only our hands, arms, faces and neck. Only Beverly complained.
I was the first one out and returned alone to Harrison on the top of the sloping bank where he stood as guard. He gave me a serious inspection before mentioning, “Your lips are blue.”
I shrugged, but I’m not sure the motion was distinguishable from my quivering shoulders. “Nothing like a dip…” I muttered, fighting with my chattering teeth, “in the middle of winter…”
He laughed and pulled me into his arms. They were heavy, reminding me of a woven blanket.
“Mmmmmmm,” I moaned and nestled into him. “How…How…did you stay…s-s-so warm…when you…went in?”
“I didn’t feel warm,” he mused. “I didn’t feel anything at all.”
“Must be n-nice.”
“Sometimes. Other times I think it might be better to feel pain. It warns you of danger, it tells you that you’re still alive, it reminds you tha…” He swallowed and forced himself to finish his thought. “It reminds you that you’re human.”
A tremor ran through his arms and chest, drawn out by the honesty of his statement.
“You s-still think y-you’re inhuman…,” I whispered against his skin.
How could anyone so beautiful, so good, be anything but?
“I know I am,” he whispered, sending a chill up my spine.
The sound of Doc, Mei and Beverly heading up the slope toward us cut our conversation short, but Harrison squeezed in an answer, one meant to divert me from my notion.
“I’m talking about the water, Kennedy.”
We both knew he wasn’t.
“W-What about the w-water?” Doc asked, stopping next to us and hunching against the cold.
I got a look at his lips and wondered if mine were the same pretty shade of blue. I’d seen eye shadow that color before but never anywhere else on a person’s face. Harrison caught it too, parlaying Doc’s question into a sense of urgency.
“It’s cold enough to be dangerous to body temperature,” Harrison said. “Let’s start walking. Maybe we’ll find a place with clothes and food for everyone.”
Our answer to his suggestion came silently as we collectively began walking again. It was just too hard to talk at that point.
Harrison kept an eye on us as we headed back to the freeway and continued east, making sure we weren’t stumbling or walking into cars. As we thawed in the sun and diverted collisions with vehicles, Harrison continued to sporadically check for working engines, slipping into five vehicles before he found a silver sedan with a quarter tank of gas. As the rest of us sat down, we simultaneously exhaled in relief. After days without a solid meal, a freezing upper torso, cramping muscles, and exhausted limbs, the walking was tough on us. Doc, Mei, and Beverly fell asleep instantly. I dozed, catching glimpses of the passing landscape. Mostly trees and grass swept by, but then there
“Annnnd she’s back,” Doc muttered.
A quiet laugh ran through the rest of us, excluding Beverly.
While we caught our breath, Harrison asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.
“I’m wondering, Beverly, how you learned to swing like that.”
She dipped her head to inspect an Infected, not bothering to look at him when she replied. “Junior Varsity Softball, back in Minnesota, before I moved to Chicago.”
Then, despite the fact that her ability had just saved her life, her ego resurfaced long enough to compel her to mutter, “That was before I developed some class and learned how to use a razor.”
The rest of us lifted our eyebrows at the comment, but Harrison ignored it. Instead, he nodded to himself, spun around to survey the bodies left in Beverly’s wake and remarked, “Well, guys, I think we’ve found her weapon of choice…”
CHAPTER 4
W E WERE SPLATTERED WITH BLOOD AND dirt, and in desperate need of clean clothes and food. Water, we had in abundance, so we used the stream Harrison found to wash himself the night before. It was frigid, forcing us to limit our washing to only our hands, arms, faces and neck. Only Beverly complained.
I was the first one out and returned alone to Harrison on the top of the sloping bank where he stood as guard. He gave me a serious inspection before mentioning, “Your lips are blue.”
I shrugged, but I’m not sure the motion was distinguishable from my quivering shoulders. “Nothing like a dip…” I muttered, fighting with my chattering teeth, “in the middle of winter…”
He laughed and pulled me into his arms. They were heavy, reminding me of a woven blanket.
“Mmmmmmm,” I moaned and nestled into him. “How…How…did you stay…s-s-so warm…when you…went in?”
“I didn’t feel warm,” he mused. “I didn’t feel anything at all.”
“Must be n-nice.”
“Sometimes. Other times I think it might be better to feel pain. It warns you of danger, it tells you that you’re still alive, it reminds you tha…” He swallowed and forced himself to finish his thought. “It reminds you that you’re human.”
A tremor ran through his arms and chest, drawn out by the honesty of his statement.
“You s-still think y-you’re inhuman…,” I whispered against his skin.
How could anyone so beautiful, so good, be anything but?
“I know I am,” he whispered, sending a chill up my spine.
The sound of Doc, Mei and Beverly heading up the slope toward us cut our conversation short, but Harrison squeezed in an answer, one meant to divert me from my notion.
“I’m talking about the water, Kennedy.”
We both knew he wasn’t.
“W-What about the w-water?” Doc asked, stopping next to us and hunching against the cold.
I got a look at his lips and wondered if mine were the same pretty shade of blue. I’d seen eye shadow that color before but never anywhere else on a person’s face. Harrison caught it too, parlaying Doc’s question into a sense of urgency.
“It’s cold enough to be dangerous to body temperature,” Harrison said. “Let’s start walking. Maybe we’ll find a place with clothes and food for everyone.”
Our answer to his suggestion came silently as we collectively began walking again. It was just too hard to talk at that point.
Harrison kept an eye on us as we headed back to the freeway and continued east, making sure we weren’t stumbling or walking into cars. As we thawed in the sun and diverted collisions with vehicles, Harrison continued to sporadically check for working engines, slipping into five vehicles before he found a silver sedan with a quarter tank of gas. As the rest of us sat down, we simultaneously exhaled in relief. After days without a solid meal, a freezing upper torso, cramping muscles, and exhausted limbs, the walking was tough on us. Doc, Mei, and Beverly fell asleep instantly. I dozed, catching glimpses of the passing landscape. Mostly trees and grass swept by, but then there
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