Read Online State of Decay (Omnibus (Parts 1-4)) by Peggy Martinez - Free Book Online Page A

was. I seriously stunk. His eyes widened and it was my turn to smirk. “I saw the picture on your desk.” I mentioned by way of explanation. He was the same man in dress blues I’d seen earlier … but he looked like he had aged ten years instead of two. The major’s smile vanished and his eyes frosted over. I knew that look … I’d felt the emotion behind it as well. The look of heartache and loss. I met his eyes and nodded my head once, my eyes mirroring his own burning gaze. He nodded back stiffly and cleared his throat.
    “Jude,” he barked. Jude stiffened next to me. “Take our guest to one of the empty rooms and show her where she can go to get cleaned up,” he ordered as he turned around, dismissing me.
    “I have questions, Major” I interjected, my hand clenched at my side. Who cared about getting clean, when these people might be able to answer some of my questions? He paused and turned to answer.
    “I’m sure you do, but they can wait a few more hours … besides, you smell like you’ve been rolling around in zombie guts,” he grimaced. Jude chuckled before the Major and I both gave him a death stare. I was clenching my jaw so hard it began to ache.
    “Fine,” I muttered. The Major nodded and turned on his heel. I glanced over at Jude and put my hands on my hips. He returned my stare with a smirk and I made my personal mission to knock that smirk off of his face just one time.
    “Follow me,” he said stiffly as he turned on his heel and began walking briskly across the room. I took a moment to take in my surroundings before I followed. The common room was large and there were probably twenty people milling about doing various tasks. Some looked like officials or military personnel and a few looked like civilians. The room had several hallways leading off of it … one in the direction the Major had went, one that Jude had taken, which I could only assume led to sleeping quarters, and one leading off a different direction. I had to jog to catch up to Jude.
    I glanced at Jude from the corner of my eye as we walked quickly down a long corridor. His jaw was clenched and his eyes hooded as he led me along to my room. He looked angry … maybe he was upset he’d gotten the babysitting gig. I smiled at that. The jackass deserved so much worse. We rounded a corner and he stopped outside of a door at the very end of the hallway. He opened the door and motioned for me to go inside. I walked into the room and turned around in a circle. The room was sparsely furnished with a cot for a bed and a single chest of drawers. A small table and chair acted as a desk area and there was one tiny closet. It looked like the Ritz Carlton in my eyes.
    Alright, let me show you where you can shower and then I’ll get out of here. I barely picked my jaw up off of the floor at the promise of a shower and Jude was striding down the hall and around the corner. I barely registered the number of my room—107—before I had to run to catch up with him.
    The shower area was just as glorious as the room. I stood in the doorway staring at the showers afraid to move and break the illusion. Jude snorted and pushed past me to open a closet at the end of the room where rows of identical pants and tops hung. Towels were also stacked on the top shelf.
    “Just leave your clothes next to the door and someone will pick them up for you.” And just like that, he was gone. I smiled as I ran over to the closet. I swear to god, it felt like I was staring at clearance rack at the mall—heaven. I grabbed a soft v-neck tee shirt and a pair of pants that resembled yoga pants … with wide legs and a drawstring wait, but they were made of a sturdier material, and inhaled the scent of them through my nostrils. They even smelled fresh and clean. Like a bullet out of a gun, I yanked off my filthy clothes and made a run for the shower stall. I wouldn’t have cared if twenty people were watching, or if I had to shower with others … I was not going