Read Online The Dead Saga (Book 3): Odium III by Claire C. Riley - Free Book Online
Authors: Claire C. Riley
Tags: Zombies
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some dry clothes. She was barely coherent enough to tell us what the hell had happened. What little teeth she had left chattered so painfully that I wondered if they would smash.
Nova leaned back in her chair and lit a cigarette, slowly blowing smoke rings up toward the ceiling and humming something unfamiliar. I was tired, and felt nowhere closer to finding this Hilary woman and her husband or discovering their fate. It bothered me, the not knowing. This world was full of so many uncertainties, so many undiscovered evils that I needed to know the answer—for both my own sanity and to hopefully save Jessica.
It was hard to trust in anything or anyone when all you saw was the bad in the world. And right then all I saw was bad. I really needed a win for my team soon.
I threw my second empty packet to the side and leaned back in my own chair, closing my eyes and trying to let my body relax for five minutes. I wanted to sleep. Scratch that, I needed to sleep. It had been a stressful couple of days—hell, it had been a stressful couple of years . My thoughts felt wild, whirring around in my head and making my headache even worse. What I wouldn’t do for some painkillers right now , I thought miserably. There were so many things to think about, so many possibilities and outcomes for Hilary, for the people back at the base like Jessica, and Nova and me.
Nova was humming louder, and I wondered if at any moment she’d break out into song. It wouldn’t surprise me; nothing surprised me about that woman. She was entirely unpredictable, and most of the time amazingly uncomplicated—just the sort of person I needed in my life. Since what had happened with Rachael she had been different—more melancholy than was usual for her—but the further away from base we got, the more of herself I could see coming back. As if putting distance between herself and the place she’d killed Rachael was bringing her back to life. I had also noticed how much she clung to me now, seeing me as some sort of anchor for her, and I wondered if that was what Rachael had been to her…before she had to kill her, anyway.
Almost as predicted, Nova started to sing—quietly at first, eventually building into a full crescendo of out-of-tune warbling.
“Kill me now!” I yelled, covering my ears.
I heard Nova snicker but that didn’t stop her from singing. In fact, I was almost certain that she got louder.
“Are you doing that on purpose?” I scowled, opening my eyes back up.
She grinned at me knowingly, right before her expression darkened and she quit with the show tunes. “Do you really think she could be alive? Hilary?”
I rolled my eyes, not wanting to answer that question. Did I think she could be alive? No. Did I think that the unborn child growing inside her could be the cure for everything? Hell no. In fact, I’d be surprised if there was anything inside her. Because surely her body would have just rejected the fetus. Fetus? Could it really be called a fetus? Surely “abomination” was more accurate a description.
“I don’t know, Nova.” I shrugged.
“None of us do, but what do you think ?” she pressed.
“What do you think?” I retorted, throwing the ball back in her court. I didn’t really want to tell her my dark thoughts. She seemed to need this, need the hope that this woman and child could possibly save the world from extinction. And didn’t we all? But I didn’t believe it.
“I think so,” she said with a soft smile that made her look younger than she was. “I think the baby is okay, and it could help cure everyone—or at least prevent it from happening to anyone else.”
Like a child still believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy, she was holding onto those hopes and dreams, and for once I didn’t want to be the bitch that ruined it for her—to crush that dream with my own narcissistic yet wholly accurate reality. What would be the point in delivering the painful and brutal blow that I thought the
Nova leaned back in her chair and lit a cigarette, slowly blowing smoke rings up toward the ceiling and humming something unfamiliar. I was tired, and felt nowhere closer to finding this Hilary woman and her husband or discovering their fate. It bothered me, the not knowing. This world was full of so many uncertainties, so many undiscovered evils that I needed to know the answer—for both my own sanity and to hopefully save Jessica.
It was hard to trust in anything or anyone when all you saw was the bad in the world. And right then all I saw was bad. I really needed a win for my team soon.
I threw my second empty packet to the side and leaned back in my own chair, closing my eyes and trying to let my body relax for five minutes. I wanted to sleep. Scratch that, I needed to sleep. It had been a stressful couple of days—hell, it had been a stressful couple of years . My thoughts felt wild, whirring around in my head and making my headache even worse. What I wouldn’t do for some painkillers right now , I thought miserably. There were so many things to think about, so many possibilities and outcomes for Hilary, for the people back at the base like Jessica, and Nova and me.
Nova was humming louder, and I wondered if at any moment she’d break out into song. It wouldn’t surprise me; nothing surprised me about that woman. She was entirely unpredictable, and most of the time amazingly uncomplicated—just the sort of person I needed in my life. Since what had happened with Rachael she had been different—more melancholy than was usual for her—but the further away from base we got, the more of herself I could see coming back. As if putting distance between herself and the place she’d killed Rachael was bringing her back to life. I had also noticed how much she clung to me now, seeing me as some sort of anchor for her, and I wondered if that was what Rachael had been to her…before she had to kill her, anyway.
Almost as predicted, Nova started to sing—quietly at first, eventually building into a full crescendo of out-of-tune warbling.
“Kill me now!” I yelled, covering my ears.
I heard Nova snicker but that didn’t stop her from singing. In fact, I was almost certain that she got louder.
“Are you doing that on purpose?” I scowled, opening my eyes back up.
She grinned at me knowingly, right before her expression darkened and she quit with the show tunes. “Do you really think she could be alive? Hilary?”
I rolled my eyes, not wanting to answer that question. Did I think she could be alive? No. Did I think that the unborn child growing inside her could be the cure for everything? Hell no. In fact, I’d be surprised if there was anything inside her. Because surely her body would have just rejected the fetus. Fetus? Could it really be called a fetus? Surely “abomination” was more accurate a description.
“I don’t know, Nova.” I shrugged.
“None of us do, but what do you think ?” she pressed.
“What do you think?” I retorted, throwing the ball back in her court. I didn’t really want to tell her my dark thoughts. She seemed to need this, need the hope that this woman and child could possibly save the world from extinction. And didn’t we all? But I didn’t believe it.
“I think so,” she said with a soft smile that made her look younger than she was. “I think the baby is okay, and it could help cure everyone—or at least prevent it from happening to anyone else.”
Like a child still believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy, she was holding onto those hopes and dreams, and for once I didn’t want to be the bitch that ruined it for her—to crush that dream with my own narcissistic yet wholly accurate reality. What would be the point in delivering the painful and brutal blow that I thought the
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