Read Online The Dead Saga (Book 3): Odium III by Claire C. Riley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Claire C. Riley
Tags: Zombies
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whole trip was pointless?
Nova stared at me, waiting for my usual nasty snipe or gloating comeback, but I gave her neither. She grinned and then began to laugh, a low chuckle in the back of her throat that got louder and louder until small laughter tears formed in her eyes. I wanted to ask her what was so funny, but truthfully I knew it was because she saw me, she saw my lie in my silence. She shook her head, gave another grin to me and stubbed out her cigarette before standing up with a stretch.
“I’ll do first watch” was all she said as she backed out of the tent, leaving me staring after her, dumbfounded.
She had known my thoughts without me even voicing them, and I was left feeling like the asshole once more. I looked over at Crazy Pants, seeing that her lids were half open with her eyes rolled back. Her mouth, however, was wide open with a thin trail of saliva trailing out of the corner of it. She was snoring, a choky, phlegmy sort of snore that made me gag and look away. I closed my eyes and let my head fall backwards as I yawned, but the knowledge that she was sleeping with her eyes partially open and staring right at me was enough to keep me awake.
I looked back at her, seeing that she hadn’t moved, and once more tried to close my eyes and get some sleep. I was exhausted, my body worn down and aching from the trials of life and my stupid cold, but there was no chance of me sleeping right then. I opened my eyes again with a scowl and saw that Crazy Pants was now sitting up with a huge grin on her face, the dribble still trailing down her chin like a fat slug sliding down some lettuce. I yelped out a surprised scream and she cackled loudly, rocking back on her heels and clapping her hands.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I said loudly, jumping up.
“There’s nothing wrong with me—nothing a good strong man couldn’t put right,” she whooped gleefully. “Am I right?”
“A man?” I asked with a confused frown.
When she licked her lips, a telltale sparkle to her eyes, I grimaced.
“Oh my God, that’s so gross,” I said, feeling queasy.
Nova came back into the tent and looked across at me. “What’s gross?”
I jerked a thumb across to Crazy Pants, and Nova followed my gaze. “Heeeeey, Crazy Pants, you’re awake!” she said joyfully. “You know you have a little dribble.” She pointed to her chin, her smile still in place as if it were perfectly normal to have a dribble trail down your chin. “It’s dead out there, nothing moving,” she said to me.
Nova sat back down in her chair and poured us all another hot brown drink. I want to say it was coffee, but it was too weak to be coffee, no matter how much Nova tried to convince me that it was, so let’s just stick with “hot brown drink.”
“So, how are you feeling after some rest? Do you want something to eat?” Nova handed out the drinks, directing her questions to Crazy Pants.
“I would love something to eat, and my name’s Joan, not Crazy Pants.” She smiled fondly at Nova while I slowly took my seat again. “I was just telling this one,” she said, pointing in my direction, “that there isn’t anything better than a good, strong man to make you feel right as rain, am I right?” She cackled and took a slurp of her hot drink.
Nova snorted out a laugh. “Firstly, quit with the cackling or me and you cannot be friends anymore. Seriously, that shit is creepy. And secondly, you are completely right on the man front, though it’s hard to find one that isn’t rotting and falling apart these days.” She laughed and slapped her thigh like it was the funniest shit ever, and I rolled my eyes.
Joan laughed with her, all traces of her cackling days long gone, and even I couldn’t help but grin and shake my head in amusement. What? Laughter was infectious. Nova really did bring the best out in people, and I was glad once again that we decided to do this trip together. I say “trip,” but what I really mean is
Nova stared at me, waiting for my usual nasty snipe or gloating comeback, but I gave her neither. She grinned and then began to laugh, a low chuckle in the back of her throat that got louder and louder until small laughter tears formed in her eyes. I wanted to ask her what was so funny, but truthfully I knew it was because she saw me, she saw my lie in my silence. She shook her head, gave another grin to me and stubbed out her cigarette before standing up with a stretch.
“I’ll do first watch” was all she said as she backed out of the tent, leaving me staring after her, dumbfounded.
She had known my thoughts without me even voicing them, and I was left feeling like the asshole once more. I looked over at Crazy Pants, seeing that her lids were half open with her eyes rolled back. Her mouth, however, was wide open with a thin trail of saliva trailing out of the corner of it. She was snoring, a choky, phlegmy sort of snore that made me gag and look away. I closed my eyes and let my head fall backwards as I yawned, but the knowledge that she was sleeping with her eyes partially open and staring right at me was enough to keep me awake.
I looked back at her, seeing that she hadn’t moved, and once more tried to close my eyes and get some sleep. I was exhausted, my body worn down and aching from the trials of life and my stupid cold, but there was no chance of me sleeping right then. I opened my eyes again with a scowl and saw that Crazy Pants was now sitting up with a huge grin on her face, the dribble still trailing down her chin like a fat slug sliding down some lettuce. I yelped out a surprised scream and she cackled loudly, rocking back on her heels and clapping her hands.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I said loudly, jumping up.
“There’s nothing wrong with me—nothing a good strong man couldn’t put right,” she whooped gleefully. “Am I right?”
“A man?” I asked with a confused frown.
When she licked her lips, a telltale sparkle to her eyes, I grimaced.
“Oh my God, that’s so gross,” I said, feeling queasy.
Nova came back into the tent and looked across at me. “What’s gross?”
I jerked a thumb across to Crazy Pants, and Nova followed my gaze. “Heeeeey, Crazy Pants, you’re awake!” she said joyfully. “You know you have a little dribble.” She pointed to her chin, her smile still in place as if it were perfectly normal to have a dribble trail down your chin. “It’s dead out there, nothing moving,” she said to me.
Nova sat back down in her chair and poured us all another hot brown drink. I want to say it was coffee, but it was too weak to be coffee, no matter how much Nova tried to convince me that it was, so let’s just stick with “hot brown drink.”
“So, how are you feeling after some rest? Do you want something to eat?” Nova handed out the drinks, directing her questions to Crazy Pants.
“I would love something to eat, and my name’s Joan, not Crazy Pants.” She smiled fondly at Nova while I slowly took my seat again. “I was just telling this one,” she said, pointing in my direction, “that there isn’t anything better than a good, strong man to make you feel right as rain, am I right?” She cackled and took a slurp of her hot drink.
Nova snorted out a laugh. “Firstly, quit with the cackling or me and you cannot be friends anymore. Seriously, that shit is creepy. And secondly, you are completely right on the man front, though it’s hard to find one that isn’t rotting and falling apart these days.” She laughed and slapped her thigh like it was the funniest shit ever, and I rolled my eyes.
Joan laughed with her, all traces of her cackling days long gone, and even I couldn’t help but grin and shake my head in amusement. What? Laughter was infectious. Nova really did bring the best out in people, and I was glad once again that we decided to do this trip together. I say “trip,” but what I really mean is
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