Read Online The Truth is Contagious (The Contagium Series Book 4) by Emily Goodwin - Free Book Online Page A

surveying the
land. “Do you feel like we’re being watched?”
    Hayden looked up at me. “Not really, but I’m
a little distracted.”
    I wrinkled my nose at the unease and scanned
the forest behind Hayden. The feeling of eyes pressed into me. Were
there more zombies?
    “Almost free?” I asked.
    “Give me a second, will you?”
    I didn’t mean to come across as impatient. I
just didn’t like Hayden being stuck while I felt so watched .
I picked up the bow and strung an arrow just in case.
    “Almost got it,” Hayden said. His ankle was
up to the boards now.
    “Good because—” I cut off when something
moved through the forest. Hayden looked up at me, reading my eyes.
My heart began to beat faster. I raised the bow, holding the arrow
back. I let out a breath to steady my aim.
    Something moved—fast. It was just a blur of
white and light blue through the leaves.
    “Hayden,” I whispered. “Get out now.”
     
    * * *
     
    I could hear my heart beating in my ears. The
string groaned when I turned my body ever so slightly, wanting to
be released. I swallowed. Something else raced through the
trees.
    Suddenly, a little girl wearing a white and
blue sweater stepped out of the foliage. She came to a halt, eyeing
me. I lowered my bow when I saw the gun in her hands.
    “Hey,” I called to her. “It’s ok. We’re not
infected.”
    Another person appeared behind her. He put
his hand on her shoulder and stared at me. Behind them, leaves
rattled and branches shook as at least a dozen more people emerged
into the weeds.
    “Hey,” I called again to the group. But no
one responded. The little girl tipped her head. Something was
wrong…very wrong. “Hayden. We need to go. Like yesterday.”
    I ran my eyes over the group that stood
across the river. They were dirty and ragged, that was for sure,
but who wouldn’t be? Almost all of them carried some sort of weapon
from the gun to a metal rake. But they had no packs, no bags, or
supplies. Half were dressed for much cooler days. And half had
blood smeared across their faces.
    Nerves tingled along my spine. Fuck.
    “Hayden, they’re crazies.” I swallowed hard.
The little girl raised the gun. “Hayden!” I raised the bow and let
the arrow go. The string snapped back, flicking the exposed skin on
my wrist.
    The arrow lodged in the girl’s chest. The gun
flew from her hands. She stumbled back and fell. The man next to
her looked down, confused at what had happened. He wrapped his
fingers around the arrow and pulled. The girl’s body came up with
it. Her head flopped back, dead eyes open and her arms hanging
loosely at her sides. He put his foot on her stomach to hold her
down and pulled again.
    The arrow cracked her sternum as the
broadhead point was brought up. Fresh blood dripped onto her body
as he raised it to his face. He sniffed it then snarled, turning
around to his fellow crazies. Then he raised the arrow and
growled.
    “Hayden!” I yelled when they charged forward.
I reached behind me and pulled another arrow from the quiver,
shooting the nearest crazy in the head. “Hayden, now!”
    His hazel eyes were wide. He turned around,
taking in the horrifying sight of the herd of crazies. Then he
pulled his foot free and grabbed the gun.
    “There’s too many!” he shouted to me as I
grabbed another arrow. He was right, and I couldn’t retrieve my
ammo like I usually did and I couldn’t guarantee hitting—and
killing—every one of them with one shot. Those fuckers were moving
fast. He grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. We took off, racing
down a grassy path.
    I stole a glance behind me. The crazies were
having a difficult time with the bridge and the water. I slowed,
watching. One chose to bypass it all together and waded through the
knee-deep water.
    Shit.
    I tightened my grip on the bow and pressed
on. Dried grass crunched under our boots. An old building loomed
ahead. Its roof was caved in from the weight of wet leaves and moss
grew up along the