Read Online The Zombie Chronicles - Book 5 - Undead Nightmare (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) by Chrissy Peebles - Free Book Online
Authors: Chrissy Peebles
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You’re still pretty banged up,” I said, nodding toward the bandage on his injured shoulder.
“Naw, I’m good. God gave me two of ‘em, and my other shoulder’s fine, man.”
I gripped his arm. “Lucas, I know you think you’re invincible, but you’ve got an infection. I’m taking that bag, whether you like it or not.”
“I appreciate that,” he said, taking his bag back, “but I can handle it.”
I shrugged, realizing he was not going to be outmanned. “Fine, but if it gets too heavy or—”
“It won’t,” he said with a grin, then walked off.
“Move ‘em out, people,” Nick barked, sounding like the military officers who’d trained him, and we were off into the woods behind him, ready to face another treacherous journey.
Chapter 6
We snaked through the forest of towering trees, winding through the labyrinth of fallen logs and hedges and underbrush. As we marched along, my shoes squished in the soft, spongy earth. Shafts of sunlight penetrated the thick canopy over our heads, and I stared at the feathery shadows on the ground. My thoughts threatened to consume me, but when Jackie caught my gaze and smiled, I returned the grin.
Suddenly, her smile faded, and her expression grew more serious. “Hear that?”
I whipped my head around and listened intently, catching the sound that had her so unsettled: wild footsteps crunching through the forest. Shivers ran down my spine, and we exchanged worried glances.
Jackie stiffened and spun around. She swept an uneasy glance around the trees, her senses on full alert. Everyone else began to hear it too. With his eyebrows raised, Nick stared at the direction of the sound. Asia looked through the scope of her rifle, aiming at the area of the disturbance.
I wrapped my fingers tightly around the bat, ready to hit a grand slam with the head of any undead freak who got in my way. Just as Nick moved a few towering weeds aside, a chill shot up my spine. It was suddenly eerily quiet, except for the sound of several of us taking calming, deep breaths.
In a blur, something broke through the vegetation in a sprint. The deer staggered toward us and crashed to the ground. When I looked closer, I could see blood flowing from a gaping wound on the animal’s furry head and neck, and a second later, the doe closed her big brown eyes and stopped moving. I looked her over and saw that her stomach was ripped open; she’d practically been gutted. I cleared my throat and swallowed to try to ease the dryness, but even that didn’t help. I felt so horrible for the deer and even worse for us.
“ Oh my gosh!” Jackie said. “What happened to her?”
“ Definitely not deer hunters,” Asia added. “Some thing killed it, and it wasn’t a bullet or arrow.”
Lucas rushed over to the still-warm animal and studied it. “Zombie bite!”
“ That means they’re close by,” Nick said, gripping his axe. “Nobody say a word.” He peered into the forest, squinting his eyes and listening for anything that might be following us.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. I pushed branches aside, took another step into the dense vegetation, and then straightened to listen. “I don’t see anything,” I whispered.
“Are you sure?” Jackie asked.
I narrowed my gaze, and my lips pressed into a grim line. “It’s hard to tell, but it seems quiet.”
“Maybe too quiet,” Asia said, still looking around through her high-powered scope.
“ I don’t see anything either,” Jackie said, then sucked in a deep breath.
I stood behind her and tried to rub the hard, tense knots out of her shoulders. As I did, I glanced around, scanning the landscape around me one last time, and again I saw nothing.
“We can’t just stand here,” Nick said. “Let’s keep moving, but everybody stay on alert.”
We inched along, constantly looking around us and over our shoulders. After a while, we hoped we’d lost them, but those hopes were quickly dashed when we heard garbled, low
“Naw, I’m good. God gave me two of ‘em, and my other shoulder’s fine, man.”
I gripped his arm. “Lucas, I know you think you’re invincible, but you’ve got an infection. I’m taking that bag, whether you like it or not.”
“I appreciate that,” he said, taking his bag back, “but I can handle it.”
I shrugged, realizing he was not going to be outmanned. “Fine, but if it gets too heavy or—”
“It won’t,” he said with a grin, then walked off.
“Move ‘em out, people,” Nick barked, sounding like the military officers who’d trained him, and we were off into the woods behind him, ready to face another treacherous journey.
Chapter 6
We snaked through the forest of towering trees, winding through the labyrinth of fallen logs and hedges and underbrush. As we marched along, my shoes squished in the soft, spongy earth. Shafts of sunlight penetrated the thick canopy over our heads, and I stared at the feathery shadows on the ground. My thoughts threatened to consume me, but when Jackie caught my gaze and smiled, I returned the grin.
Suddenly, her smile faded, and her expression grew more serious. “Hear that?”
I whipped my head around and listened intently, catching the sound that had her so unsettled: wild footsteps crunching through the forest. Shivers ran down my spine, and we exchanged worried glances.
Jackie stiffened and spun around. She swept an uneasy glance around the trees, her senses on full alert. Everyone else began to hear it too. With his eyebrows raised, Nick stared at the direction of the sound. Asia looked through the scope of her rifle, aiming at the area of the disturbance.
I wrapped my fingers tightly around the bat, ready to hit a grand slam with the head of any undead freak who got in my way. Just as Nick moved a few towering weeds aside, a chill shot up my spine. It was suddenly eerily quiet, except for the sound of several of us taking calming, deep breaths.
In a blur, something broke through the vegetation in a sprint. The deer staggered toward us and crashed to the ground. When I looked closer, I could see blood flowing from a gaping wound on the animal’s furry head and neck, and a second later, the doe closed her big brown eyes and stopped moving. I looked her over and saw that her stomach was ripped open; she’d practically been gutted. I cleared my throat and swallowed to try to ease the dryness, but even that didn’t help. I felt so horrible for the deer and even worse for us.
“ Oh my gosh!” Jackie said. “What happened to her?”
“ Definitely not deer hunters,” Asia added. “Some thing killed it, and it wasn’t a bullet or arrow.”
Lucas rushed over to the still-warm animal and studied it. “Zombie bite!”
“ That means they’re close by,” Nick said, gripping his axe. “Nobody say a word.” He peered into the forest, squinting his eyes and listening for anything that might be following us.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. I pushed branches aside, took another step into the dense vegetation, and then straightened to listen. “I don’t see anything,” I whispered.
“Are you sure?” Jackie asked.
I narrowed my gaze, and my lips pressed into a grim line. “It’s hard to tell, but it seems quiet.”
“Maybe too quiet,” Asia said, still looking around through her high-powered scope.
“ I don’t see anything either,” Jackie said, then sucked in a deep breath.
I stood behind her and tried to rub the hard, tense knots out of her shoulders. As I did, I glanced around, scanning the landscape around me one last time, and again I saw nothing.
“We can’t just stand here,” Nick said. “Let’s keep moving, but everybody stay on alert.”
We inched along, constantly looking around us and over our shoulders. After a while, we hoped we’d lost them, but those hopes were quickly dashed when we heard garbled, low
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