Read Online Thicker than Blood by Madeline Sheehan - Free Book Online Page B

skeletons, fallen trees, and debris. There
was no sign of any infected for miles, but even after several hours
had passed, I found myself still longing to kill more of them. That
last encounter had lit a fire in me, and I found myself itching to
sink a bullet or a blade into another, and end it.
    He’d kissed me good-bye.
    My breath snagged in my throat, Jami’s face
coming to the forefront of my mind. Leisel squeezed my hand, and
startled, I glanced at her, giving her a reassuring smile.
    “Are you hungry?” I asked her. “You need to
eat. No point starving yourself, you’ll get weak.”
    “There’s some food in the bag, but it’s not
much,” Alex said, not bothering to take his eyes off the road.
    Climbing over Leisel’s knees, I found Alex’s
backpack wedged behind the bench seat. There was some bread and
fruit, apples and berries mostly, and some meat. I scowled at the
meager supplies, knowing we needed to ration our food and water;
this wasn’t going to last us more than a day, two at most.
    “How did you get the meat?” I asked Alex.
    Meat was a rarity. In Fredericksville, only
once a month would there be a culling of our livestock. The
majority of it was cured so that it lasted longer. But this meat
was fresh, and still unsalted.
    “I stole it,” Alex said, his voice as blank
as his expression.
    I nodded once, my mouth flattening into a
thin, determined line as I began to divide the food between us,
giving us equal amounts of meat, bread, and fruit. Alex ate while
he drove, one hand never leaving the wheel, while Leisel picked at
hers for a long while before falling back to sleep.
    “How you doing?” Alex asked quietly, glancing
at me.
    “Fine, you?” I retorted cockily.
    I could tell he thought I was just a
feeble woman, that I’d break down anytime and soon
he’ d have to care for
two broken women. But I wouldn’t break down. I had to be strong for
Leisel, and that thought gave me enough strength to keep my tears
at bay.
    A small smile curved his lips. “Pass me the
water,” was his only reply.
    We slipped back into silence, the low hum
of the engine lulling me, making me drowsy. I was just on the edge
of sleep, about to slip over into oblivion, when Alex called my
name. I was instantly alert, sitting up straight in my seat and
searching for threats, only to find Alex pointing to an upturned
car in the middle of the road up ahead, blocking our path. Heavy
steel guardrails boxed us in on either side, leaving us little
choice but to somehow move the vehicle.
    Leisel was still sound asleep, and I decided
to leave her be. She needed her rest, a chance to calm and gather
her thoughts, find a way to accept everything that had happened
over the past several days, and hopefully wake up ready for this
new world.
    After Alex pulled the truck to a stop, I
followed him out to the road, tightly gripping my gun as I scanned
the area for any infected. When we didn’t find any signs of others,
living or dead, we proceeded toward the car. It was little more
than a rusted-out shell, with bits and pieces of mangled metal
strewn across the road.
    As we drew closer, we noticed something
odd, some sort of movement coming from within. We got closer to the
vehicle, squatting down on our heels to look inside, only to find
the driver of the vehicle, or what was left of him, was still
seated behind the wheel, pinned in place by the broken steering
column. Hearing us, it turned toward us, its jaw snapping, a raspy
hungry noise erupting from its decaying throat.
    I raised my gun, ready to shoot it and put it
out of its misery, but Alex placed a hand on my arm, stopping
me.
    “We need to save our bullets,” he said, and
handed me a knife. “Straight through the head. He’s an old one,
should be soft.”
    I knew why he wanted me to do it, instead
of him. He was testing me, determining whether I would be of any
use to him out here. Taking the knife from him, I purposefully
stalked closer to the car. As I reached the