Read Online Undead Ultra (A Zombie Novel) by Camille Picott - Free Book Online Page A

Kyle’s favorite, a filmy blue-and-brown maxi I’d picked up at a thrift store. I wore it on our first date.
    It seemed like the right thing to wear today. Like maybe my choice of clothing could influence the result of the pregnancy test. It was a stupid thought, but wearing it made me feel less afraid. I needed to feel less afraid. I needed—
    My eyes jerked, gaze drawn to the white plastic stick balanced on the toilet paper dispenser.
    A bright-pink plus sign blazed up at me.
    I burst into tears, staring in horror.
    I’m only nineteen , I thought. I’m only nineteen. The sentence repeated itself over and over in my head.
    This was not how my life was supposed to go. I was supposed to transfer to UCLA, get a master’s in psychology, and make a career for myself.
    I hauled myself out of the bathroom stall, wiping my nose and forcing the tears away. I did my best to fix my makeup in the mirror. With puffy red eyes and smeared mascara, I looked like hell. Not even Kyle’s favorite skirt could make me look any less a mess.
    Screw it , I thought, glumly exiting the bathroom.
    Kyle waited anxiously for me just outside, two uneaten Big Macs on a tray in front of him. We’d met six months ago in a speech and debate class at the local junior college. Since then, we’d barely left each other’s side.
    Kyle’s eyes were wide with anxiety. He wore loose blue jeans and a plain blue T-shirt that matched his eyes. He was tall and lanky, with a kindness that ran down to his core. Even in my current state, my heart swelled at the sight of him.
    His mouth opened to form a question, but no words came out. Silence hung between us as I stared at him with my swollen eyes. I saw the silent confirmation of my pregnancy hit him: a fleeting expression of terror passed over his face.
    Then he closed his mouth, stood up, and wrapped me in a hug. I burst into tears all over again.
    I sobbed uncontrollably, grateful that it was a Wednesday and the McDonald’s was virtually deserted. Kyle rocked me, his arms never wavering in their grip. His embrace made the angles of the world seem less sharp. I clung to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I wanted him to hold me forever.
    I don’t know how long we stood like that. At some point, Kyle peeled himself away. Despair filled me as space opened up between us. He was going to break up with me now. I just knew it. That’s what the tears on his cheeks had to mean. He was going to break up with me. I cried harder.
    When he dropped to one knee in front of me, I stared at him in complete confusion.
    “Will you marry me, Kate?” he asked softly.
    “Don’t be an idiot,” I said harshly, confusion and disbelief churning in my stomach. “You don’t want to marry me.” Did he?
    “Yeah, I do,” he replied. His blue-eyed gaze was steady. “I love you, Kate.”
    You don’t get any more unromantic than that: knocked up and proposed to in a McDonald’s, two uneaten Big Macs our only witnesses. I said yes to the tall, sweet, awkward boy I loved, even though every part of me was terrified.
     
    *
     
    God how I miss him. I miss the good times, the bad times, and everything in between. I miss the sense of completeness we had when we were together. I spend too many days feeling like half my heart is missing. I’d give anything to argue with Kyle one last time or to cook his favorite dinner.
    “What do you think?”
    Frederico’s voice pulls me back into the present. I carefully fold up my memories of Kyle and tuck them away. Now is not the time to be distracted.
    I refocus on the scene below us, taking a long, hard look as I consider Frederico’s question. “It looks safe,” I say. Maybe, just maybe, the whole world hasn’t gone to hell. Maybe it’s just Healdsburg and Portland. I dare to let myself hope. “I think we should go into Safeway and stock up on food.”
    “What do you think about trying to get a car?”
    I shift, uncertain. “Let’s focus on food first.”
    We jog down the