Read Online Until the End of the World (Book 2): And After by Sarah Lyons Fleming - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sarah Lyons Fleming
Tags: Zombie Apocalypse
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there will be five fewer Lexers in a minute. That every one counts. The Lexer I kill might have been the one who would’ve bitten Bits, or Adrian, or anyone else on the farm. We’re fairly safe there, but we have to leave—to get wood, to farm, to find supplies—and five fewer might be the difference between making it home or coming to the fence as one of them.
Ana and I situate ourselves next to each other, cleavers in hand, so they’ll come at us together. We won’t use guns unless it’s unavoidable. More noise makes more Lexers, and it can become a never-ending cycle. When they’re close enough, we split apart and move around to either side. It takes the Lexers a moment to work out what’s happened, and by then we’ve finished off one each. Cleaver in, cleaver out.
Two move toward me, one to Ana. I put the cleaver edge under the next one’s chin and shove. What would have taken all my strength last year is like a gentle push in comparison, due to all the practice I’ve had. It kills her and pushes her backward into her one remaining friend, who’s knocked to the ground. I move forward, but Adrian rams his machete through its head before I get there. He leaves it there, hilt up, and raises a hand in the air.
“You couldn’t have moved back and let us all take them?” he asks through a clenched jaw.
“We were here.” I knew we had them, no matter how shaky my hands were. “They were extra slow, did you notice?”
“No, I didn’t notice, because I was watching you do something completely idiotic.”
He stares past me into the trees, eyes flinty. I glance around to gauge everyone’s reaction, but no one else looks particularly upset. They do look interested, though.
“Can we talk about this later?” I ask in a low voice.
“Fine,” he says, but he still won’t look at me.
Ana gives me a sympathetic look when Adrian stalks off. She gets this all the time, and not only from Peter, but I never do. I stare down at the bodies in confusion, and then I get angry.
CHAPTER 15
After we’ve taken care of the Lexers and cleaned up, Adrian and I head to our room to change. He hasn’t said a word to me since the clearing. I stop in the bathroom first, and by the time I’ve made it to our room I’m ready for a fight. I walk in and hang my jacket on a hook.
“Wow, you’re actually hanging up your coat?” he asks from where he sits on the bed.
I spin around, fists clenched. “What the hell is your problem?”
“My problem is that you’re so worried about everyone’s safety, but when you have seven other people to help, you decide to take on Lexers by yourself.”
“I wasn’t by myself! Ana was there, and—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know all about you and Ana, the two-girl zombie team.”
I take a breath at his comment, which is completely unfair. He knows how I feel about all of this, how I’m nothing like Ana. “That is not what I was going to say. I was going to say that Ana was there, and I knew you all had our backs. All I had to do was move back, run, anything like that. They were slow.”
He glares at me from the edge of the bed. He’s not giving an inch. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. It’s not like I haven’t done this before, and with his blessing, not that I need it. I want to scream, but I decide to go with common sense.
“Do I ever do anything dumb, really put myself in danger?” I ask. “Even when Ana does?”
He shakes his head grudgingly, but he still doesn’t say anything.
“I have a freaking caution sign on my forehead!” I yell. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Because I fucking love you!” he yells back. “You’re not the only person who worries, you know!”
His eyes redden before he looks at his feet. I think of his mom and sister. He insists he’s fine whenever I’ve tried to bring them up, but there’s no way that’s true. All the fight leaves me. I sit beside him, lace my fingers through his and squeeze two times.
He squeezes back
Ana and I situate ourselves next to each other, cleavers in hand, so they’ll come at us together. We won’t use guns unless it’s unavoidable. More noise makes more Lexers, and it can become a never-ending cycle. When they’re close enough, we split apart and move around to either side. It takes the Lexers a moment to work out what’s happened, and by then we’ve finished off one each. Cleaver in, cleaver out.
Two move toward me, one to Ana. I put the cleaver edge under the next one’s chin and shove. What would have taken all my strength last year is like a gentle push in comparison, due to all the practice I’ve had. It kills her and pushes her backward into her one remaining friend, who’s knocked to the ground. I move forward, but Adrian rams his machete through its head before I get there. He leaves it there, hilt up, and raises a hand in the air.
“You couldn’t have moved back and let us all take them?” he asks through a clenched jaw.
“We were here.” I knew we had them, no matter how shaky my hands were. “They were extra slow, did you notice?”
“No, I didn’t notice, because I was watching you do something completely idiotic.”
He stares past me into the trees, eyes flinty. I glance around to gauge everyone’s reaction, but no one else looks particularly upset. They do look interested, though.
“Can we talk about this later?” I ask in a low voice.
“Fine,” he says, but he still won’t look at me.
Ana gives me a sympathetic look when Adrian stalks off. She gets this all the time, and not only from Peter, but I never do. I stare down at the bodies in confusion, and then I get angry.
CHAPTER 15
After we’ve taken care of the Lexers and cleaned up, Adrian and I head to our room to change. He hasn’t said a word to me since the clearing. I stop in the bathroom first, and by the time I’ve made it to our room I’m ready for a fight. I walk in and hang my jacket on a hook.
“Wow, you’re actually hanging up your coat?” he asks from where he sits on the bed.
I spin around, fists clenched. “What the hell is your problem?”
“My problem is that you’re so worried about everyone’s safety, but when you have seven other people to help, you decide to take on Lexers by yourself.”
“I wasn’t by myself! Ana was there, and—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know all about you and Ana, the two-girl zombie team.”
I take a breath at his comment, which is completely unfair. He knows how I feel about all of this, how I’m nothing like Ana. “That is not what I was going to say. I was going to say that Ana was there, and I knew you all had our backs. All I had to do was move back, run, anything like that. They were slow.”
He glares at me from the edge of the bed. He’s not giving an inch. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. It’s not like I haven’t done this before, and with his blessing, not that I need it. I want to scream, but I decide to go with common sense.
“Do I ever do anything dumb, really put myself in danger?” I ask. “Even when Ana does?”
He shakes his head grudgingly, but he still doesn’t say anything.
“I have a freaking caution sign on my forehead!” I yell. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Because I fucking love you!” he yells back. “You’re not the only person who worries, you know!”
His eyes redden before he looks at his feet. I think of his mom and sister. He insists he’s fine whenever I’ve tried to bring them up, but there’s no way that’s true. All the fight leaves me. I sit beside him, lace my fingers through his and squeeze two times.
He squeezes back
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