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Special Chapter 5
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75 Days Special Chapter 6
Ryder pulls over to the side of the road a few hours later, cutting the engine. He flexes his fingers and winces at the stiffness in them. Hopping out of the truck's cab, I stretch my legs for the first time since we left, feeling the strength slowly return to them. We've been following Interstate 29 since we left at dawn, and we're just outside the South Dakota border, which is quite the journey.The others get out of the vehicles, stretching their tired and aching limbs while we have the chance. Madison catches my eye and nods as she arches her back until it cracks. With a contented sigh, she walks over. "I'm getting hungry. We should use this quick stop as a lunch break, too. We might not get a spot like this to stop in again."I nod in agreement, eyeing the area around us. Ryder's expertly chosen our location, choosing a spot that's easy for us to defend. We leave the highway and walk for twenty yards, coming to the top of a small, grassy hill that overlooks the highway and the su
75 Days Special Chapter 7
I slide down from the rooftop and hop down into Ryder's outstretched arms. He catches me effortlessly, like I weigh next to nothing, like he hadn't been previously wounded and left almost helpless. He looks down at me, eyes full of worry. "Are you hurt?""No," I say breathlessly. "I'm okay for now, and so are those kids." He sets me down and I feel strength start to return to my legs, my earlier fear almost forgotten. "I can't believe there are still children left alive. I thought for sure they would all be long dead by now."We watch the two boys, who may actually be brothers now that I get a better look at them. They're comforting each other, checking to make sure they're both unharmed. We turn our attention to the strange girl who came out of nowhere. She's busy staring at us, clearly sizing us up and determining whether or not we're a threat to her and the boys in her care.Finally, after a very tense minute that has Reese and Aaron shifting nervously, she walks over to us. She st
75 Days Special Chapter 8
Out of the corner of my eyes, I notice Ryder and Aaron suddenly go tense. Tuyen catches our behavior as well and smiles. "Don't worry, I have to keep this area locked up because the kids like to try and get in here to snack. If I let them take what they want, we'd run out of food for sure. So I always lock it. Nothing to be worried about."She sounds honest and sincere, but there's no telling if she's trustworthy or not. You can't be too careful these days. There might be madness lurking beneath that sincere face, and it might be too late to take caution."Stay close to me," Ryder whispers, his breath hot on my ear from how close he is. He makes sure his words don't carry-they're for my ears and my ears alone. And I take them to heart.I sidle closer to Ryder, feeling my arm brush against his. I take comfort in the warmth and closeness he offers. My hand drifts down until it's resting against the grip of my gun, and I notice the others move their weapons closer so they're ready to use
75 Days Special Chapter 9
"You'd let complete stranger in?" Aaron asks, as if he can't believe she would be stupid enough to do that. "Aren't you worried about what they might do? To you or your kids?" "Of course I am!" she snaps. "But we won't make it here alone. I need help gathering fuel and protecting this place. Against my better judgment, I'm trusting yours. If you think they're safe, send them back this way if they're willing. I don't have much of a choice," she says. Reese nods. "I understand." "Thank you so much," Tuyen says. "I really appreciate it." "Don't worry about it. If we meet anyone on the road, Ryder and I can assess them. If they're trustworthy, we'll let them know you're taking people in." She smiles gratefully at Reese, but then turns her attention to me. "To be honest, I'm not sure how reliable this cure information you have is, but for all our sakes, I hope it pans out for you." "Me, too." "Stay safe while you're out there trying
75 Days Special Chapter 10
We rejoin the group by the vehicles. Ryder is still standing guard on top of the truck, always vigilant and aware of anything going on around us. For a minute, all I can do is stand at the back of the parking lot with Todd and stare at Ryder. He's made it possible for us to feel as safe as humanly possible while out on the road, and he takes all of the faith we have in him seriously. He'll never let us down... He turns and spots us. The corner of his lips twitch, and I know it's as close to a smile I'll get while he's on guard duty. That almost smile falters as his eyes roam over my body, and I know the exact instant he sees the wounds on my face and arms. His gun drops to his side and he jumps off the roof of the truck to the bed and hops over the tailgate, hitting the pavement with a loud thump. He heads over to us with long, purposeful strides. I can tell how furious he is from the way he clenches his hands until the knuckle are white and the way his nostrils flare. He reaches ou
75 Days Chapter 1
I lifted the metal baseball bat higher, feeling much better with a heavy weapon in my hands. They twisted nervously around the rubber grip, and I stepped silently from behind the building, careful to avoid stepping on anything that will make noise and give away my position.He's shuffling along a few yards ahead of me, right in front of the alley I needed to get to. His left arm is dislocated, and it's hanging at his side. His ankle is broken; the skin is tattered and bloody, and the bone is poking out. He's walking on it anyway, oblivious to any pain he might be in. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that three of the fingers on his right hand are missing, probably bitten off. His skin looks soft; the infection's been in his body for a while, and he's started to melt. At first, they look like deranged humans that can move fast and gracefully, until after a few weeks and they start to decompose.I moved forward another couple of steps, and stop when a can goes ski
75 Days Chapter 2
The one closest to me took a step forward, and he waved his gun threateningly. It's long, sleek, black, and it looks deadly. I've never really been a gun person, and in fact I haven't fired one in years, but even I know that at this close it'll be impossible for him to miss what he's aiming at.And what he's aiming at is my heart.I looked up into his face, looking for any sign of compassion or restraint, and come up empty-handed. His eyes are blue-gray and hard as they stare at me. His jaw is covered in a thick, black beard that hides his mouth from view. I can't be sure, but it looks like he's smiling. Is he thinking of some disgusting, perverse, deranged thing to do to punish me?"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here, boys. Is this a little fly I've caught in my web?"For a minute, I just stared at him, surprised by how completely moronic he sounds. However, his
75 Days Chapter 3
Reese and I head back down to the apartment, and Ryder is still sitting on the couch with his feet up on my coffee table. I can't help but frown at his rudeness. He catches my mean look, rolls his eyes, and drops his feet from the table. Then he wipes his hand across the surface, smearing the dirt into the carpet.I clench my hands and roll my eyes back at him. He chuckles and crosses his arms over his chest, giving me a glimpse of his barbed wire tattoo in the process. I ignore him and start to dig through the cupboards. "Are you two hungry?""Yeah, we are," Ryder says, hopping to his feet. "What do you have?""Not much variety," I admit, reaching for the cans on the top shelf. I can feel my fingertips brush against the metal, but I can't get my hands around the cans to bring them down. I grit my teeth to keep from groaning in frustration.One of the boys starts to laugh, and Reese reaches up to gra
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