Share
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
Related chapters
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
75 Days Chapter 4
The boxer bares his sharp teeth in a loud snarl, and I instantly cringe. In the span of a few short seconds, a bunch of different emotions swirl through my mind: fear, anger, helplessness, sadness, and strangely enough, relief.Being eaten alive by a dog is not how I would choose to leave this life, but I can't help but think at least this way I won't become a zombie. However, I don't have to worry about harming anyone I love, because there's nobody left. I'm an only child, and my parents both died in the first wave of zombies. I've had a few months to mourn their loss.There's nobody to mourn me...There's a shot, and the boxer yelps and rolls off of me. There's a second shot, and no yelp. It's a mercy shot, to put the dog out of its misery. For a second, all I can do is lie there on the floor, staring up at the spot where just seconds ago, a dog was about to rip out my throat.I just focus on eveni
75 Days Chapter 5
In the morning, Ryder, Reese, and I all head to a grocery store on the other side of town. Reese and I are both in the backseat keeping our eyes open for any signs of the Warriors, and Ryder is driving as carefully as possible. The last thing we need is a fight on the day we're planning to leave.The brakes slam, and the car jerks to a stop, sending Reese toppling over me in the backseat. "Get off!" I smack at his arm, trying to shove him off me. His elbow is digging into my ribcage, and I can't breathe."Sorry," he grunts, trying to move."Shush! Get down."We obey Ryder's command without further complaint, and he turns the car off. The three of us duck down as far as possible while still being able to see. About two-hundred yards ahead of us, three men dressed in camouflage and carrying assault rifles are dragging something behind them.At first, I think it's a zombie corpse. T
75 Days Chapter 6
The car jerks to a stop, and my entire body flies forward, stopped only by the seatbelt strapped across my chest. It yanks me painfully back, and I slam back into the seat behind me. The car is full of moans and coughing, and I'm confused about what happened.When I open my eyes, I see blood splattered across the windshield. It's not the thick, coagulated blood from a zombie. It's fresh, runny, and bright, meaning we just hit something living. For a second, I start to panic. Have we just run over another survivor like us? Just trying to find someplace safe to stay for the night?"What happened?" I ask, rubbing my sore chest.Ryder groans. "Damn deer jumped in front of me. I didn't even see it until it was too late."He unbuckles, and opens the door. My chest hurts too much to move, and I just lie back while Ryder does whatever it is he's doing."Holy shit," Reese says. "The front
75 Days Chapter 7
In the morning, the four of us pack up our gear and get ready to start walking. Ryder and Reese both look tired, and I wish I'd forced them to let me take a turn at watching. They're the only things standing between death and me, and if they're working at half-full, mistakes might happen.Reese stops me before we leave, and buckles something through the loops of my jeans. It's black and looks like a belt, but it has a leather holster right over the hip. He tucks one of the Glock 17's away, and smiles. "You remember how to shoot, right?""Um, yeah," I say, not nearly as confident as I sound. And I don't sound all that confident. "I think I'll stick close to you just to be on the safe side." I give him a nervous chuckle, and he smiles."Don't worry, I'll protect you."Ryder makes a rude gagging noise, and I glare at him. He just shakes his head, ignoring my stony glare, and grabs some extra ammunition, tucking it into a bag that he hangs ove
Latest chapter
