Chapter 7

EVELYN POV

Ethan pulled back and examined her face.

“Are you hurt?”

“She has scratches on her arm,” I answered. “I cleaned them and covered them, but we need to keep an eye on her.”

He looked at me as if I had done something wrong. “Why didn't you call me?”

I stared at him.

“Because you were upstairs taking a shower, and she was being chased by an infected man.”

“An infected man?”

He looked toward the door.

Outside, someone screamed again.

The sound was followed by several rapid gunshots.

Ethan went pale.

Vanessa clung to his arm.

“What are we going to do?” she whispered.

For the first time since I had known him, my husband had no immediate answer.

I moved toward the television and turned it on. Every local channel seemed to be carrying the same breaking news report. A reporter stood outside a hospital, speaking rapidly while police officers tried to push a growing crowd away from the entrance.

“Authorities are urging residents to remain indoors following several violent incidents involving individuals displaying severe confusion, aggression, and apparent insensitivity to pain. Emergency services are investigating whether the incidents are connected to an unidentified infectious disease.”

The camera shifted.

A man in a hospital gown burst through the entrance and attacked a police officer. Two other officers rushed forward, but the man threw one of them against a parked vehicle.

The reporter's voice rose.

“Viewers, please remain calm. We have not received confirmation that this is a widespread outbreak, and officials are asking the public not to circulate unverified information.”

The broadcast cut to a commercial.

Nobody spoke.

Ethan stared at the television.

Vanessa began crying again.

I felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath my feet.

The infection was here.

The first stage had begun.

And this time, I had not even finished preparing.

My phone rang, startling all three of us.

The caller was my mother.

I answered immediately.

“Mom?”

Her voice came through in broken bursts.

“Evelyn, listen to me. Your father is at the grocery store, and people are attacking each other in the parking lot. The police aren't doing anything. I need you to come and get us!”

I closed my eyes.

My parents lived across town, nearly forty minutes away in normal traffic. With the roads already filling with panicked drivers, the journey could take much longer.

“Mom, lock the doors. Stay away from the windows, and don't let anyone inside unless you know who they are. I'm going to find a way to reach you.”

“Hurry, Evelyn. Someone just attacked the cashier, and people are running everywhere!”

The call ended.

I stared at my phone.

My parents were still alive. In my previous life, I had lost contact with them during the first week of the outbreak. By the time I managed to reach their neighborhood, their house had been abandoned.

I had spent months wondering whether they had survived.

I wasn't going to lose them again.

I grabbed my keys and reached for my coat.

Ethan stepped in front of me.

“Where do you think you're going?”

“To get my parents.”

“Are you insane? Did you see what happened on television? You can't drive into that!”

“They're my parents, Ethan.”

“And Vanessa is injured! We can't leave her alone.”

I stared at him.

“Then stay with her.”

His mouth opened.

I pushed past him and headed toward the door.

“You can't just leave!” he shouted.

I turned around.

“You left me to die in another life, Ethan. I won't let you decide who deserves my help this time.”

The words escaped before I could stop them.

His face went blank.

“What did you just say?”

For one terrifying moment, I wondered whether I had revealed too much.

Then something struck the front door so hard that the entire frame shuddered.

Vanessa screamed.

The television flickered, and a loud emergency alert replaced the broadcast.

PUBLIC SAFETY WARNING: REMAIN INDOORS. AVOID ALL CONTACT WITH AGGRESSIVE INDIVIDUALS. DO NOT APPROACH THE INJURED UNLESS IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.

A second impact shook the door. Then came a voice from the porch.