The Zombie Chronicles - Book 2 (Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series) Read Online Free Page A

all we had to rely on, besides each other. According to the tracking device, we were right on his tail.
    Val slid open the window divider. “Hey, guys, I’ve got bad news.”
    “ What?” I asked.
    “ The low fuel light just popped on.”
    “ Bad news is right,” I said. “ We’re gonna have to find a gas station,” I said with a grimace.
    Nick nodded. “Definitely, but gas station pumps aren’t gonna work without electricity.”
    Val squinted at a map. “We should be hitting a town soon. We’ll find some cars and siphon some gas.”
    “ With what?” Jackie asked. “We don’t have a siphon hose.”
    “ Yeah we do,” I said proudly. “I snagged one from the garage of that glass house for that very reason.”
    Nick met my gaze. “Yeah, a fter I told you to grab it.”
    He was trying to upstage me, as usual. “ You’re just lucky it’s in my backpack,” I said.
    We found a small country store, Morning Glory Farm, on a desolate stretch of road before we reached the next town. It was a lucky find, as there were a few cars sitting in the back parking lot. Once we parked, I walked around to the front of the store. Colorful flowers and white-tipped ivy twisted around the railing and windows. A white sign exhibited the prices of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and firewood. In red, freehand painted lettering, they advertised free hay rides on the weekends. It was almost surreal—as if a little part of normal still lingered there and hadn’t been ruined by zombies.
    Jackie took a seat in the wicker rocker. “Mmm…I love the country. This place reminds me of my grandma’s farm.”
    “ Yeah, it’s nice out here,” Claire said, “so peaceful and quiet.”
    “ Yeah,” I said. “I would love to hole up here for the night.”
    But we all knew we couldn’t. We were in a hurry to find Tahoe and the stolen vials if we were going to save my sister. That was our top priority, as tempting as it was to sit there, rocking on that porch, pretending none of the horror had happened.
    I peeked inside through the lace curtains of the display window. Wood-framed photographs and paintings of old barns, farmhouses, and cowboys decorated the walls. They also sold hammered and painted metal wall hangings shaped like chickens, cows, tractors, ducks, and flowers. The shop was dark, and I couldn’t make out anything past the second aisle. The little store seemed abandoned.
    All of the sudden, Val doubled over and threw up by the bales of hay stacked against the wall. “Hey, I’m gonna go lie down in the truck. Everything’s spinning, and I swear, I feel like I’m going to pass out.”
    “ Let me help you to the truck ,” I said.
    “ Yeah ,” Lucas said. “Let us help you.”
    “ Thanks, but I’ll be fine. I just need a few minutes to get my—get my head straight.”
    We respected her wishes. I knew if I were in the same situation, I would probably want some alone time too.
    “ T o be honest, as much as I hate to say it, I’m not feeling so great,” she admitted. “I hope you understand.”
    “ We’ll be right back,” I said, feeling horrible for her—and for what we’d feel like if we lost her in the end.
    “ Okay. I’ll hold down the fort,” she said, walking briskly back to the truck.
    I motioned to the others to stay alert as I rounded the corner to the back of the store.
    Beyond the parking lot, cornstalks grew in neat rows, sprouting high toward the horizon. I cringed. Cornfields tended to freak me out in general, especially now, when zombies were lurking around in at every nook and cranny. I shivered, thinking I must have watched too many horror films about walking scarecrows and possessed little kids.
    Jackie looked around. “You think it’s safe?”
    “ I don’t see anything,” Lucas said. “We’ll keep our eyes open. Shouldn’t take us too long to get some gas. We should be back on the road in no time.”
    “ Can you and the girls stand guard?” Nick asked me.
    “ Sure,” I said,