BOOK ONE
She had her whole life planned.
What she didn't plan for was the zombie apocalypse.
Eighteen-year-old Arryn Lycaster just graduated high school. With aspirations of becoming a veterinarian, she's ready to take the next step forward in lif...
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"How are you holding up?" Austin asked. He held two red buckets in each hand. From the strain on his muscles, the buckets seemed full. He set them down with a soft thump on the carpet of the SUV.
"My head is throbbing, but I'll live," Arryn replied. Her fingers massaged the tender skin on her temple. The bleeding had stopped, leaving a type of road rash on her forehead.
"I figured. Here," Austin said, digging around the backside of his pants pockets, "I found you this." He pulled out a small bottle of aspirin and a bottle of water.
"Thanks." A smile crept onto her face as she eagerly accepted his gift. She popped two of the red pills into her mouth, following with a quick swig of lukewarm water. Her lips contorted at the temperature of the water as if she had just tasted a sour lemon. Regardless, she quickly guzzled the rest of the bottle as Austin climbed into the vehicle.
"I also found you this," he said, whipping out an orange wrapper. The image of a chocolate peanut butter cup on the packaging made her smile wide. "Claire said they were your favorite."
"When did she tell you that?" Arryn asked in shock. She accepted the candy bar, opening the plastic wrapping in a flash. The taste of warm chocolate on her taste buds sent her into a state of bliss. Gone was the throb of her head. For one minuscule moment, she forgot all about the state of the world.
"When Claire and I were talking before we left, she told me to pick some up for you. She wanted to surprise you when we returned, but I figured you could use a little pick me up right now. I picked up a few extra, so just act surprised when we get back, okay?"
Arryn let out a chuckle, followed by a nod. "Okay. Hey, Austin?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry if I seemed a little irritated with you earlier."
"Don't worry about it. We've all been on edge lately. Sometimes we just need to remember that we are doing our best. I'm sorry that I've been accusing," his voice lowered, taking a glance up front, "Dante. He almost got bit trying to save you."
"What?" Arryn gasped.
Dante's eyes looked in the rearview mirror. Concern flashed in them as he met Arryn's briefly. "Are you okay, Arryn?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she reassured.
His eyes lingered for a moment longer before returning towards the windshield.
"It went for his ankle. If he hadn't moved when he did, he might have been a goner."
The sound of a car door opening pulled Arryn away from her conversation. Savannah and Daniel entered with several bags full of supplies. Candy, chips, drinks, and other various items sat on top of the grocery bags.
"Who is ready to start a fire?" A grin spread across Savannah's face as she spoke the words.
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