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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The heavy footfalls of the intruding Rabid drew closer to her hiding spot. Minutes had passed since the beast had infiltrated her safe haven. Surely someone would be in to save her soon, right? One of her group members must have heard the loud banging. It shook the wall for Pete's sake. If they hadn't heard it, surely, they felt it.
Unless they had Rabids of their own to attend to. The thought made her blood run cold. This had been a safe place for the past two months. How could everything go wrong in a matter of hours?
Losing herself in thought, she didn't notice until it was too late that one of her shoes had slipped near the inner edge of the toilet seat. Her foot splashed into the warm water, getting caught in the bowl. She felt her body lurch forward, slamming hard against the stall door. The door swung open with such a force that it bounced back towards her, hitting the tender skin on her forehead. A cry escaped her lips.
The grimy water had soaked in through her sneaker, making her sock cling to her like a second skin.
A snarl sounded in front of Arryn. Glancing up, she saw the rotting corpse moving towards her. Skeleton showed more than flesh. But one thing remained consistent—no matter how much their bodies withered, the black, soulless eyes remained.
She hated those eyes. They had taken everything away from her, and if she didn't do something quick, they would take her life as well.
She scanned the room, searching for any object she could use to defend herself. Nothing.
The smell hit her before the weight did. The scent of the beast reminded her of all the fish she had helped skin. Even the texture of the remaining flesh on the Rabid felt slimy like the fish. The skin fell apart in her grasp, feeling wobbly and slick like gelatin. A few drops of black blood trickled from the exposed muscle of the arm. The tissue appeared withered and dried out like a worm left to squirm in direct sunlight.
Within seconds, the Rabid had her pinned to the ground. Her arms shook as she fought against the creature's strength. Hungry growls dripped from its mouth as it snapped at her wildly. The pressure became more than she could handle. If she kept pressing back on the Rabid's might, she believed her bones would snap.
"Arryn!" A voice exclaimed from the doorway.
A grunt was the only reply she could muster.
The beast on top of her overpowered her, going straight for the neck. Her savior had come too late. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see her throat become this creature's next meal. She found herself wondering what death would be like.
The picture of death popped into her mind. Would it be quick like the movies portrayed? Would it be slow and painful? And what about the afterlife? Would she find herself in heaven like she always believed, or would her recent doubt condemn her to an unpleasant eternity? Could her friends kill her if she turned into one of them?
