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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Gone. Austin was gone.
The words seemed poisonous. She didn't feel anything at first, but once the toxin sunk deeper, the effects took their toll. Like an out of body experience, the world around her kept moving, but all she could do was watch as someone else pulled her strings.
Her efforts of trying to escape Dante's grasp became weaker—her wails softer. In her chest, the beating of her heart thundered. Austin's image played on a loop in her mind. By now it would be more than just his fingers that the Rabid consumed. The image made her stomach churn.
They went through so much together. Even before the end of the world.
This hole could not be filled.
Savannah and Daniel made quick work on the double doors. Metal clinked as they wrapped chains around the handles, reinforcing the entrance with a large wooden beam.
They were safe. At least for a moment.
But Arryn no longer knew what the word safety meant. The Rabids would always be a part of their world—destroying everything they touched.
"Let me go!" Arryn screamed as she thrashed, wearing her emotions on her sleeve.
The gun still burned hot in her hand, waiting to be fired. She could have taken that shot. Austin could still be alive. But Dante had ripped her away.
"I said let me go!" Arryn repeated. His strength outweighed her own.
"How do I know you won't run back out there and save him?" Dante asked.
"How stupid do you think I am? I had an opportunity to save him and you took that away from me."
He set her down, watching her carefully.
"If I left you there, you would have become a snack for those things. I couldn't let you die, Arryn. I won't apologize for saving you."
Hot tears stung her cheeks.
A war between guilt, anger, and grief waged inside of her. Pressure built inside her mind. She wanted—no needed—to express it. Somehow. Or she would explode in a million pieces.
She balled her fist, digging her nails into the flesh of her palm.With what little strength she had left, she slammed her fist against Dante's chest. Her knuckles cried at the contact, but the pain reminded her that she was human. That she was alive. Again. Pain. Again. Pain. A lump formed in her throat, boiling up to a scream that echoed off the empty walls.
She pictured Dante as a Rabid. They were to blame for everything. Her mother. Her father. Lincoln. Austin. Kris. Duke. Darius. They had taken everything from her. She wanted it her life back—for all this to be a twisted nightmare.
But happy endings only existed in movies.
Everything was real.
Dante wrapped his hands around her fists, stopping her throws. His hands were cool and calloused against her heated skin. "Arryn, I am so sorry."
