Katherin Hassan-Clarke and Esther Quinn, young lovers living on the coast of Riga, Latvia, face the terrifying realisation that their home is no longer safe when a deadly zombie pathogen ravages Eastern Europe. Fleeing their home before they are for...
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Raven stalked downstairs; her hands balled into tight fists. She couldn't believe Jaxx. Why would he, of all people, be critical of Katherin? He was no better. Raven had seen the blood on his shirt.
The splatter of blood on Jaxx's shirt was offensive, not defensive. Smeared blood droplets had dried onto Jaxx's cheek as if he'd tried to wipe the blood from his face. There were droplets on his neck and on his arms. Bloody fingerprints on his hands.
Someone had struggled. Jaxx had attacked them.
The floorboard creaked as Raven stepped into the lobby. She jumped; hands shaking as she tried to control her rapid breathing. Had she always been this afraid?
No. Raven's life had been perfect before the emergency broadcast. Her parents had moved overseas. Jaxx and Raven had rented their home; a quaint two-bedroom house with floral wallpaper and a carefully manicured garden.
It pained Raven to imagine her home now. The garden would be overrun by weeds; the white roses suffering from lack of care.
Raven had forgotten to lock the door as they'd fled their home. She couldn't bear to think of someone invading their space; pulling the house apart in search for food and supplies.
Her mother would be horrified.
If she was still alive.
Raven shuddered.
"I heard arguing. Is everything okay?" Ivory's voice was soft; concerned.
Ivory and Rosabelle sat on the floor; surrounded by a sea of clothing and canned goods.
Ivory folded clothes and placed them in piles. There was no distinction between male and female clothing; piles were sorted by a person's name. Retro blue jeans were sorted in Lyria's pile. Simple t-shirts were sorted into Esther's.
Rosabelle went through the canned food; marking each item on a piece of paper. She was making a list, deciphering how long the food would last them and when they'd have to go on another raid.
Raven hoped it wasn't soon. She couldn't bear to see her friends risk their lives again to feed the rest of the group, however mad she was at Jaxx.
"Yes. No. I don't know," Raven sighed.
She melted onto the floor beside Ivory; picking at the tag of a t-shirt.
Ivory took the t-shirt from Raven. She tore the tag off and threw it into Rosabelle's pile.
"What's wrong?" Ivory spoke softly.
"Jaxx pushed Katherin away and we let her leave. We didn't stop Esther from running after her. What if they're in trouble? It'll be our fault."
"Katherin is very capable, my dear," Ivory smiled softly.
Ivory chucked the last garment into her own pile; retrieving boxes to stuff the clothing into.
There was no point in delivering the clothing to each person's apartment. Everyone had been seeking refuge in other people; collecting their personal items, just to dump them on a friend's floor. It had only been a day and people were already restless. They were paranoid about another zombie climbing through a window, or worse, a band of survivors.
Ivory would have to talk to Jaxx or Morgana. They needed to find another place to stay.
Even if it meant leaving before Katherin and Esther returned.
"What about Esther then? She didn't even want to go outside!" Raven's voice was barely a whisper, but Ivory could sense the panic.
"Katherin would have found her. They're safe," Ivory replied.
"Esther was calling out to Katherin when she went outside. I'm sure Katherin heard," Rosabelle murmured.
Rosabelle ignored the sinking feeling in her gut. She heard Esther's scream of distress.
Something had gone wrong. She just hoped Katherin had heard it too.
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Hi everyone!
How did you find this chapter?
There's one more week until school ends. I've been working feverishly on editing this novel and pumping out a few extra chapters so I can plan to post more frequently.
My roster for these holidays is coming out tomorrow so the update schedule may be changed based on when I have my long shifts.
