Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(116)

“I’m not,” I said, grinning. “Not even a little.”

Slowly, carefully, we pushed the double doors open, both of us wincing when they let out a loud squeak, loud enough to alert anything that might be back here of our presence. Waiting a moment, listening for any sort of movement and hearing nothing, we proceeded forward. The room wasn’t as big as I’d previously thought, and was stacked with empty shipping pallets and piles of folded boxes. Large metal shelving lined the walls, unfortunately empty, and off in the corner sat a small forklift.

“This way,” Evelyn whispered. “The door is right up there.”

Up ahead of us was a small white door, once again properly labeled Pharmacy – Employees Only. We crept toward it, constantly checking over our shoulders for anything that might be lurking in the darkness behind us.

Grabbing hold of the doorknob, Evelyn looked at me, her eyes wide. “Please let this be unlocked,” she whispered, and turned the knob. The door emitted a soft click, and she grinned. “Jackpot.”

I grinned back at her, thinking that finally things seemed to be going our way for once.

Turning back, she pulled the door open slowly, only enough so she could take a look inside. Suddenly it pushed open, startling Evelyn and causing her to release the door and stumble backward. The door swung wide open, hitting the wall, as a skeletal-looking infected, lying on its belly, propelled itself forward, gripping Evelyn’s ankle.

With a surprised shout, she started kicking, attempting to dislodge it, and lost her balance. As she tumbled backward, her gun clattering to the floor, the infected gripped both her legs, its snapping jaw full of decaying teeth latching onto her pants.

“Leisel!” she screamed, her legs thrashing wildly as she tried to reach for her fallen weapon. “Shoot it!”

I raised my gun, trying to aim for its head, but my hands were shaking, and fear was causing my vision to blur. I was a horrible shot, and my chances of shooting Evelyn were greater than hitting the infected. As Evelyn screamed louder, I dropped my gun, yanked my blade free from my belt, and rushed forward.

Attached to her thrashing legs, the infected was groaning and growling, flaps of rotted skin flailing from its body like ropes of long hair. Evelyn let out another awful scream just as I sent the tip of my blade into the back of the thing’s skull. Everything went suddenly quiet and still as the infected slumped heavily over Evelyn’s trembling legs. I yanked my blade free, and Evelyn quickly shoved the infected off her, rolling to her side before jumping to her feet.

“You’re bleeding!” I cried, dropping to my knees as I reached for her leg.

She jerked out of my grasp and spun away, giving me her back. She was no longer screaming, but still shaking, trembling violently from her head to her feet.

“Oh God,” she whispered hoarsely. “Oh God, oh God, oh God…”

Standing up, I touched her shoulder gently. “You don’t get sick from scratches,” I whispered. “Not unless there’s blood or saliva exchanged. It was an old one, no blood. You’re going to be—”

Whipping around, Evelyn raised her tear-filled eyes to mine. My gaze dropped to the leg she presented me with. Bending down and with shaking hands, she lifted the bloody material of her pants, revealing a crescent-shaped wound on her calf, the flesh between nearly torn completely away.

My breath left me in one rapid burst of air, my entire body seeming to deflate all at once. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head as tears filled my eyes. “No…no…” My thoughts spun and I raised my blade. “We’ll cut it off!” I cried. “Right now!”

Wide-eyed, Evelyn jerked away from me, taking several limping steps backward. “No,” she whispered. “No, we can’t…”

“We can!” I screamed. “Before it spreads!”

“And then what?” she screamed back, her full-bodied trembling growing worse. “We’re not doctors, Lei! I’ll bleed out or worse, it will get infected and I’ll die anyway!”

“There’s still a chance!” I protested, knowing if we did nothing there was no chance. “We can’t do nothing!”

“What good will I be to you with one leg, Leisel? And injured for who knows how long. I’ll attract infected everywhere we go. I’ll get us both killed and you know it!”

My mouth opened, but no sound came forth. I closed it, gritting my teeth together, tears burning hot paths down my suddenly cold cheeks. Turning away from her, I let my blade clatter to the floor as I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my hands into tight fists.

“No!” I whispered, shaking my head. “No, God, please, no. Don’t do this, don’t do this to us. I can’t be without her. Please, please, God.”

“You have to go,” Evelyn said, her softly spoken, tear-filled words barely audible. “You have to get in the Jeep and just go. Go back to Purgatory, go back to Fredericksville, just go somewhere. Go, Leisel! You need to go!” she yelled, her voice strangled and pained.

I turned to face her, feeling horrified, shaky, desperate, sick to my stomach—a myriad of emotions, none of which I could pinpoint or focus on. “How dare you!” I cried. “How dare you even suggest that!”

“I want you to live,” she whispered, her eyes wide and red-rimmed as tears fell from them. Reaching for me, her fingers wrapped around my wrist, digging into my skin. Squeezing me, she shook my arm. “You need to keep going, Lei,” she pleaded. “For me, please, just keep going.”