This Would Be Paradise (Book 1)
Page 25
My hand wrapped around the hilt of one of the dropped tools and with my last remaining strength I brought my arm up in a wide arc. The sharp edge of whatever tool I had grabbed embedded itself in Riley’s neck. His eyes went wide in shock, and his hands flew to his neck.
Cool, blessed air reached my starved lungs and I heaved in deep breaths. My eyes watered, and my throat burned like I had never felt before. It was like acid-coated the inside of my throat and air was water being poured onto it. Riley was pale and clutching at the handle protruding from his neck. Blood poured from the wound like a faucet turned to max. It looked like I had stabbed him with a scalpel.
He collapsed to the ground, his mouth open and flapping like a gaping fish on land. I hauled myself to shaky feet and reached into my waistband. I loomed over him, the gun aimed right for his forehead. Once he saw the gun in my hand, he reached up. Whether it was to plead for his life or beg for it to be quick, I will never know, because I pulled the trigger.
He won in the end. Now I was a monster, too.
Epilogue
I don’t remember much of the drive back to the house. Hell, I don’t even remember how I got out of the medical center. It was like a time skip. One minute I was standing over a dead body, the next I was parked, sitting in the front seat of the Taurus with my backpack in the passenger’s side.
I had killed a living person, but I was glad Riley was gone. Something like peace settled over me. I stared into the rearview mirror, prodding at my red neck. Bruising was already starting to mar my skin. I tried to speak, but a squeak was all that escaped. Swallowing hurt like a bitch, but was still working correctly.
There was one less threat in the world and that had to count for something. It was cut and dry case of self-defense, and no one could hold that against me.
Was it self-defense? I could have easily gotten away while Riley squirmed on the floor in his own blood. He eventually would have died from blood loss anyways. At least, that’s what I told myself. But that wasn’t the only reason.
I wanted to do it. I wanted to see with my own eyes that he had died. And I did.
I walked from the driveway to the house, looking no more alive than the mountains of infected I had killed. I felt subhuman. Stopping, I dropped my backpack to the ground. The front door seemed to be getting further and further away. My mind was starting to play tricks on me. My subconscious was none-to-subtly telling me not to go in.
I was not ready to play human, at least not so soon after. Maybe I should have stayed away. It was faint, but I still heard the sound of the deadbolt being flipped. The door opened to reveal the little concerned face of Chloe. I peered back at her, not saying anything, not daring to move. She looked at me, her eyes taking in the damage I had sustained and the backpack resting at my feet.
She threw open the door and tore down the steps. She ran into me full force. Her arms wrapped around my middle and I could tell she was sobbing.
“You came back!” she cried, hugging me tightly.
I placed a hand on her head. I wanted to tell her that of course I did, but my voice wasn’t cooperating at the moment. She looked up at me, and I pointed to my neck so she would know why I couldn’t speak. She didn’t need to know that my reluctance to speak was not only due to physical limitations.
“You’re hurt.”
I gave her a meager smile and thumbs up to let her know I would be fine. She released me and placed her small hand in mine, determination set in her features.
“Don’t worry. We’ll find ‘em.”
Bonus Chapter
New Orleans, Three months earlier
Zoe was facing me, her mouth going a mile a minute. I couldn’t hear her over the roar of the crowd and music. Horns were blasting nearby and I, by some means, ended up with more than one metallic bead necklace. This was odd because I was less risqué than Zoe, who had actually earned her beads. One drunken frat guy tried to lift up my shirt, but that ended when I kneed him in the groin. I don’t think he appreciated the grin on my face.
Zoe quickly dragged me away from the scene; the guy’s friends were hollering and dying of laughter at their fallen comrade. She tried to chastise me for not playing nice, but the effect was ruined by the pulsing dance music.
“You know, we’re supposed to be living out our last moments of university life before we have to head into the drudgery of real life,” she screamed over the noise.
“So? That doesn’t equate to be accosted,” I shot back.
Zoe rolled her eyes and downed the rest of her drink.
“Live a little! Come on, let’s get some shots!”
Oh God, once the shots started I was a goner—but what the hell. I let her drag me over to the nearest drink stand and shove a countless number of shots my way. She was flirting with the drink server when my pocket started to vibrate. What the…? Oh right, my phone. I pulled my cellphone from my pocket, a text message popping up on the screen from my mother. Condoms or do I have to show you the book again?
Oh god, not the book! My mother was a doctor to her core, even when it came to her children. I remember the sex talk she gave me when I was a preteen; it included the dreaded book. I had nightmares after that. It showcased a bunch of information and pictures of various STDs. It was technically a textbook, but dear god it was awful. Those poor med students.
I tried to put it from my mind as another alert popped up on my screen. This one from CNN about another confirmed case of a new strain of the flu virus or whatever it was; I just sort if skimmed it. This was like the fifth article in the last few hours. If they kept this up, people would start to freak out. Oddly enough, this one stated that the sick individuals were harming others. Someone from the CDC was speculating that the high-grade fever was causing the erratic behavior. I guess I would just have to keep an eye out for anyone who looked sickly.
The phone slid back into my pocket, and I threw back another shot, this time some Jose Cuervo. Zoe nodded her head toward the biggest mass of people and we squeezed ourselves into the mosh pit of partiers. Despite my earlier reluctance, I actually enjoyed myself. It was easy to get lost in the overbearing music and dance, until you threw up your overpriced drinks. Well, maybe not that last part.
We had been having a good time until the music near us cut and someone yelled, “Cops!” over the fray. People panicked and started to disperse. There were a lot of underaged kids here and some pretty high people, so I guess that was reason enough to run. Zoe shrugged at me and pointed her thumb to the other stage down the street. I nodded, and we walked with the crowd to the other area. Police were running toward us, heading to where we had just come from telling people to move along. I wonder if cops were contractually forced to say that?
I looked back, curiosity getting the better of me, but I couldn’t see anything over the horde of people migrating to a cop free zone. There were a group of guys walking beside us chatting about it.
“Dude, there was blood everywhere.”
“I’ve never seen so many cops at once before.”
“Please, your family is like the poster child for the TV show Cops.”
“Fuck you, Darren!”
“There’s always one douchebag who has to bring a knife.”
“Naw man, that’s the thing. He didn’t have a weapon, he used his teeth.”
Huh, I guess some people just can’t handle their alcohol.
About the Author
N. D. Iverson is a writer living in Alberta, Canada, trying to find her niche in the world. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree, for which she is still trying to find a practical application for. This Would Be Paradise is her first book and will not be her last. You can count on that. For more information, please visit her website at http://www.ndiverson.weebly.com.
Thank you for reading!
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed the first installment in my Zombie Novel Series This Would Be Paradise. I’ve had many readers ask me: “What is the next chapter in Bailey and Chloe’s
adventure?” and “Will they ever find their group again?” Well, I say stay tuned because the next exciting arc in their story will be coming in This Would Be Paradise Book 2.
As an author I love to hear what readers think after reading my novel. Some people rooted for Taylor and Bailey to be together, while others rooted for Ethan and Bailey to be together. Some people could identify with Bailey on a personal level, while others better identified with Zoe. So please feel free to tell me what you thought after reading the book, what you loved, even what you hated. I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me through my website here: http://ndiverson.weebly.com/contact.html.
Finally, I would like to ask a favor. If you’re so inclined, I’d love a review of This Would Be Paradise. As a self-published author, Amazon and other eBook site reviews are my bread and butter. You the reader have the power to make or break a book. If you have the time, here is a link to my author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00QKUTSEI.
Thank you so much for reading This Would Be Paradise.
In gratitude,
N. D. Iverson