“You don’t have to do this,” I told him.
Despite the situation, I couldn’t help but look down to where he was kneeling in front of me and wrapping more gauze around my pants leg.
“I know I don’t. But I choose to. There aren’t many of us left—the uninfected I mean. If I left even one person alone to die, I’d be helping them kill us off. You’ll live if I can get you stitched up.”
“That’s a big if. Too big of one for you to risk your life. Go. Leave me. The place my sister and I were staying at isn’t but a few blocks that way.” I pointed in the opposite direction of where Jason and his people were going.
“You can keep telling me to go, but I’m not leaving you. Now, is that too tight?” Jason asked, patting the inside thigh of the leg he’d just wrapped.
“No.”
“Can you move forward for a bit? I think the others have moved the horde further south. We should be able to make it nearly to Shore Haven without much trouble if we go now.”
“Shore Haven? I’m not going to Shore Haven. They say that’s where the virus started. Why would you want to go there?”
“This didn’t start at Shore Haven. I don’t know who created the virus, but it wasn’t my uncle.”
“Your uncle?”
“Never mind that for now. We have to move.”
I reached out and grabbed his hand. I was shaking—more scared of going to that monstrosity of a complex than facing the horde.
“Jason,” I said, letting my fear seep into my words. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
He reached up with his free hand, cupped my face as a lover would, and said, “I’m sure. I helped design it. Now run.”
The second the words were out of his mouth, one of the infected rounded the corner of the building, seeming to sniff the air. Jason gripped the hand I was holding a bit tighter, and we took off in the best example of a run I could manage.
We made it one block from one of the complex’s many entrances where we could see Kayla standing with a door open, picking off those that were in our way when a group ambushed us. I was able to make two kill shots before one tackled me to the ground. My head hit the concrete with a crack, and I was out, thanking God for the quick death or at the least unconsciousness so that I wouldn’t feel the bite or suffer through the change.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank all of Shore Haven’s fans. Without you, I wouldn’t have wanted to keep the story going with these short stories and novellas.
I want to give a big shout out to Kathryn, my editor for the Shore Haven series. I annoyed her a bit with this one because, for the longest, I didn’t feel I’d gotten it right. By the end, I think we created a great story. Also, I want to send a shout out to Rose Holub, who found all the errors that Kathryn and I missed. You rock, and I love having you on my staff. Hugs and kisses, ladies.
I would like to send love to my friends Jai and Tae, and my husband for patiently looking over every version of the cover I created for this story. I know they were tired of looking at images by the time I finalized the cover, but their input was invaluable. MUAH!!!
About the Author
Jennifer Reynolds is a native of North Alabama. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree from National University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Alabama.
She is a multi-genre author who focuses mostly on post-apocalyptic novels and paranormal romances. She does occasionally dabble in other genres, such as general fiction and suspense thrillers.
When she’s not writing, she’s a full-time caregiver of her mother-in-law, an avid reader, and the mother to two kitties, Lilith and Midnight.
If you’d like to know more about Author Jennifer Reynolds check out these informational brochures or one of her many social media sites.
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Shore Haven (Short Story 4): Welcome To Edge Burrow Page 8