“It’s the truth, I swear.” I sat up carefully, but I didn’t inch any closer. I didn’t want him to flip out and shoot her just because he felt threatened or even more pissed. “You pull that trigger, and you’ll be murdering our flesh and blood, our very own sister.”
The gun trembled in his hands. “I…I don’t believe you.”
“I know it’s a lot to swallow. I just found out this morning. Mom and Dad have been keeping the entire thing a secret. You just can’t—not now that we know who she is.”
Nick met my gaze. “How do you know this is true? You got any proof?”
“For starters, look at her. Who else do you know with blue eyes and brown hair in those exact shades?”
He shifted his stance. “There are a lot of blue-eyed brunettes in the world. That doesn’t mean we’re all related.”
“You know what I’m talking about. Look at her! She looks just like us!” I shouted. “Just look! She has Mom’s nose and Dad’s chin. Take a real good look. Deep down, you can’t deny it. Just open your eyes for once and ignore the rules and protocols. Some things aren’t so black and white, and you can’t just kill your sister because it’s in the rule book.”
He stared down hard at her, as if taking in every feature. “You’re…you’re right. She’s the spitting image of us. If it’s true, why didn’t Mom and Dad tell us? Why did they keep her a secret?”
I let out a long sigh. “They gave her away when they were teenagers. She’s two years older than you.”
“Two years, huh? That makes her twenty-four.” He pushed the gun into his waistband and then ran a hand through his hair as emotion overwhelmed him. “You shoulda told me right off the bat.”
“Like I said, I just found out. Besides, I promised Mom I wouldn’t say anything. She wanted to tell you in her own way…later today.”
“So how did you find out?”
“I overheard Val talking to Mom. I couldn’t believe it.” I pulled out a vial from my black satchel; it contained the precious green serum.
“You stole for her too?”
“She’s not just any girl. She’s our sister. Should we give her some and see if it works? Doc seems to think it will do the trick.”
“It could kill her, like the last guy,” he snapped. “I don’t know what to say, what to do. I do know we’ll never make it to a city before she turns into a full-fledged monster. Wouldn’t that look great on the front of the family Christmas card? Yeah, she’ll make a lovely addition to the family reunion next year.”
“We have to do something. Like you said, we can’t just leave her to her fate.”
He crossed his arms. “You hold the possible formula in your hands, right?”
“Right.”
“So why haven’t you put it to good use already?”
“Well, Doc says it won’t work during the transformation. We can’t give it to her until she actually becomes a zombie. That’s how the formula works. The problem was, General Lofters planned to execute her right away, as soon as he found out she’d been bitten. And you know darn well there’re no exceptions.”
“So what do you propose? We wait, invite her to lunch, and then hand her a cup of tea? She’ll rip our heads off as soon as she turns. I’ve seen how these things work…and eat. They’re almost unstoppable.”
“She couldn’t wait to meet you,” I said. “You’re her little brother.”
“Yeah, right. You mean she couldn’t wait to eat me.” He shook his head. “Play the guilt card, why don’t you?” Then he swiftly picked up Val and cradled her close. “It’s not safe out here.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“Well, what are you waiting for? I’ve got sister dearest, so let’s go.”
I nodded and swung the black bag of vials over my shoulder. “You’re going to love her when you meet her.”
“Maybe, as long as she doesn’t get hungry.”
End of Sample.
Val: Prequel to The Zombie Chronicles Page 32