by Ann Christy
A tuneless little hum comes out of her while she eats another bird, this time more slowly and biting it apart rather than stuffing it whole into her mouth. She finally spies the blood pooled in the bowl and she lets out a squeal like a little girl who just discovered she’s having cake for breakfast. The last two of her morning birds fall out and hit the tray with wet slaps as she tips the bowl to drink out the blood.
Watching her eat is a horror, but something I’m also terribly grateful for. Charlie asked me the other day why I smiled when I sat with her through her meals. All I could answer was that I was happy to see her transform into herself after she did and that made me happy to watch her eat. He’d nodded, but followed it quickly by a shake of his head. He’s not as impressed with her transformations as I am. He doesn’t trust them.
And like the rest of our group, he doesn’t think this is a sustainable situation. According to all of them, and simple logic if I’m truthful, this can only end badly. I remain hopeful despite the logic. She was right about the nanites fixing her brain tumor and eventually, I hope to see the nanites reprogrammed to eat the nanites that keep the in-betweeners as they are.
If the in-betweeners will die when they get those new nanites or simply live again, I don’t yet know. I can’t know. But I can hope.
I’ll keep taking trips to the sign that welcomes travelers to our town and looking for a message from the hospital, just as the note from Violet said to do. I’ll keep going and looking and waiting. And if that day doesn’t come, I’ll go back to the hospital again. I’ll worry about what comes at the end of all of this later.
For now, I have Emily.
She finishes her breakfast of birds. The bowl is licked clean of blood and she tips back her water bowl, her throat working as she drinks her fill. Pink rivulets run down her chin and neck, re-staining her already stained smock. When she’s done, her bowl doesn’t drop and hit the tray or floor. Rather, she sets it down awkwardly, but with purpose, onto the tray.
I look at her eyes and smile, knowing what I’ll see.
And there she is.
Emily.
“Monin, Fronica,” she says.
“Good morning, Emily.”
Ready for Book Three?
The third and final book in this trilogy, Between Life and Death, is available for pre-order on Amazon here.
From the Author
Thank you for reading!
I sure hope you liked what I’ve been doing with my version of the zombie apocalypse. As I was thinking about the whole concept, I realized that I wasn’t as enthralled with the idea of the actual apocalypse anymore, but rather, my imagination was fired up by what would happen afterward. What would it be like for those who are left after most of the biting and entrail-showing is done?
If you’re the reviewing sort, please take a moment and leave a review on the site where you purchased this or on Goodreads (or both!). For the independent author, reviews absolutely make or break us. They are required to buy advertising and also shuffle us up in the recommendation engines so that other readers can find us.
You can sign up for my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/HmNf5. I don’t spam, but I do send out new release info, hold freebie giveaways of signed books only for subscribers, give first chances to read my work before it’s released (for free!) and other occasional coolness.
You can also find out what’s up and contact me at my website. http://www.annchristy.com
Table of Contents
Forever Between
Dedication
Other Works by Ann Christy
Today - The Girl in the Cage
Today - A Promise of Hope
Two Years Ago - Save the Rotator Cuff
Today - Two for the Road
Twenty Months Ago - Campfires without Songs
Today - Downtown is the Place to Be
Seven Months Ago - Booze Run
Today - Farmer John
Seven Months Ago - A Bite or Two
Today - Deaders, Deaders, All in a Line
Four Months Ago - Playmates
Today - Ten-Hut
Three Months Ago - A Community of Headaches
Today - Doctor Blue
Two Months Ago - Gloria Days
Today - For the Good of Mankind
Two Months Ago - Better Off Dead
Today - Programmed to Eat
Two Months Ago - In Chains We Trust
Today - Into the Dark
Six Weeks Ago - Feeding the Bears
Today - Never Say Never
Three Weeks Ago - Seeing Spots
Today - No Words
Two Weeks Ago - Holding On
Today - Home Again
Eight Days Ago - Explaining to No One
Today - Doctor, Doctor
Epilogue
Three Weeks From Today - Forever Between
Ready for Book Three?
From the Author