“They couldn’t possibly catch up to me,” Charlotte reasoned.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency. As if dark, creeping hands were sneaking up behind her, ready to snatch her off of the road at any second. She constantly craned her neck behind her, to look through the rearview window. Of course, no one was there but the rain. She just couldn’t shake the feeling. Jamie noticed her fidgeting.
“When are we meeting up with the others?” He asked as he woke up groggily. He sat up and wiped his small, tired eyes and blinked, trying to focus on the road.
“Soon sweetie. We had to split up momentarily. They are going to meet up with us at the new location. Don’t worry about it okay? We’ll get there safely. I know how to keep us safe from the monsters. Even more so than Ian.” She claimed through a fake toothy grin. She took a deep breath in and said,” I’ll take care you, don’t you worry about that. You’re safe with me.” Charlotte assured Jamie.
She placed a hand on top of his head and gently ran her fingers through his shaggy brown hair. The back was matted considerably and she was having trouble brushing through it. Charlotte soon gave up on the venture and returned her gaze back to the road before her.
She had a plan and would do anything to stick to it. Even if that meant lying to everyone she ever cared about or showed affection to. Call her crazy but, she had certain views about things most people didn’t agree with. She had big plans for Jamie. But, she needed to get to a safe medical facility. A place where she and the boy could thrive and didn’t have to worry about people disagreeing with her stand-points. She knew more than enough to do that if she was given the opportunity.
Charlotte thought back to the time several of the CDC facilities started going dark. There were many units that were set up in a matter of months before the outbreak. If she could find one of them, she could take it over and begin her research. She had a venue in mind. It was several states away, though. And the going was going to be tough but, she believed she and the boy could make it. He’d be happy as long as he had his dog. Lucy would help keep his temper in check. “So, things would be smooth sailing from here on out.”
Charlotte smirked and looked over at Jamie. He was petting Lucy happily on the top of her head. She sat in the floor board between his legs and licked his hands softly. They were already inseparable.
“We’ll be ok Jamie. Don’t worry. You’re mommy would have wanted this…” She lied.
Charlotte looked over at his reaction to hearing the mention of his departed mother. She watched as the tears started dropping onto his bright green shirt. His heart was breaking right before her eyes. Sweetly, Lucy stretched her neck to lick his dirty, tear filled face. Jamie smiled and stared out at the highway once more.
“Good, he is letting go. This will be easier than I thought.” Charlotte relaxed back into her seat. Things were going to be okay. They were far away from Ian and Sam. There wasn’t any technology left for them to find her either. And she had a positive feeling that Reese had been taken care of. They were free to start their new lives as they may. Jamie was hers now and no one was there to stop her. She had free reign to start picking up where she left off.
“I love you, Charlotte.” Jamie uttered as he let out a yawn and slumped down into his seat. Within minutes he was fast asleep once more.
“I love you too Jamie,” Charlotte said grinning from ear to ear.
Special Thanks
I would like to thank several people in my life who have been there for me as I’ve struggled to write this second book. Firstly, I’d like to thank my husband for helping me through the entire process of creating the second edition. Without you, I would never have finished. You have encouraged me since day one to follow my dreams, and I love you so much for that. I love you to the moon and back sweetie.
To my dear friend Amanda, thank you for instilling in me that I can always do better and for helping me understand that a writer’s job is never done. Thank you for sticking by me through thick and thin. (Literally) I’ve grown as a writer considerably and I have you to thank for that.
To my sister Jennifer, thank you for helping me edit this novel and for being a constant reminder that I can do this. It was a long road to walk down, but you helped make it easier.
To my friends and family, you are amazing. I have never had so much support in my life. It’s made this journey a much easier one this go around. I know that I can always count on you when I need a shoulder. Thank you for always being there and I love you.
in this second installment of the scarlet memories series, Ian and Sam find themselves trapped as test subjects at the CDC after a zombie apocalypse befalls the world.
They must figure out a way to earn their freedom. Things won’t be so easy; they’ve been sheltered from the outside world for over a year! Can they survive with new horrors and monsters lying in wait around every corner? Or, will they become victims of their own nightmares?
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Table of Contents
Copyright © Jessica Ozment 2015
Prologue:
CHAPTER ONEONE YEAR LATER
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEENThe “NOW LEAVING ATLANTA, GEORGIA”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
EPOLOGUE
Special Thanks
Scarlet Memories (Book 2): Metamorphosis Page 17