Trepidation (34 page)

Sobbing, she ran over to me and hugged me tightly.

I still hoped my mind wasn’t conjuring her up, a side effect of the valium. “Is this...are you real?”

“It’s real, Dean. I’m here, and I won’t ever leave you again. Being back here with you guys is a dream come true. Thank you for not giving up on me.”

My heart pounded as I kissed her. A tear slipped down my face as emotion consumed me. I had so many questions, but they could all wait.

Beyond the fact that we had Jackie back, there was more good news: There really was a cure, and even though Charlie’s vials had been destroyed, there was still hope to fix the serum. We just had to find a scientist brilliant enough to come up with the missing part of the equation, but we now had the advantage of knowing it could be done. Charlie had the power to save those hybrids who so desperately wanted their humanity back, but he refused to afford them that chance. He preferred to selfishly manipulate them, to play God, to use them for his own power- and glory-hungry agenda. Charlie used them for his own personal gain and in the end they were expendable. He wanted Max and Z out of the picture so he could take control and use the people of Fairport as his own personal livestock, so he could perform those sick experiments. Charlie wanted to save the world, at all costs. I was sure Jonathon never would have led us to Fairport had he known Charlie’s true intentions, but I was sure no one knew just how screwed up that lab coat-wearing freak really was.

Still, even after all we’d been through, I didn’t regret coming to Fairport. Jackie was cured, and that was the most important thing.

She held up her hand to show me that the class ring I’d given her adorned her finger. Val had found in the lab and had brought it back to the house, but never in a million years would I have thought she’d wear it again.

“Jackie...” I said.

“Yeah, baby?”

“There’s something...well, I shoulda told you a long time ago. I regret that I didn’t.”

She gazed deeply into my eyes, melting me with her gaze. “And what’s that?”

“I-I love you,” I said with heartfelt intensity.

She smiled. “I know, Dean Walters, and I love you too. I have since the second we kissed in that freezing-cold lake.”

I held her tightly in my arms, never wanting to let go.

I didn’t know what our next step was. It was winter, much too treacherous to travel. The town would rebuild, and Fairport would once again be a safe haven for survivors. Thanks to its unique, invisible zombie shield, it was one of the best places to live until we got our world back. I loved the people there, and it would be difficult to say goodbye when we did have to leave, but I was anxious to get back to my family on the island.

Val saw things a bit differently and had mentioned more than once that Fairport was the safest, best place to wait out the zombie apocalypse. I assumed a lot of that had to do with Max, but she insisted that it was just because the journey would be too dangerous. I couldn’t blame her for that; after all, she’d been bitten on her first attempt to head to the island, and I was sure that had left a bitter taste in her mouth. Looking on the bright side, though, she was now immune to bites and wouldn’t ever have to worry about that again. I couldn’t say the same for most of us.

I wasn’t sure what the future held. All I did know was that Jackie was back in my arms, and I wouldn’t risk her life by taking her to the island where authorities had doomed Val. I’d have to take her to a different island, and I was sure my mom, dad, grandmother, and everyone else would join me wherever I went. I still held out hope that we could enjoy a normal, zombie-free life, and I would never take it for granted again.

Now, we just had to get back...and I knew that would be easier said than done.

To be continued in Book 8: Impact

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Link to Trepidation:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IC7E5ZE

UK Link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IC7E5ZE

NOTE:

When Val came to after being shot, she called for characters you’ve never met. (Kyle, Sammy, and Jenny) You can meet them now! Meet the characters that traveled with Val on her journey to the island in:

Val – Prequel to The Zombie Chronicles

What happened to Val’s friends? How was Val bitten? Why did she leave Philadelphia?

Here’s a sneak peek at the prequel to The Zombie Chronicles in Val
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mp43Ml4hvE