The Infected (Book 3): Nightfall Read Online Free

ride. Thank God
Leon was skilled at acquiring vehicles that didn’t belong to him. They needed
to find a four-wheel-drive truck and bring it back to the house. Get it fully
gassed and ready to go. That way they could hit the road full throttle in a
pinch. Leon was back with another full glass and Karen went right to work emptying
it. This time she didn’t guzzle it down. She sipped at it and looked at the
chicken coop into her mother’s backyard.
    The idea had taken full
form and the “Hows” that needed the most answering had come to Karen. Her
glutes were begging her to get up off the hardwood floor. Her butt had gone
numb.
    “Can you help me up?” Her
voice was clearer than before and she raised both of her arms. Leon took hold
of them and raised her to her feet. She continued to sip her water as she
stretched out her back.
    “How handy are you?” Karen
asked Leon.
    “Pretty handy. Why?” he
answered as his brow narrowed. He wondered where she was going with that question.
    “Mama has-” Karen choked
on the word and took a moment to gather herself. “There’s a ton of lumber in
the garage. We can use it to block up these windows.”
    “Okay, that’s good. What
about them?” Leon pointed out the sliding glass door.  
    Karen pulled the Ruger out
of its holster.
    “Okay, we have to make it
quick before more of those things show up,” Leon said as he reached for the
gun.
    “No.” Karen held the
pistol close to her chest. “I have to do this.”
    “You’re right. What do you
want me to do?” Leon crossed his arms and pivoted so that he was standing
shoulder to shoulder with Karen as they looked out the back door.
    “Can you hold the door
open a crack… just enough for the barrel to poke out?” The tears had started to
fall again. Karen felt her body shake. This was it. When she pulls that trigger
her Mama would be truly gone. Was she sure that there was no cure? Even if
there was a cure how the hell would she get her Mama to the doctors without
getting bitten herself? She knew the answer to all of these questions but her
mind was stalling. It was still fighting the reality. Her sweet Mama was gone
forever. The gun almost vibrated out of her good hand as she stepped closer to
the back door.
    Leon moved into position
so that he could jam his foot into the runner of the sliding glass door and
keep the beasts from pulling it open. Karen checked the magazine in her gun.
She knew that it was full, she was stalling.
    Maybe if I wait long
enough I won’t have to do it.
    Maybe Mama will walk
away from the door.
    The thought of her Mama
walking the streets of the neighborhood, killing innocent people, tearing
families apart, ripping the flesh from someone’s bones and destroying another
life was too much. She could not let that happen. Penny would rather be killed
than ever hurt an innocent person. Karen knew that as a fact. She took another
step closer to the door and clicked off the safety.
    Her Mama always had her
back. No matter what. When Karen was a child and she had done something wrong
and was about to get into trouble she would stretch the truth to her Mama. Just
a little fib. No matter what she had done or how much she had stretched the
truth Penny always believed her. She always had her baby’s side.
    One time Penny had taken
off for the weekend to visit her parents. Karen was a senior in high school and
had been left home alone for the first time. Penny had an argument with her own
mother that day and she decided to come home early. When she pulled up to her
house it was pretty obvious what was going on. Parked cars lined the street.
Music poured from the open windows and a steady stream of teens were coming and
going out the front door. Penny pulled out her cell phone and called the house.
She heard the music cut off from her car and then Karen answered the call.
    “Hello sweetheart how are
you doing? I was just checking in on you before I go to bed.” Penny’s
performance was