Affliction Z: Abandoned Hope (Post Apocalyptic Thriller) by L.T. Ryan Read Free Book Online

nearing the corner where she had to make
her turn. Two sets of footsteps faded while another closed the distance. She
reached the corner, reached out for the rough brick edge of the three story
historical building and used it to propel herself around. As she did so, she
took a quick look over her left shoulder. The guy was within twenty feet of
her.
    Addison surveyed the street in front of her. Empty, mostly.
She could run here without drawing additional unwanted attention to herself.
    And so she did.
    As did the guy behind her once he turned the corner.
    His footsteps fell behind her at a more rapid pace than her
own. Using the large glass window to her left as a mirror, she determined he’d
nearly caught up to her.
    Time for plan b , she thought.
    Except she had no plan other than run. So she picked up her
pace. The guy grunted and shouted something she couldn’t quite make out. A few
seconds later she felt his fingertips brush against her shoulder blade.
    Knowing that he’d have her in a couple seconds, she drew her
arms in and let them go slack. Her backpack slipped off her shoulders and hit
the ground with a thump. She’d hesitated to release it, but the weight had been
slowing her down. Besides, she didn’t need the contents of it anymore. College
was over.
    The guy must have been too close to avoid the bag. She heard
him trip over it and hit the ground. The urge to look back was great. Her will
to live was greater. She pressed on, sprinting full speed. The apartment
complex was in view. She thought she saw a man from her building walking his
dog. He disappeared behind a dumpster. Addison tried to call out. The searing
pain in her lungs from running so hard for so long prevented her from doing so.
    The guy behind her yelled something that sounded like, “I’m
gonna kill you,” but Addison couldn’t be one hundred percent sure. His rough
voice made it seem he’d become as winded as her.
    To her right, an older man leaned back against a building
across the street. He sort of waved at her while watching the chase, extending
a single finger in her direction. Any effort to help would have been
appreciated. But he didn’t do anything except wince, and then turn around.
    A moment later, a hand fell onto Addison’s shoulder. The guy
matched her pace for a few seconds. His grip tightened. She felt herself pulled
back and to the right. The lower half of her body continued forward, while her
head and torso jerked backward. Just as she felt like she was going to topple
over, the guy’s other hand hit her in the middle of the back, preventing her
from falling.
    He pulled her upright and then shoved her forward. A few
steps later, they stood outside of a darkened alley. She glanced to her right.
The older guy had disappeared. She looked forward, scanning the parking lot of
her apartment complex. The dog walker had not returned.
    Addison’s eyes grew wet. Fear, anger and pain flooded all of
her senses.
    “Turn,” he said.
    She complied. The temperature dropped a good fifteen degrees
in the covered alley. Her sweat soaked shirt clung to her body, sending goose
bumps up and down her arms and legs and sides. The humidity was a bitch today.
    “Go to the end,” he said.
    She did as he instructed. They’d have to stop at the end.
Then he’d want something. And if she gave the impression that she’d give it, he’d
let his guard down.
    Facing away from him, Addison walked slowly and deliberately
to the end of the alley. She stopped, turned and backed up until her butt
touched the wall. Condensation fell from a window AC unit above her head. It
splashed on her cheek, followed the curve to her lips, then dripped down her
chin. Despite the intense thirst and burning in her throat, she ignored the
water and let it fall to her chest.
    “Take off your shirt,” he said.
    She studied him for a moment. Up close, he looked taller and
skinnier. There wasn’t much muscle mass to his frame, although she knew not to
let that cloud