Chloe Zombie Apocalypse series (Book 3): Chloe (A New World) by Ryan Casey Read Free Book Online

Heard someone—probably Garth—shout out at her. She didn’t want to look back. Didn’t want to see how close he was to her.
    She just wanted to keep on going.
    She saw the cabin up ahead. Held onto Kesha even harder. She skipped between a few of the tents, keeping herself low to try and escape Garth’s vision. She worked her way around to the front of the cabin. Stopped right by it. Tried to grab the handle and open it while Kesha was still in her arm.
    She couldn’t. She had to put Kesha down.
    She didn’t want to. But she had to.
    She lowered Kesha down to the muddy ground. Heard the footsteps getting nearer to the cabin. She reached for the handle. Turned it.
    It didn’t budge.
    Her body sunk. She tried the door again. It had to open. One way or another, it just had to open.
    But no matter how much she turned that handle, the door just wouldn’t budge. No matter how much she wanted to get into this cabin, into that tunnel, she couldn’t find a way.
    She heard Garth’s footsteps around to the left of the cabin. Crouched down. Grabbed Kesha and stepped around the left of it. It was only a small cabin, so any noise and he’d know exactly where she was.
    She crept around the side of the cabin. Rain lashed down now, making mud form at her feet. She didn’t want to slip. Didn’t want to tumble into the dirt. She didn’t want Kesha to make a noise. He’d kill her. She saw that clearly now. He’d kill her and he’d—
    Chloë felt the weight of Kesha’s body shifting on her arm.
    The next thing that happened didn’t even seem real.
    Kesha fell. Fell out of Chloë’s arm. Fell towards the ground below.
    Chloë watched her fall. It happened in slow motion.
    Kesha was falling.
    She’d dropped Kesha.
    She threw herself down. Didn’t care about the noise she made, not anymore.
    She managed to soften Kesha’s fall. The weight of her body fell onto her arm.
    She clenched her teeth together. She knew Garth would be onto her soon. She knew he’d be around here to put a bullet in her head. He’d just killed those babies back at the nursery, so Chloë had no doubts over whether he’d hesitate to kill her or not, not anymore.
    And then he’d take Kesha and he’d… well. She didn’t know.
    She just knew that for some reason, Margery wanted Kesha protecting.
    For some reason, Kesha was different.
    Chloë was about to crawl away when she saw the small gap underneath the cabin.
    She pushed Kesha towards it. Pushed Kesha into the darkness. Footsteps got closer. Garth’s shadow appeared around the corner.
    And then Chloë squeezed under it herself. Forced herself into the darkness of the cabin. Heart racing. Chest tightening.
    She was so close to getting into the cabin when she felt her shoe stick by the door.
    She pulled. Tried everything she could to pull it in. But it was caught. The lace was tangled up around the wood.
    She reached towards it. Untied it. Garth so close to turning the corner.
    And then she pulled her foot out of it.
    Fell back.
    Left the shoe out there.
    She saw Garth step around the corner of the cabin. Saw him stand still. Look towards the shoe.
    She held her breath as he walked up to it. Lifted it. He didn’t do anything for a moment. And then he threw it back into the mud, this time far out of Chloë’s reach.
    Chloë waited until he’d walked off. Waited, completely still.
    And then she turned around and looked at the hatch.
    It was small. Just a metal handle and a narrow doorway. She went over to it. Dragged it open. And then she looked down the ladder. Stared into the darkness.
    She looked back at the gap that led out onto the island. She wanted to go back. She wanted to know her dad was okay. She wanted to be back with him, just the two of them, together on this island that’d been so good for so long.
    But she knew she couldn’t.
    She knew it was too late for that.
    There was only one way she could go now.
    She held her breath. Looked at Kesha.
    And then she tied her into the front