Contagious by Emily Goodwin Read Free Book Online Page A

had proper weapons. There were just too freaking many.
    “ This way!” Padraic suggested, jogging ahead. Still holding the brain covered brick, I followed. We blindly crashed down the hall, hearts racing. Padraic stopped suddenly and I bumped into him. “Shh!” he said, instantly irritating me. I wasn’t making a sound. His shushing was highly unnecessary. I pushed past him as if that would help me see into the darkness. Something sizzled behind me. With a pop, a match blazed alive. Logan held it up, casting the flickering light around us. The match only stayed lit long enough to momentarily illuminate the face of a half mad woman. She babbled incoherently, repeatedly walking into the wall. She hid from the light, retreating away.
    No one moved. I held my breath, hating for how loudly it escaped from my lungs. Terror pulsed through my body. I couldn’t help the tremors that took over. With hands just as shaky, Logan lit another match. The woman was gone.
    “ Maybe she’s gone for good,” I suggested quietly, knowing it wasn’t true. “Let’s keep going.”
    “ Where are we going?” Padraic asked, his hand finding its way into mine. I gripped his fingers tightly, trying to will the shakiness from my muscles.
    “ We need out,” I said. Then the match burned out. When Logan stuck another, the woman was behind Deron. “Look out!” I cried, pulling my hand from Padraic’s. I was fast; she was faster. She wrapped her arms around Deron’s neck and sunk her teeth into his skin. He yelled and staggered back. She released and clamped down again, blood spurting out of the first wound. Padraic grabbed my hand again.
    “ She severed an artery; there’s no way…” he cut off. There’s no way Deron can live was what he meant.
    “ Come on!” I shouted, racing forward in the darkness. I tripped over God knows what, falling hard on my knees. “Mother fucker!” I loudly swore.
    “ Orissa?” a frail voice called.
    “ Zoe!” I shouted back.
    “ I got her!” someone, presumably Jason, yelled back.
    “ Where are you?” I asked, cursing myself for not grabbing a flashlight. “Don’t move, just keep talking and I’ll follow your voice.”
    Padraic—or at least I thought it was Padraic—helped me up. I took hold of his wrist. “Hold onto each other,” I instructed, not wanting to get separated. “Jason,” I called. “Talk to me.”
    “ Ok.”
    “ I mean keep talking. Talk until I find you.” Or until a zombie eats your brains.
    “ We are in the basement. It’s dark. Uh, and cold.”His voice grew louder.
    “ Keep talking,” I instructed.
    “ I don’t know what to say.”
    “ Tell me how you ended up here,” I quickly responded, saying the first thing that popped into my mind.
    “ Sonja and I came here with our mom. She had a headache and…”
    “ Never mind, what’s your favorite sport?”
    “ Football. I like the Colts.”
    Finally, I felt body heat. My fingers touched warm flesh. I was almost afraid to ask.
    “ Orissa?” Sonja whimpered.
    “ Yeah. Grab onto me.”
    “ Orissa!” Zoe cried.
    Thank God, I let out a breath of relief. “Ok, everyone needs to be really, really quiet,” I directed. “Logan, got any more matches?”
    “ Just three,” he told me.
    “ Turn—everyone. Then light one.”
    The match fizzed. For now, we were alone in the hall. Along with Zoe, Hilary and another young girl made it out of the safe room. I took the lead, finding my brick and holding it up, ready for a fight. I could hear the shuffling and moaning of the zombies as we darted around a corner. The girl coughed loudly and wheezed. Great, we had a sick asthmatic with a cough loud enough to wake the dead. Literally.
    The zombies’ pace quickened. The girl doubled over, unable to catch her breath. The second to last match faded to its end just in time for me to see Padraic pick her up and toss her over his shoulder. Logan struck the last match; if we didn’t find the hall with the stairs soon we