Jenny Undead (The Thirteen: Book One) by J.L. Murray Read Free Book Online Page B

“You're
not really one of us are you?”
    “No,” Jenny said after a long
pause.
    Lily sat on her cot, carefully avoiding the sick
on the floor. “What's going to happen to you?”
    “They'll probably kick me out in the
morning,” Jenny said, hoping it was true. Hoping that was all
that would happen to her.
    “I don't want you to go,” Lily said,
her voice so soft Jenny barely heard it.
    Jenny stepped over and sat down next to her.
“Come with me, Lily,” she said. “You don't have
to live like this. There are other ways. No one will mess with you.
I can protect you. My friends can protect you.”
    “No one can protect me now,” she
said, her voice a monotone. “The damage is done.”
    “What do you mean?” Jenny said.
“No one thinks like that. Not out there.”
    Lily looked at her. Even in the dim light Jenny
could see that something was wrong. “I'm with child,”
she said. “I can never leave.”
    “That's stupid,” Jenny said.
“Of course you can leave.”
    “And raise my child out there?” she
said. “With the undead around every corner?”
    “Better than down here,” Jenny said.
“What if you have a girl? How old will she be before Joshua
does the same thing to her?”
    Lily put a shaking hand over her mouth.
“God has abandoned me,” she breathed.
    Jenny put an awkward arm around her. “No,
Lily. God is telling you it's time to fight back. There's a better
life somewhere else.”
    “A life of sin,” she said, her voice
thick with tears. “Is that how you live?”
    “Jesus loved sinners,” Jenny said.
Lily laughed through her tears. After a few minutes, she had cried
herself out. They sat in silence for a while. “Lily?”
Jenny said. “Do you know what's in the subway
cars?”
    The girl went rigid. She didn't look at her.
“Subway cars?” Lily said.
    “On the other side of the tarp,”
Jenny said. “What's over there?”
    “Why?” Lily said, her voice
cold.
    “I'm looking for someone,” Jenny
said. “Someone told me he came here, and I think he might be
in the subway cars.”
    “If this someone is in the subway
cars,” she said softly, “then only God can help him.
And God isn't helping anyone any more.” Jenny felt her let
out a shuddering sigh. “I think I'd like to go to sleep
now.”
    “Okay, Lily,” Jenny said.
    “If you're not here in the morning,”
she said, without looking at her. “I'll understand.
But...” she swallowed hard. “I'm glad I met you. And I
wish you could stay.”
    “Thank you,” Jenny took her arm from
around Lily's shoulders and slowly rose. Her limbs felt weak and
wobbly. She told herself it was from the adrenaline of finally
smacking Joshua around. But she suspected it had more to do with
Lily. She lay down on her cot fully-clothed. Her hand throbbed as
she waited for everyone to fall asleep.

SIX
    Time creeped by. It seemed to take a very long
time for the encampment to settle down this night. When the men and
women did head for their own living spaces, they slowed as they
passed, peering in at Jenny curiously. Jenny could see the
silhouette of a man up on the platform outside her door. One of
Joshua's friends. That was a problem. Jenny couldn't fight everyone
in the compound. She was pretty sure that at least one of the men
would be better at fighting than Joshua. There wasn't anything for
it, though. She'd just have to wait. Hopefully he'd leave and she
could make her exit.
    Jenny looked over at the dark lump that was
Lily. She felt an almost painful stab of guilt, deep in her gut.
She couldn't make Lily leave, and Jenny couldn't – and
wouldn't – stay. Jenny sniffed and looked towards the doorway
again. The man was gone, or out of sight from Jenny's view. She
strained to listen.
    It was growing quiet. Lamps were being
extinguished. Jenny could hear the squeak of the knobs that
adjusted the wicks as, one by one, people put out their lights. She
heard men talking somewhere towards the cooking area. Occasionally
a voice would