Mass Extinction Event: The Complete Third Series (Days 46 to 53) by Amy Cross Read Free Book Online

getting some kind of fungus or infection if I ended up with too much sweat between my toes."
    I pause for a moment, surprised by myself.
    "Do you work for hire?" he asks. "These are way better than anything I've got."
    "Sorry," I reply, taking the shoe back from him and placing it on the floor. "I don't think I've got time." Slipping my feet into the shoes, I lace them up and then finally I stand, only to find that the extra soles have added a good two or three inches to my height, bringing me almost up to Toad's eye level. I can't help but feel that this is at least a little symbolic.
    "Impressive," he says with a smile. "How does it feel to walk on them?"
    I turn and make my way across the kitchen, and although the shoes are undeniably a little wobbly, I figure I'll get used to them. It's odd being taller, and I almost walk straight into a set of pans hanging on the wall. Stopping, I turn back to look at Toad and I can see from his expression that he's genuinely impressed. The truth is, I was determined to show him that I can take care of myself, so I guess it's a job well done.
    "The weather's not looking good," he says, turning and heading over to the window. "There's rain coming."
    "What does that mean?" I ask.
    "It means water will fall from the sky," he replies with a faint smile. "On a more practical level, it means we might have to delay the start of our journey. I know we're going to have to deal with bad weather along the way, but we can at least wait until it clears up before we set off. If it hasn't passed by the middle of the day, we're probably better off waiting until tomorrow." He glances over at me. "It wouldn't hurt to be better-prepared, either. We could fix the bags up a little stronger, maybe rethink the food we're taking. Even the slightest mistake could -"
    "You don't have to lecture me again," I reply, interrupting him. "I know we're not just going out for a walk in the country. It's going to be hard, it's going to be tiring, and we might not even make it. Before all of this started, the most I ever walked was from the front door of our building to the bus stop. I'm still a little unfit, but it's not going to hold us back. I can do this."
    "I know you can," he replies. "Don't take this the wrong way, Elizabeth, but if I really thought you were gonna hold me back..."
    I wait for him to finish.
    "You'd leave me behind?" I ask.
    "I'd have to think about it," he replies.
    "I'd do the same," I tell him, even though I'm not sure it's true. "It's every man for himself right now."
    "So what about that baby?" he asks.
    "What about her?"
    "She definitely will slow us down," he continues. "Do you really think it's a good idea to take her with us?"
    "What's the alternative?" I ask. "Leave her here to die?"
    "I'm just saying, taking her with us is definitely not a good use of resources." He pauses. "Then again, I guess we need to keep a little bit of our humanity, huh?"
    "I'll look after her," I tell him. "I'll do it all, and we'll still be faster than you."
    "I went to check the pit this morning," he replies with a smile. "You did a good job out there. There's nothing left but a few burned bones." He pauses for a moment. "So who do you think it was?"
    "What do you mean?" I ask.
    "If someone in the house was infected," he continues, "who was it? We never found out. I don't think it was Patricia or Erikson, or Shauna, which means it must have been Bridger or Thor. I just wish I knew for certain."
    "It doesn't matter now," I point out. "They're all dead."
    "But none of them really seemed to be acting differently," he replies. "That's what worries me about the whole thing. I want to believe that I could tell if someone had changed like that, but I don't. I mean, right now, I can't even be sure that it wasn't you, and you can't be sure it wasn't me."
    I pause for a moment, wondering whether to mention my concerns about Rachel. I keep replaying that moment over and over in my mind, trying to work out whether the look on