Lost World

Kate L. Mary

Ebook
s are not transferrable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print without the author’s permission.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 by Kate L. Mary

Edited by Emily Teng

Cover art by
Jimmy Gibbs

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review

For
all those readers who think there isn’t enough

romance in zombie books.

Who says there can’t be love at the end of the world?

Acknowledgments

As always, thanks to my awesome friend, Erin Rose, who took time out of her busy life to be my first reader. I also want to throw a huge thank you out there to my beta reader, friend, and fellow New Adult author Jen Naumann. Thanks for offering to beta read, doing your fan girl dance when I sent you the file, not to mention all the gushing and tweeting you’ve done about this series. A special shout-out to Ginny Foss and Laura Johnsen for reading my proofs and helping me hunt down all those typos!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my editor, Emily Teng, for continuing to work with me and dealing with my indecisiveness about what I wanted done. As always, I value your hard work and love knowing that you actually like working on this series. Thanks also to Jimmy Gibbs for the cover art—yet again. I’ll be back!

As always, I need to thank all the readers and fans who are so excited and send me messages and emails dying to know when the next book comes out. It makes my day when I get them, so keep them coming. I’ll do my best to keep this series moving along if you keep buying them.

To my husband who puts up with my countless hours of editing and writing (even on the weekends), you are amazing! Thanks for the support and patience and picking up the slack with the kids when I’m rushing to finish what I’m working on. Also, thank you to my four wonderful children for letting me get work done when I need to.

And of course, I can’t write a zombie book without thanking Daryl Dixon and Robert Kirkman, and whole cast of
The Walking Dead
for making zombies so popular at just the right time. You guys all rock!

Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1- Vivian
Chapter 2- Vivian
Chapter 3- Vivian
Chapter 4- Vivian
Chapter 5- Hadley
Chapter 6- Vivian
Chapter 7- Vivian
Chapter 8- Hadley
Chapter 9- Vivian
Chapter 10- Hadley
Chapter 11- Vivian
Chapter 12- Hadley
Chapter 13- Vivian
Chapter 14- Vivian
Chapter 15- Hadley
Chapter 16- Vivian
Chapter 17- Hadley
Chapter 18- Hadley
Chapter 19- Ginny
Chapter 20- Vivian
Chapter 21- Ginny
Chapter 22- Ginny
Chapter 23-Vivian
Chapter 24- Vivian
Coming Soon
About the Author
Other Books
Playlist

1

ICY WIND WHIPS ACROSS THE FIELD, slamming into the brown grass and weeds in front of us. They’re tall, growing out of control, and they bow under the pressure of the cold breeze. I pull my jacket closer to my body when the gust hits me, wincing at the impact. It’s like being smacked in the face by a cold, angry fist. I hate winter.

“Is it supposed to be so cold this early in November?” I ask Axl as I hug myself tighter, trying to block the chilly air.

“Don’t got a clue,” he says. “Never left Tennessee ‘til all this started.”

His eyes never stop moving. Never stop surveying the area. After what happened in Vegas, he’s always on the lookout, and he’s been true to his word. He rarely lets me out of his sight.

I step behind a small group of bushes, trying my best to ignore the shivers shaking my body. My heart is pounding like crazy, but I should be calmer than this. There’s nothing around for miles. Open fields with tall grass and clumps of trees swaying in the wind. Mountains in the distance capped in white. But no houses. No cars or people other than our group. By the smell of things, no zombies either. This is how it’s been since we arrived in Colorado. Miles and miles of nothingness stretched out in front of us like the world just up and vanished. The towns aren’t clear, but the wilderness seems to be. It should help me relax, but it doesn’t. It has me more on edge than ever.

Axl’s gun is drawn when he turns his back to me. “I’ll keep a lookout.”

There’s no time to waste, so I drop my pants and squat. After weeks on the road I should be used to peeing out in the open, but I’m not. Within seconds the cool air has turned my ass to ice, and when the wind blows, pee splashes against my jeans. That should help the smell in the truck. As if it doesn’t stink enough already.

When I’m done, I don’t even bother taking the time to drip-dry. I’m shivering, and the longer I squat here the more likely I am to fall on my ass. It’s too cold and windy, and I already stink. What’s a little pee after all the shit we’ve been through? I yank my pants up and zip them just as Axl turns toward me. The corner of his mouth flips up, but it isn’t really a smile. There haven’t been a lot of those from him lately. Or from any of us, for that matter.

“My turn,” he says, tucking his gun away.

I exhale and watch the steam rise in front of me. The quilted flannel shirt I’m wearing isn’t thick enough to block out the wind, but I don’t want to give it up. It’s Axl’s. It reminds me of the time he took care of me when I was sick. When we first met, before the world had gone completely to shit. Before the dead started coming back. It’s a good memory, oddly enough. That was before I really knew him, but even then I had a feeling he was more than trailer trash. More than just a redneck. More than he gave himself credit for. That’s when I got my first glimpse of the goodness in Axl, and probably when I started to fall in love with him.

I pull the jacket tighter, crossing my arms and hugging it closer to my body. I’ll keep it forever if I have anything to say about it. Even if it is starting to smell pretty rank.

Axl doesn’t turn his back to me when he unzips his pants, and I exhale again. Steam rises up in front of me, then disappears. Carried on the wind.

“Must be nice to be able to whip it out like that,” I say.

He chuckles as I scan the deserted landscape in front of me. It’s so empty and quiet that the trickle of Axl’s pee almost echoes through the wilderness.

“Gotta say, sure am glad you can’t. I kinda like you the way you are.”

I shiver when a strong burst of wind whips across the field. My nipples could cut glass. “I think you’ve mentioned on more than one occasion exactly what you like about my body.”

He zips his jeans, and I turn to face him. When he smiles, it’s slow and easy, and only one side of his mouth turns up. The scar on his chin deepens, and I run my fingers over it. He kisses the tips when they reach his mouth.

“I like it all,” he says, pulling me against him.

I tuck my face into the crook of his neck as the wind swirls around us. He smells like sweat and dirt and the outdoors, and his skin is moist despite the cold. We’ve been on the road for so long none of us has had a chance to clean up lately. It would be nice to find a place where we could rest and gather ourselves. Lick our wounds after our losses in Vegas. At this point, my optimism is wearing so thin it’s like tissue paper, and I’m starting to wonder if there is such a place. It doesn’t seem like it.

“We need to find somewhere to stop, Axl. Soon.”

His cheek rubs against the top of my head when he nods. “I know.”

“Do you think there’s even a safe place out there for us?”

“We’re gonna try an’ find one. Someplace we can rest. Make a life. Be together.”

My eyes sting. I blink, but it doesn’t help, and before I know it the tears have escaped. Damn. I hate to cry, and I’ve had enough of it. After what happened in Vegas I feel like all I did for a while was cry. Cry from the memories and pain of losing friends. From the fear of losing Axl and maybe even a little bit of myself. I don’t want to go back to that person. Things are uncertain, but I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been.

I rub my face against Axl’s shirt to get rid of the tears, then pull back. The wind whips my blonde hair into my face, and when I run my fingers through it, I cringe. It’s stringy and greasy. Stiff. I need a bath and about a week of sleep. At this point, every move I make takes effort. I don’t know how Axl is still on his feet. He barely sleeps at all.

“Let’s take a break for once, okay? We’ll ride in the Sam’s truck and try to get some rest. Just be together.”

His stormy eyes hold mine for a second, then he nods and brushes the hair out of my face. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is,” I say, my throat so tight I can’t believe words are able to squeeze their way out. Everything we’ve been through, and just one look from him still gets to me. I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t met him. It’s something I don’t even like to think about, to be honest.

We head back to the group and find almost everyone outside stretching their legs. This is our first pit stop in several hours, and we’ve been cooped up in the truck for days. It’s been a while since we stopped somewhere to sleep and rest. Three weeks on the road, and the longest we’ve spent in one place was four nights. Every time we got even a little comfortable, something happened and we had to move. A horde or a group of people. Nothing feels safe anymore.

Hadley and Jon are shooting their bows, but even after all these weeks I’m not used to them being together. He was one of the men who grabbed us in Vegas, and after what happened to Hadley, I have to wonder how she can stand to be around him. It would be hard not to blame him.

Parvarti is with them, shooting her bow like she does every time we stop for more than a few minutes. She’s gotten good. Better than even Angus or Axl. She cut her dark hair short a couple weeks ago, saying she didn’t want to keep it long when she can’t wash it. She has a good point. The cut is uneven and jagged, but Parvarti wears a red bandana tied around her head so no one can tell. Not that it matters what her hair looks like anymore.

When Trey was killed saving Hadley and me, I wasn’t sure if Parvarti would pull through. It knocked her on the ass at first, but after the shelter fell, she changed. Started working with Axl so she could learn to shoot and hunt. Volunteered for runs. The little girl exterior melted away, and underneath she was a survivor. She’s impressed us all.

Winston is leaning against the Nissan, his arms crossed as he silently watches the group. Axl takes a place next to him, and the men nod at each other but don’t say anything. They communicate better through silence than most of us do using words. Sometimes I wonder if they can read each other’s minds.

“I’m going to check on Liz,” I tell Axl, heading to the back of the truck.

Jessica, Sophia, and Anne are with the little girl, so she isn’t in any danger of being neglected. But when Nathan was bitten in Vegas, I made a promise that I’d look out for his little girl, and I intend to keep it. Someone has to do it, and it sure as hell isn’t going to be her mom.

When I round the back, I almost bump into Angus and Darla. He has his tongue so far down her throat I’m surprised she can breathe, and his hand is under her shirt. Sometimes, I really wish we’d left her ass in Vegas. The two of them making out is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever had to see. It even tops the dead.

Angus pulls away from sucking my mom’s face and flashes me a grin that isn’t even a little charming. “Sorry, Blondie. Gotta get it in when we can.”

My stomach churns when Darla giggles. The schoolgirl bit doesn’t suit her. There’s nothing innocent or girly about this aging showgirl.

“Don’t mind me,” I say, forcing my way past them so I can climb inside the truck. At least they aren’t trying to screw in front of the kids. Again.

“So sensitive,” Darla says behind me. “Gets that from her daddy.”

I want to barf.

A few lanterns are on, lighting up the back of the truck and making it easier for me to see. The air is stuffy and stale, the perfumed scent of body spray and deodorant not quite strong enough to cover up the smell of unwashed bodies. Dirt, sweat, and body odor mix together to form a musky odor that almost makes my toes curl. I can’t get used to being unclean or being around so many people who haven’t washed.

Of course, it’s better than smelling like one of the dead.

Blankets and pillows and a few mattresses are spread out among the remaining supplies. Boxes form walls for privacy, but Jessica, Sophia, and Anne sit out in the open with the kids. Moira is with them. Kind of. She hasn’t really been anywhere since Nathan died.

We picked them up – along with their daughter, Liz – at Sam’s Club back when we made our first run into Vegas. I’ve never met a woman so dependent on her husband. When Nathan was still alive, Moira could go into hysterics just thinking about him leaving her sight. He went to Vegas with us anyway, only he didn’t make it back. A bite forced us to put him down. He didn’t even get to say goodbye, and Moira’s been a ghost ever since. If something happens to Liz, we’ll lose her mom for good.

“How’s it going?” I ask, kneeling next to the little girl.

Liz looks up at me with eyes that are so full of questions it makes my insides constrict painfully. She lost her dad and her mom’s become as vacant as one of the zombies. I can’t imagine what’s going on inside her head.

“She’s doing great,” Sophia says, patting the little girl’s leg. “Right, Liz?”

Liz doesn’t respond, and the silence is painful. Maybe this world is just too harsh for some people. I hate to even think that when we’ve been fighting so hard to live, but I can’t help it. Life is hard now, and some people might not be equipped for it.

Jake coughs, and I turn to find Anne frowning at the little boy. Even in the dark truck, his face looks pale. He shivers, and Anne pulls a blanket up to his chin, but it isn’t from the chilly air and we know it. His fever has been high for a couple days now.

“He isn’t getting any better,” Anne says, shaking her head.

Sophia pulls little Ava against her like if she can just hold her daughter close enough, she can protect her from catching the bug. There isn’t much you can do to protect your kids these days, though. I’m proof of that.

“We’ll check the next pharmacy we come to, but Joshua hasn’t had much luck with the last two places. They’ve all been pretty ransacked so far.” I pat her arm, but my words have no hope in them.