Live Another Day by Baileigh Higgins (reading in the dark .txt) 📗

swift move, he pulled his rifle from his back and shot it through the head. With its brains splattered all over the field, he looked at it.

It was a fresh corpse with a bullet wound to the chest that had bled a lot and bite mark on the shoulder. One of Ke Tau's. Bitten before he got shot.

Dismissing the zombie, he turned toward the bleeding Nadia and gathered her into his arms.“I need a doctor right now!”

Jonathan rushed over, followed by Dr. Lange, and he quickly assessed the bite wound. He looked up at Logan with resignation. “I can make her as comfortable as possible, but you know what this means. She’s infected, and in time, she’ll turn.”

Logan shook his head. “She won’t turn.”

“I understand how you feel, but she’s infected.”

“She’s a carrier,” Logan burst out. “She was infected months ago already. The virus can’t kill her.”

Jonathan stared at him. “You’re sure of this?”

“She carries the bite mark on her shoulder.”

“I see. That changes things, but we’ll still have to take precautions.”

“Yes, yes, just help her all right?” Logan pointed a finger at him. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

Dr. Lange cleared his throat. “If what you say is true, then this girl is the most precious being in the world right now. I’ll personally make sure no harm comes to her.”

Logan nodded after a long moment, somewhat mollified by his assurances. Then he looked down at Nadia. “How are you feeling, sunshine?”

“Like shit,” she said with a tremulous smile.

“We’re taking her now, Logan. We need to stitch her up before she loses too much blood.”

Nadia reached out with her good hand. “Stay.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll be right here. I won’t leave.” He winked. “I made a promise, remember?”

“I remember.”

They wheeled her away, and he sank down on the nearest chair to keep his promise. “Don’t worry. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Epilogue - Nadia

Nadia woke up in a bed with crisp, clean sheets that smelled of lemon and disinfectant. Her muscles felt languid, and her eyes were gummy from too much sleep. She blinked and focused on the three faces hovering next to her bed. Logan, Donya, and Caleb.

She smiled. “Hiya, guys.”

All three jumped to attention, but Logan commanded her bedside. “How are you feeling today, sunshine?”

“I’m good.” She blinked a few more times as her memories of the past few days flooded back. “Aw, man. I got bit again, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did, and it was a very stu…” Logan glanced at Donya, “heroic thing you did.”

“Yes, I wanted to thank you for saving my life, Nadia. I owe you one, and I’m sorry for all the things I said before,” Donya said while looking ashamed.

“It’s okay. You had reason to be mad.”

Logan rolled his eyes but refrained from commenting.

“I hope we can be friends.”

“Besties,” Nadia said, ignoring Logan’s snort of disgust. “Did you find your family?”

Donya shook her head. “They’re gone. Martin took me yesterday, but I couldn't find them.”

“I’m sorry.” Nadia lifted her bandaged arm and winced when sharp pains shot up to her shoulder. “Am I okay? Is the arm good?”

“He took quite a chunk out of you, but luckily it was only flesh so you’ll have full use of your arm,” Logan said. “You got a nasty infection, though.”

“Oh, thank God.” Her head fell back onto the pillow. “So I’m still immune?”

“Still immune.”

“Still a carrier?” She shot Caleb a hopeful glance.

“Sorry,” he said with an apologetic shrug.

“Damn.”

“Good news is, there’s a scientist here who thinks he can make a vaccine from your blood given enough time,” Donya piped up with bright optimism.

“Really?” Nadia stared up at the ceiling as thoughts of a possible future with Caleb filled her mind. Kissing, hugging...lovemaking. Her cheeks burned at the thought, but suddenly, the world seemed a little bit brighter. “That’s wonderful.”

“Well, time for you to rest. Doctor’s orders," Logan said with brisk impatience.

“Wait. Can Caleb stay a little while?” she pleaded.

“Him, really?” Logan asked with obvious hostility.

She grinned. “Really.”

“You know he’s not good enough for you,” Logan grumbled as he stalked out.

“No one is,” Caleb moaned once he was gone.

“That’s Logan for you, but tell me what happened after the fight. How long was I out?”

“You’ve been out three days, and a lot has happened since then.”

“Like?”

“Well, Martin and Max cleared out the last of Ke Tau’s men in town. They’re gone, and a lot of their old captives stay here now.”

“What else?”

“Martin’s going home soon. So is Josh and Jed, but they plan on opening a trade route. Martin's sending consignment of food and supplies first thing as a sign of good faith.”

“What about the Bloemfontein thing?”

“They’re still deciding on that. Most lean towards sending an envoy there, but others are against it. Suspicious and all that.”

“And you? What are your plans?”

“Me?” He gave her a slow smile that caused her stomach to do handstands. “I’m staying right here with you until we have a vaccine.”

“You mean that?”

Caleb nodded and gripped her fingers. “You’ve got a home in me, Nadia. Forever.”

Home. The word had a nice ring to it, and for the first time in her life, Nadia felt utterly at peace.

THE END

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Author's Note

So we've reached the end of Last Another Day but not the end of the adventure. Would you like to find out what happens to Logan, Breytenbach, and the others next? I'm sure you're burning to find out. If you still need convincing, then turn the page for a sneak peek at both Survive Another Day, and Die Another Day.

If you'd like to learn more about my books in general, see upcoming projects, and get clued in on new releases, just