Find Me (Life After the Outbreak, Book 2) by LJ Baker

tears.
    I unclasped the dog tags Janet gave me when I signed up for the training program and slipped the ring onto the chain. The cold metal sat against my chest and reminded me that none of it was a dream. All the awful things I worried about, the things everyone told me were silly to worry about, may very well be true. I climbed back on the bed and wrapped the blanket around me. It still smelled of   Will, and I wasn’t sure if I found that to be comforting or more painful. Or maybe a little of both.
    I leaned back against the pillows and listened to the pounding of my heart against my chest. It told me that I was still alive, despite the numbness that spread over me from the growing hole in my chest that threatened to swallow my heart whole.  

Chapter Nine

    I slept through both the morning wake up bell, as well as the breakfast bell. The bell that signaled the end of breakfast woke me with a start, and I jumped out of bed so fast I nearly fell over my own feet. I tossed and turned all night, not even falling asleep for hours after I got in bed. It was hard not to think Will was dead, or something like dead. By the time the sky started to pink up from the start of sunrise, I convinced myself he was alive and there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the ring making it back without him. By the time that last bell went off and I made it to my feet, my hope was fading fast.  
    The truth was, the second he drove through that gate, I felt like it would be the last time I’d see him. I didn’t want to believe he was dead, but I couldn’t help at least thinking the odds were against him. Either way though, I had to know. If Will was alive, I needed to find him, to know how he lost that ring. If he was dead, or not quite dead, he needed to be put to rest. The idea that Will could be out there somewhere, mindless wandering, focused on his next human meal, caused me more pain than the idea of him being dead in the first place. I had to know.  
    I thought a lot about what Hadley said. Sure, she was probably a little crazy, but that didn't mean she wasn't right. Maybe I did need to go on a journey. The first thing I needed to do was talk to Janet. I had to show her the ring and see what she thought. Maybe she would be able to shed some light on how it got back without him, or what the next step should be.  
    After I threw on some clothes and brushed my teeth, I ran down to the training area, hoping to catch Janet before the other girls arrived. Debbie and Donna were meandering up the hill when I dashed past them. They snickered and yelled something I wasn't paying attention to. They were insignificant at that moment, and I didn't care what they had to say.  
    Janet was setting up some targets by the time I got up there, and she smiled when she saw me running over.
    "Nice to see you enthusiastic to get started, for a change."
    "I wanted to talk to you before everyone got here." I pulled the ring from under my t-shirt collar and held it out to her.
    "What's that?" She raised an eyebrow as she looked over the ring.  
    "It's Will's. Look at the inscription. You know he never takes that off. Janet, something must have happened to him. I think we should go out and look for him. He might need help."
    "Andi, calm down. There could be a hundred reasons why Will isn't wearing that ring. How did you get it if he never takes it off?" She put her hand on my shoulder to sooth me, but it wasn't working.
    "No." I pushed her hand away. "There can't be a hundred reasons. Hadley got it from one of the soldiers who just got back. She wasn't sure which one, but I was thinking you might be able to find out since you know some of them. Maybe you could have them ask around and figure out which one it was so we could see if he knows something, at least where Will was last seen." I was talking too fast and I tried to catch my breath.
    Janet put both hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. "Will is okay. I don't know how he lost that