Love & the Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1, Zombie Apocalypse Trilogy) by Chelsea Bellingeri

forehead. “I’ll give you some time with her.” 
    Selena nodded.  Tears streamed down her pretty face. 
    Rachel watched them from a stool.  Adam held up the first aid-kit.  “Let’s take care of your arm.”
    “Do you have antibiotics for Rachel, too?”  Cage appeared out of nowhere. 
    “ Sure do.” Adam rummaged through the glass vials.   
    Rachel winced as Cage unraveled the bloody bandage from her arm.  The gash was swollen and showing signs of early infection.  Nothing, of course, compared to Vivienne’s zombie wound, but still dangerous.  Adam cleaned Rachel’s forearm with peroxide.  Tiny bubbles fizzed around the bite mark.  The bleeding had stopped, but the wound looked incredibly painful.
    “What are those lines?”  Cage pointed to Rachel’s arm.
    “The very early stages of an infection from bacteria,” Adam said. 
    Rachel didn’t react, but Cage looked sharply at him.  “Will she be okay?”
    Adam filled a syringe with clear liquid.  “A few doses of antibiotics over the next twenty-four hours should clear it up.”  He tapped the syringe to make sure there weren’t any bubbles. He aimed the needle above the bite and watched as the antibiotics flushed into her system. 
    Nicky peered over them.  “That’s gross.”
    Rachel frowned.
    “Nee dles freak me out.” Nicky looked at Rachel.  “What?  Do you think because I did a little time for breaking and entering a few years ago that I do drugs?”
    Rachel’s eyebrow lifted.  “ I haven’t said a word.  But you’re telling me that you’ve never done drugs before?”
    “I didn’t say that.  Just not the hard stuff.  Only the soft stuff every now and then.”
    “Only recreational drugs, right?”  Rachel smiled.
    “ Don’t knock it.  I dare you to admit that you’d turn down a joint-”
    Adam cleared his throat.  “Don’t corrupt the kids.”
    Nicky tapped his chest.  “Me?”
    Cage pointed to Rachel’s arm.  “Does she need anything else?”
    “That’s it for now,” Adam said.  “We’ll give her a second dose of antibiotics tomorrow.  Make sure to keep it clean and bandaged.”
    “Thank you,” Rachel said.
    “Don’t thank me, thank the emergency first aid course the fire department made me take last summer.” Adam rubbed his head.  He had a monster headache. 
    “W hat’s the plan now?”  Cage asked.
    “T here’s food in the kitchen and showers upstairs.  I say we eat, get clean and rest up.  We can head to your place in the morning,” Adam said. 
    Rachel head snapped up.
    “Tomorrow?” Cage asked.
    “We can’t move Vivienne, not in the state she’s in now.  Unfortunately, there aren’t any extra vehicles here or I’d give you one,” Adam said.  “I thought there’d be more people at the station.  I didn’t plan on the place being abandoned.”
    “I understand,” Cage said. 
    “You said there were showers?”  Rachel looked down at herself.  Splatters of blood covered her arms and tank top.   
    “The men’s locker room is u pstairs at the end of the hallway,” Adam said.  “The showers are in the back.”
    “I could kiss you,” Rachel said, surprisingly.  She patted Adam on the arm. 
    Cage’s eyes followed Rachel as she hopped off the stool and headed upstairs.  Adam nudged Cage in the shoulder.  “Man, you’ve got it bad for her.”
    “Told you,” Nicky said. 
    Cage’s cheeks flushed.
    “Come on, Quarterback. ” Adam put his hand on Cage’s shoulder.  “Let’s see if we can find a news station.”
    They went to the seating area and Adam pointed to the desk near the entrance.  “Cage, maybe you can find something on that laptop -”
    A chill ran up Adam’s spine as the bloodcurdling scream filled the fire station.
    Rachel.
     
     

 
    Chapter Twelve
     
    Cag e reacted before anyone else.  One second, he was reaching for the remote control to find a news station on TV.  The next second, he was sprinting faster than he’d ever