The Zombie Chronicles by Chrissy Peebles Page A

yelled again, almost choking on the sudden nausea in my stomach and the bile in my throat. Tears threatened to spill down my face. “Nick!” I yelled again, but no one answered. I looked for Val below, but I couldn’t see any sign of her under the hissing pile that had pounced on her. I’d never seen anything so horrible in my entire life. The images threatened my sanity, yet I couldn’t look away. I was suddenly fueled by thoughts of revenge, and I swore to myself I’d avenge my sister’s death, no matter what. Even though I had yet to make it out of there alive, I’d already contemplated the different ways I could accomplish that goal. Earl is gonna pay…and so is every freaking zombie I ever come across!  
     
    Chapter 10
    Standing on the balcony, I stared at the monsters who had killed Val. In one moment, my sister and I were there, valiantly fighting back to back, stubbornly determined on making it out of there alive, but in the next moment, she was gone, just like that. My mind spun in an endless loop of memories that didn’t quite make sense to me. My heart raced, pumping blood through my body. My fingers twitched, and my skin prickled, which made the whole situation even more surreal. She was dead, and I was still alive. The world seemed more unfair than ever before. I was caught in a daze, and not the pleasant kind, until Jackie’s words snapped me out of it.
    “ We have to find Claire and your brother,” she said softly, though her voice betrayed a frantic edge.
    The sudden urge to get moving didn’t go unnoticed. I turned to face her. Her eyes were burning with something: Pain? Disbelief? Anger? I couldn’t tell because my own pain had numbed me. My own shock and disbelief wouldn’t allow me to comprehend that experiencing a comrade’s death couldn’t be easy on her either. “I’m—I’ll stay,” I whispered. “I’m not going anywhere until every single one of them is dead.”
    “ No, Dean. You can’t. We need you. Your brother needs you. Think of those who are still around, those who care about you, and the pain you’ll cause if you give up now and sacrifice yourself for some impossible try at revenge.” She grabbed my arm and yanked hard. “She…Val wouldn’t have wanted you to do something so foolish. Your sister would want you to get yourself to safety. That was what she was fighting for.”
    I didn’t budge. Her words registered with me somewhere, somehow in the back of my mind. She was right, of course, but I also felt as though I would be betraying Val if I ran away.
    “ Please,” Jackie continued. “Nick has already lost one sibling. Don’t make him lose both.”
    “ Let’s go!” Claire’s voice called from around the corner a moment before my brother and she appeared in my line of vision.
    “ Dean,” my brother said with a nod, “thanks for holding it together here, man.”
    I turned away, avoiding his gaze. I couldn’t bear to tell him what had happened.
    “ The bathroom window in the back seems like our best bet,” Nick said. “We can make a clean getaway.  So c’mon, let’s go!”
    My brother’s gaze sliced through me. A single worry wrinkle creased his otherwise smooth skin. I peered into his blue eyes, begging him to understand; I couldn’t dare speak the words that burned a hole in my heart.
    “ What are you waiting for? Let’s go! This place is turning into Zombie Central.” His gaze became stubborn, and his hands clenched to his sides, as though he already sensed something was wrong but didn’t want to acknowledge it just yet.
    I froze and closed my eyes to avoid his probing stare.
    “ What’s wrong with you?” he hissed, grabbing me hard by the shoulders.
    I opened my eyes again and saw him scanning the open landing, his mind putting two and two together.
    “ Where’s Val?” his shout echoed in my ears. His arms yanked me around like a ragdoll, forcing me to face him.
    “ Those men…they…” I stammered, my voice barely snaking its