Trepidation
Authors: Chrissy Peebles
Tags: #Horror, #Contemporary, #Romance, #Fantasy, #Zombie
The Zombie Chronicles – Book 7
Trepidation
by
Chrissy Peebles
Copyright 2013 by Chrissy Peebles
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
The Zombie Chronicles - Book 7 - Trepidation
To be continued in Book 8: Impact
Cover Art by Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design
Books by Chrissy Peebles
***
The Enchanted Castle Series
The Enchanted Castle Series Book Trailer:
http://youtu.be/Ysb6uzIdsEk
Enchanted Castle - book 1
My Haunted Fairytale - book 2
Enchanted Dreams - book 3
The Ruby Ring Saga
The Original Ruby Ring Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_w-eZwPJbA\
New Updated Trailer:
http://youtu.be/JJzoHW0xVMI
Eternal Vows - book 1
Eternal Destiny - book 2
Eternal Fire - book 3
Eternal Faith - book 4
Eternal Bloom - book 5
Eternal Flame – book 6
The Crush Saga
The Crush Saga Book Trailer:
http://youtu.be/4eMF8KXEUc4
Crush - Book 1
Crash - Book 2
Chosen - book 3
Chaos – book 4
The Hope Saga
The Hope Saga Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF9UkY0qiSo
Apocalypse - Underwater City - book 1
Rebel Princess - book 2
Rebel Warrior - book 3
Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series
Book Trailer:
http://youtu.be/viwT0M8Ms_g
Book 1 - Castaway
Book 2 - Dread
Book 3 - Peril
Book 4 - Outlive
Book 5 - Endure
Book 6 - Persevere
Book 7 - Turbulence
Book 8 - Hope
Book 9 - Termination - The Conclusion
Apocalypse Unleashed Series
Book Trailer for The Zombie Chronicles Series:
http://youtu.be/ociUHiL1g70
Val (
prequel
to the zombie series) Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mp43Ml4hvE
Val - The prequel to The Zombie Chronicles
The Zombie Chronicles - book 1
The Zombie Chronicles - book 2 - Race for the Cure
The Zombie Chronicles - book 3 - Deadly City
The Zombie Chronicles - book 4 - Poisonous Serum
The Zombie Chronicles - book 5 - Undead Nightmare
The Zombie Chronicles - book 6 - Revelation
The Zombie Chronicles - book 7 – Trepidation
Come stop by and say hello!
Facebook fan page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chrissy-Peebles-Fantasy-Author/351121651567296?ref=bookmarks
Blog:
http://www.chrissypeebles.blogspot.com
The Zombie Chronicles Book Trailer:
http://youtu.be/ociUHiL1g70
Humans are a rare and endangered species. Swallowing down our fear, we must fight to protect humanity at all costs. Protecting the human race must be our number one priority. We need to fight for the future we want, not the one that’s been delivered to us. Taking back our world is a fight I will never give up on. And in my opinion, that makes every zombie hunter a very special breed of warrior.
—
Dean Walters - survivor & zombie hunter
“R
un, Dean!” Nick shouted.
“Hurry!” Val chimed in.
Flesh-eating zombies shambled behind me, their creepy moans echoing through the hallway. My footsteps clicked and clacked as I ran down the long corridor, faster than I’d ever run before. It was dark, spooky, and downright eerie, but I could see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Nick, Val, Claire, and Lucas beckoned to me, so I pumped my legs even harder. I was just about to step into the light when something grabbed my legs. I fell on my stomach, reaching out for my brother.
“Dean!” Nick screamed.
“Nick!”
Something sinister was pulling me away from them, dragging me to Hell. I kicked and flailed, to no avail. It had too tight of a grip on my ankles and was taking me back to be devoured alive. I could hear the others shouting for me hysterically. I reached out for them, but as I was dragged away, they grew smaller, their cries became quieter, and everything became darker. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by a maniacal choir of snarls and moans.
Suddenly, a dim light flickered to life, and I frantically rolled onto my back. I stared into countless sets of white eyes as the zombies leaned over me. They inched closer, reaching out for me, ready to sink their teeth into my flesh. Pain exploded in my shoulder when one bit into me. “Nooooooo!” I screamed.
Gasping and sweating profusely, I sat straight up in bed. My shirt was stuck to my clammy skin. My heart was racing faster than a horse hooves at the Kentucky Derby. I wiped my face with my sleeve and took deep breaths, trying to calm down.
It was just a dream, just another nightmare,
I told myself.
I wasn’t really back in that terrifying lab.
I jumped down from the top bunk and opened the window. The cold air felt good on my face, cooling my skin as well as my nerves. It was cloudy outside; a storm was fast approaching.
I got cleaned up, then dressed. We’d survived the nightmarish lab and had triumphed, but in spite of our victory and our survival, I was haunted by those dreadful memories. The room began to spin, then grew smaller and smaller, and I felt a hot flash.
Am I losing my mind, or is this just some kind of panic attack?
I wondered, horrified. I grabbed my gun and rushed into the living room where the others greeted me.
“Well, well. Look who finally decided to join the living,” Lucas teased.
“Dean,” Val said, “are you all right? You’ve been sleeping for twelve hours.”
“It’s morning?” I asked.
“Afternoon,” she corrected.
“How are you feeling?” Nick asked.
“Like...driving down the highway and popping a tire. I mean...like I’ve lost control of the vehicle, have crossed into the opposite lane, and am lookin’ at an eighteen-wheeler barreling toward me at some ridiculous speed.”
Val came over to hug me, but I gently pushed her away.
“I don’t wanna talk about it,” I said.
“Well, talking or not, you gotta be starving, little buddy,” Lucas said. “You haven’t eaten since before we went to the lab.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “Don’t mention that lab to me.”
Claire walked over with a plate of orange slices. “Wanna share?”
“Nah, I’m not hungry.” I was still so freaked out by the nightmare that my hands were shaking, but I tried to hide it. “I’ll be back,” I muttered.
“Dean, what’s wrong?” Val asked. “Where are you going? Why can’t you just—”
“I just need some air, all right? Is there some crime against a guy needing to breathe?” I screamed back at her in a tone she didn’t deserve.
Val stood. “At least let me go with you.”
I shot her a look. “No. I need to be alone.”
“Please, Dean,” she pleaded.
“No, Val.”
When she tried to follow me, Lucas pulled her back. “Look, Val, Dean’s been through a lot. He just needs to be alone and deal with all this in his own way,” he said. “I can respect that, and so should you.”
“Yeah, just let him go, sis,” Nick agreed. “It’s how we Walters brothers handle things.”
As they kept talking amongst themselves, whispering about me, I walked out and shut the door behind me. I hurried down the corridor and climbed down the rope ladder, then headed outside. The sky was gray and cloudy, and droplets began to sprinkle down on me. Still, there were kids outside, bouncing a ball and laughing in delight.
So naïve,
I thought.
So clueless to all the dangers that surround them. I’d give anything to be that carefree again, to smile and laugh and not be plagued by all the horrible memories I can’t seem to get out of my head.
A woman named Jan ran over and straightened out a large tarp, then placed it at an angle to catch the rain. “Dean,” she said. “Grab the buckets.”
I obediently walked over and grabbed the buckets, the perfect water filtration system: holes in the bottom, with layers of sand, charcoal, then sand again. We also boiled the water to kill any bacteria. It was a lot of work living off the land, improvising ways to survive in a world devoid of modern conveniences and technology, and everyone was much too busy to be too disturbed about the losses I’d suffered and all I’d gone through. It felt as if, while my life had taken a turn for the worst, everyone else just wanted to ignore it and continue living theirs.
I’d seen the atrocities firsthand, up close and personal. Horror had a very distinctive, unforgettable face, and I’d met it. We don’t live in a perfect world anymore,” I muttered, trying to accept it. The apocalypse had swept in like a hurricane, given birth to hordes of flesh-eating monsters, and left a path of destruction in its wake. We could never relax; we were always running from the all-consuming, big, black hole that seemed to gobble up everything we’d ever loved, including my Jackie. We tried to stay one step ahead of it, fighting, but it just pounced on us, kicked butt, and left us to pick up the pieces of everything we’d once cherished. Like everyone else, I had to rebuild my life after all the losses, all the tragedy, because I didn’t want to sink into hopelessness. That small sliver of hope, which seemed to be shrinking all the time, was all that kept me going.
Life goes on, whether we want it to or not,
I finally concluded, watching as Jan rigged up the rain buckets.
Jan looked up at me and smiled. “We’ll have fresh water soon.”
I nodded.
“Don’t look so sad,” she said, her brown hair whipping around in the wind. “You got your happy ending. You survived that horrible place, that Frankenstein’s lab.”
I met her gaze. “There’re no such thing as happy endings—only survival and pain.”
“Dean, you can’t let the zombies take away what we have left. You still have friends and family to love, to laugh with, to talk to. Dance! Enjoy every moment with them. Enjoy life.”
“I want to, but I have so many regrets, so many things I wish I could change.”
“Like what?”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Look, hon’, I’m not here to judge. I’m here to listen.”
“Okay. Well, I have so many regrets I don’t even know where to start—just a lot of what-ifs or what-coulda-beens.”