After [A Journey of the Twins Novel] Read Free Page B

allergies. They ignored the need to see a doctor until it was too late. Whole families were wiped out in days, a town in a week. A big city was cleared in a matter of weeks.
    The news media plastered the names of the people who created the virus everywhere. They died immediately, if not by the public, then by the virus. Any chance of a vaccine died with them. The geniuses had not bothered to write down how they created the killer germ. They preferred to keep that knowledge to themselves, in case non-friendly nations illegally obtained the information. The government scrambled to find a cure with the data that was left behind. There was not enough to use. The virus continued its epidemic killing.
    A few people became sick. After a couple of days, they recovered. Doctors learned that the lucky ones had high immune systems. Their white blood cells were extremely aggressive toward invading organisms like the virus, ending its progress throughout the body before it had a chance to establish. Shyanne had a high immunity. Her brother was the same. They recovered. They were lucky.
    Those same doctors tried to use this information to help the people with inadequate immune systems. The virus was too fast. Young and old, rich and poor, they all died the same. Some tried to hide in fallout shelters made during the cold war. It didn't matter; the virus found them anyway. The deaths slowed when there were no more victims left to infect. Out of the billions of people worldwide, only a few hundred thousand remained when the rampage stopped.
    The twins became sick shortly after the death of their parents. Their symptoms were light so their grandparents hadn't taken them to the hospital. At that time, to go to the hospital meant certain death. Within a couple of days, they recovered. Drayco was forced to live with their grandparents while Shyanne had to go live with an aunt in a nearby city. The advanced age and ill health of their grandparents made it difficult for them to care for two active teens.
    Shyanne ran away after less than a month. Her aunt became sick and couldn't keep track of her ward. She arrived at her grandparents’ house just before they died. She comforted both during their final hours. Drayco was there a short time after their deaths, but the virus caused him to do terrible things, things he could not help. He had to drink blood to survive.
    One night, he lost control and almost killed Shyanne. He left after that and she had not seen him since. Her heart yearned to know what had become of her twin brother.
    A loud noise brought Shyanne back from her past. Looking around, she located the cause. The big, burly man was coming toward her. He shoved other patrons out of his way, not caring if they objected.
    "My, ain't you a pretty one,” he slurred once he reached her table. He put both hands on the worn surface and leaned forward, raking over her body with his bloodshot eyes. The shifty-eyed man stood behind him, also drunk.
    "Why don't you come upstairs with us? We can have us a real good time."
    Shyanne sized up the situation and leaned back, arms outstretched on either side of the bench. It's not even noontime and these two are already drunk, she thought in disgust.
    "I'd rather swim in a lake in wintertime,” she replied, disdain thick in her tone.
    Shifty-eyes looked at her and said, “You'd best reconsider, missy."
    The burly man reached for her, intent on dragging her from her seat. He was too slow.
    Shyanne jumped onto the bench. Her sword was out before he knew it. A resounding thud echoed across the room as it cut deep into his flesh. It stopped when it met bone. With a tug, she pulled it free. The burly man let out a howl as he fell to his knees, hugging his arm against his body.
    A shadow came out from under the table. In their drunken state, both men had failed to see the big cat when they barged up. The shifty-eyed man let out a yelp and jumped back. Seeing the situation, he turned to make his escape. Drizzle