Beyond Death (Book 2): Apocalypse Read Free

the military base, there could be a cure for him.”
    “NO!” Dax yelled.
    “There’s no cure,” Richard said, his words slow and soft now. “We will all die of this eventually. Why fight the inevitable. You don’t have to try to be my hero for Jayda. You can’t save me. You can’t make up for what you did to her. Let it go, Chase.”
    Richard moved toward Jayda, but she leaned back into the van and sat back in her seat.
    “Baby, listen. You know I love you. Let Chase get you to safety. Let me at least die knowing that you are safe,” Richard said.
    Jayda turned away from him to Sherri. Chase remained where he was, inches from protecting Jayda from Richard if need be. He felt for the man. He knew what it was like to lose her.
    “Please, let me tie you up and at least try to save you. You haven’t turned yet,” Chase offered.
    Richard only nodded.
    So, Chase nodded to Dax. “Get the rope we have in the back.”
    “Fine,” Dax spat and turned on his heel. “But I’m wearing a mask over my mouth. And I’m arranging the back where he sits. I’ll sit with a gun in my hands, ready to blow his head off if need be.”
    Dax disappeared and Chase stood sentinel over Jayda. Once Dax returned with the rope, Chase apologized and moved in to tie up Richard. Meeting the guy in the back of the van, he stepped toward him with another round of sorry. He looped the ropes around his arms and legs, pulling as snuggly as he could without hurting the man. He talked himself through special knots he’d learned in his military training.
    As Chase worked, Lucas, under Dax’s direction, rearranged the van. Dax seemed pissed, but at least he’d conceded. He couldn’t just leave Richard. He knew that later, what happened to him would have to be Jayda’s decision.
    As he laid the guy down in the back of the van, Richard gave him an unreadable look.
    “You comfortable?” Chase asked, but continued without waiting for an answer. “If we stop suddenly or turn suddenly, use your feet to brace yourself against the door so you don’t hit your head. I’m going to put a bag here at your head to protect it just in case.”
    “Sure. Listen, if need be, you shoot to kill. Head shot man,” Richard whispered to Chase. “And you get her to safety. Don’t screw up this time.”
    Chase just nodded, his lips pursed not to say something mean back. The guy had a fever. And the guy had the right to hate him. He hated himself. He hated this situation. With his hands clenched, he shut the door and walked back to the driver’s seat.
    No one spoke on the way to the grocery store. Once they got there, under Chase’s orders, they each took weapons. The women had small, easy to use pistols. Chase felt confident putting one in Jayda’s hand, but not into Sherri’s.
    “Listen, Sherri, stay close to Jayda. Unless the need arises, let her do the shooting, until we can get you properly trained on that thing,” Chase stated.
    “We had a gun in the house. I know basically how to use one, but you’ll get no argument from me,” she answered.
    “Good. Now we get in and get out. Follow me so I can scope it out first. Hopefully the scavengers have left us something,” Chase sighed.
    Once he’d done a quick sweep of the store and heard no movement, he motioned for the others to follow him. He handed them shopping bags, the ones that people bought to use again and again, which hung with a sad amount of hope on a hook by the registers. They scattered to cover as much ground as possible.
    Lucas went right to the candy that people must have dropped onto the floor in their haste. As Chase moved to the refrigerated section, he heard Sherri and Lucas debating what the best candy was. He passed Dax in the junk food isle. A few boxes of snack cakes and cookies remained at the back of the nearly empty shelves.
    “We’d be better off with healthy foods,” Chase said.
    “We need whatever we can get,” Dax countered. “Besides, if Richard attacks me here