Page 27 of Demon Shock

Something told me passing through Elk River wouldn’t be easy on her.

CHAPTER NINE

AVA

“I can’t believehe can jump like that,” I said, watching Gyrik squat atop the lead truck.

“That’s nothing. He could jump to the top of that building with no problem.”

I looked where Zach was pointing and felt another wave of awe. Sure, Gyrik had said as much, but seeing was believing. And Gyrik was more able than I’d imagined. Faster than I’d guessed. Stronger. And a fantastic snuggler. Considerate too.

The last man I’d seriously dated had been a narcissist. I had seen his love bombing for what it was within six months, and I had broken up with him. Unfortunately, that hadn’t been the end. I’d had to deal with the fallout for months afterward until he’d moved on to another woman. After that, I’d been standoffish about attempting another relationship. It’d left a mark on me, making it hard to trust any overtures of affection.

However, that’s not how it felt with Gyrik. He did things quietly, without any demands for recognition. While packing up, he’d cleared the snow off my truck, carried the cats and all their supplies out, and made sure that my water bottle was full. I’d had to ask to find out who did those things. And when Ithanked him, he’d downplayed his actions, again not looking for recognition. It felt…right. Normal.

But was it affection or just kindness?

The way he looked at me as he glanced back from his perch felt like it was more than just kindness. Maybe that was just wishful thinking, though. Or desperation.

In the last twenty-four hours, I’d heard from each man that Gyrik was the one who’d keep us safe…and I believed them. He was so different, not just in appearance but in everything about him. While he seemed nice enough, I also recognized he wasn’t someone I would ever want mad at me.

Then, was my budding interest in him because of actual attraction or self-preservation?

“Zach, take the center so I can take the tail,” Will said over the radio.

“Copy that,” I said back.

Zach eased back from the truck in front of us while Will moved to the side. Once Zach edged by him and we were in the middle, Zach closed the distance between us and Bram’s truck. I glanced back to see Will doing the same.

“Yesterday, you mentioned that you’re a programmer. What kind of stuff can you program? Any games?”

Zach’s question distracted me for the next few minutes and eased the tension that had crept in. He seemed pretty carefree when speaking, but the things he said and the observations he made showed he wasn’t the typical devil-may-care teen.

Which was probably why he didn’t run us into the ditch when the first infected appeared, shambling through the snow.

Zach hadn’t exaggerated. She was exactly like every zombie depiction Hollywood ever came up with. She looked about my age but with discolored, decaying skin, cloudy eyes, and dirty, tattered clothes.

Her long hair hung in icicles around her head, and she could barely move through the snow. Not that it was deep. It looked more like she was having trouble getting her limbs to work.

The way her head tracked the sound of our vehicles as she struggled to move was disturbing.

Gyrik jumped down from the top of the truck, glanced at me, and mimed covering my eyes.

“He doesn’t want you to watch,” Zach said.

“Yeah,” I said faintly. “Got it.”

I closed my eyes and focused on breathing instead of crying.

The apocalypse was real.

Bites.

Sickness.

Zombies.

And I’d hidden away from the worst of it. Guilt hit me hard, and I thought of my family.

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