Page 3 of The Girl Who Kicked Ass (Death Fields 3)

He lifts an eyebrow. “That’s a question I can’t answer.”

“Because you know and can’t tell or because you actually don’t know?”

“I don’t know anything, Alex. I promise.” He may not know, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t suspect something.

Great. That makes two of us.

*

The smell of bacon makes my stomach rumble like an earthquake, and I nearly break out in tears when I see the glass carafes of coffee lined up at the end of the bar in the cafeteria.

“Is this heaven?” Parker asks the guy wearing a hairnet behind the sneeze guard.

“One biscuit or two?” he replies, holding the lumpy, golden circle with a pair of tongs.

She breaks into a smile, asks for two, and talks about it all the way to the empty table in the middle of the room. “It’s heaven. I knew it. We died the other night and God sent a helicopter to bring us to heaven.”

“It’s not heaven,” I reply after a gulp of coffee that tastes, quite frankly, like angel tears.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Jude argues. Honey drips down his chin. He wipes it away and then licks his hand.

“Don’t get your hopes up. My last run-in with General Erwin didn’t turn out so well.” That’s the understatement of the year. During my journey from Raleigh to Georgia I teamed up with Wyatt, Cole, and Chloe for protection and company after I lost my mother to an Eater attack. Little did I know that Wyatt and Cole were tracking me for different but connected reasons. Both were assigned to follow me and ensure my safe arrival at the demands of my sister (Wyatt) and father (Cole) with the data and samples needed to create the vaccine. We were all surprised when we were ambushed by General Erwin, still functioning as a member of the US military. He also wanted the data and knew that my father used my blood as the base for his research.

We managed to escape, but only by the skin of our teeth. That’s when I learned what a bad-ass ninja Wyatt is. It’s also when I realized Cole had feelings for me that went beyond friends. We lost one of the Fighters that helped us escape, Richardson, and later the gunfire outside PharmaCorp. That’s when Chloe was shot and our crazy life got crazier. No, our run-in with Erwin definitely set things off in a bad direction.

“What do you think Erwin wants?” Cole asks.

“He may still just want access to the vaccine or he may know more,” I reply. “I never quite understood his motives.”

“You think he knows about EVI-2 vaccine?”

There are two vaccines. My sister created both. The first one, EVI-1 is a regular vaccine that stops the E-TR virus from spreading. It’s a tiny parasite that eventually fries people’s brains and turns humans into cannibalistic rage monsters. Then there’s the EVI-2. That one still does the first part, stopping the virus from spreading, but from what we’ve just learned has the added dash of Eater rage while still in control of their faculties. Chloe is Patient Zero for the EVI-2 and she’s now the leader of the pack.

I glance at Paul, who quickly looks away and continues eating. “We’ll find out.”

The remainder of breakfast is a blur of eggs and bacon and filling our bellies. I’ve just pushed my tray through the slot when a female soldier appears and asks me to follow her.

“What about them?” I ask, pointing to my friends.

Another solider appears on cue and says, “I’m supposed to give you all a tour of the facilities while Ms. Ramsey meets with the General.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Cole asks.

“I’m fine,” I say and adding quietly, “Get a feel for the place okay? Layout, lab, Eater torture rooms, that kind of thing.”

He nods and squeezes my hand before walking off.

The walk with the soldier feels like déjà vu, except this time I don’t have a splitting headache from being drugged and kidnapped. I do have a busted nose but my hands are free, so I feel like we’re making progress.

“Where are we?” I ask, not really expecting an answer.

“Arnold Air Force Base.”

I’ve never heard of it.

This must be clear to the soldier because she says, “Outside Chattanooga.”

“Tennessee?” Who knew I’d travel so far during the apocalypse. My home in Raleigh, the one I knew I’d never see again, suddenly seemed even further away.

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