She could have died. Yet, she’d shown no indication of fighting.
That should have set off alarms. There were red flags all over the place, but my gut begged me to look past them. There was more at work here. These zombies weren’t Addie’s doing.
Besides, she could only see the dead. She couldn’t control them.
I hoofed it back to my car and tucked her into the passenger seat. The gas tank was full. So long as we kept driving, the zombies wouldn’t be able to keep up. I just hoped we wouldn’t run into more whenever we stopped.
I shouldn’t have believed in any of this. None of it was real.
The car lurched over something that squelched and crunched, making my stomach turn. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.
Addie’s crying filled the inside of my car. The rumble of my engine was familiar as it vibrated my bones. Those sounds anchored me, dragging me into reality whether I liked it or not. The truth set in. No matter how I tried to shake it off, it came crashing right back in.
“What are those?” I shouted in the small cabin.
Addie’s crying hitched. I would have kicked myself for my panic had my foot not been on the gas pedal. I was flexible enough to get my other foot in my mouth, but I couldn’t quite kick myself with it.
I could have apologized, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. This wasn’t a friend. Addie and I weren’t out on a date, either. She was a murder suspect, and I needed to treat her as such.
Even after she’d nearly been murdered, herself?
Shit. I didn’t know what to do. Nothing here made any damn sense.
Zombies. Weren’t. Real.
Addie sniffled and lifted her head. She kept her gaze on the strip of pavement outside the windshield. I thought she would shut down, but she opened the glove box and rummaged around until she found some old napkins. After blowing her nose, she spoke.
“You saw exactly what you think you saw,” she said, soft yet clear.
“Like hell, I did.” I refused to believe it.
She’d drugged me. I don’t know when she had a chance to do it, but she must have. If that was the case, then I didn’t need to be driving. I slammed onto the brakes and jerked the steering wheel to the right.
Addie yelped and asked me what I thought I was doing. “Don’t stop! We need to keep going.”
“No way. I’m hallucinating. I shouldn’t be driving. We’re going to wrap this ancient car around a tree if I drive in this condition.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
But I didn’t turn the engine off. A part of me was afraid of the truth. I was in denial. This was too much for me to swallow.
Well, now I knew how women felt when they were on their knees.
I ran a hand through my hair. When was the last time I’d slept? Like, really slept? I’d grabbed a few hours of sleep here and there, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten a full reset.
Addie twisted in her seat and looked out the back windshield. Shadows tugged at her face, pulling it into a panic. Her fingers turned white as she gripped her seat. Facing forward, she closed her eyes and dragged in ragged breaths.
The air inside the car turned cold. My breath fogged in front of me. I stared at the already-fading cloud of steam in wonder. Then, as if it’d never existed, it disappeared and left me questioning if I’d ever seen it at all.
A wave of exhaustion rolled over me. I groaned and ran both hands over my face. My bones ached. Every muscle was suddenly hollow. I slumped in my seat as the world outside tilted back and forth.
“Shit. No. No, I didn’t mean to! I don’t want this!” Addie kicked her door open and jumped out into the night.
The word slammed into place. I jerked back and inhaled sharply. Fatigue still clung to me, but I was able to shrug it off as I stepped out into the night and searched for Addie.
What the hell had I gotten into? I wanted to believe that this was nothing more than a bad trip—maybe I’d eaten some moldy bread when I made that egg sandwich this morning—but it all felt too real. I’d watched my bullet blow a zombie’s skull to bits. I’d run one over and felt it under my wheel.
“Adeline!” I shouted against my better judgement.
I knew I shouldn’t draw attention to myself, but I had a feeling that they weren’t looking for me. These zombies wanted Addie. I wouldn’t know why until I found her.