I Am the Zombie Queen, and My Lover Is the One Sent to Kill Me Chapter 06

I Am the Zombie Queen, and My Lover Is the One Sent to Kill Me Chapter 06

The SUV stopped outside the fence.

Several National Guard troops patrolled the wire, and one of them shouted down at us, “Hold it right there!”

We got out of the car.

Nolan raised both hands, then pointed back at me. “We’re survivors. We’re here for the refuge camp.”

The soldier scanned us with a cold, professional eye, then jerked his chin toward a small building off to the side.

“Quarantine first. If nothing’s wrong after a week, then we’ll let you in.”

A supply pack was thrown down a moment later.

Nolan picked it up and led me toward the building.

It was small, with the door left half open.

When we pushed it open, there were obvious signs that other people had stayed there before us.

Probably survivors who’d come through earlier.

He set the pack down, unzipped it, and looked inside.

There were a few cans, hardtack crackers, and two bottles of water.

He tore open one of the ration packs and handed it to me. “Eat something first.”

I took it and quietly slipped it into my pocket.

Over the past two days, I hadn’t just lost my sense of taste. Most of the time, I barely even felt hungry anymore.

Just then, voices sounded outside.

I moved to the window and looked out, and my breath nearly stopped.

Closest to the building was a tall, lean young man with a baseball bat in his hand.

It was the same guy who had saved me at the grocery store.

Even more shocking, Sienna and Kellan were with him.

Nolan stepped up beside me, and the second he saw them, his brows drew together.

A wave of dizziness hit me. Beneath my scarf, the wound on my neck throbbed with a phantom sting.

This time… there was no hiding it.

That guy knew I’d been bitten.

After speaking with the National Guard, the three of them approached our outpost with their own rations in hand.

Nolan pulled me behind him and lowered his voice. “I never told them about the camp. I don’t know how they found this place either.”

I gave a faint nod.

The truth was, I wasn’t worried about Sienna.

I was worried about him.

Sienna came in first, and the moment she saw us, she froze.

Kellan followed behind her. His face was bruised in patches, and there was a scabbed-over cut at the corner of his mouth.

The second he saw Nolan, he withered under his gaze. He didn’t dare come closer, and he didn’t dare say a word.

He was nothing like the kid who’d been shouting Nolan’s name at the top of his lungs the other day.

I glanced at Nolan in confusion, but his expression stayed flat and unreadable.

The guy who had saved me came in last, carrying the supply pack.

The instant he saw me, he frowned and opened his mouth like he was about to say something.

I rushed over, grabbed his sleeve, and dragged him back outside.

“Hey—”

He stumbled from the force of it.

Nobody in the room reacted fast enough, least of all Nolan.

I heard him call after me, “Delaney, what are you doing?”

I didn’t answer. I dragged him around the corner of the cinderblock wall before finally releasing my grip.

He rubbed his wrist, then looked me over from head to toe, his gaze dropping to my neck, still wrapped tight in my scarf.

“You still haven’t turned?”

I took a deep breath. “Can I ask you for something?”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“Please don’t tell them I got bitten. Okay?”

His eyes turned colder in an instant.

I rushed to explain. “I’m not showing any symptoms yet. I look normal. I don’t want them killing me like I’m some kind of monster.”

My voice got quieter and quieter. “And I’m going to leave on my own soon. I swear.”

“How soon?” he asked.

“One day. Max.”

He looked at me for a long time without saying a word.

The wind swept through the ruins, biting and bitter.

“Fine,” he said at last. “You get one more day.”

Relief left me weak.

“But I’m watching you,” he said, each word slow and deliberate.

“And if you’re still here when that time’s up, I’ll tell them myself.”