Dying To Live & Fighting To Live-Book One and Book Two (Zombie Overload Series) by C. M. Wright

me over and over he loves me. I finally push away from him
and take a deep breath. Will goes to Jake and shakes his hand,
thanking him for getting me back safe. Jake tells him it was no big
deal. You got that right, Jake. It was no big deal for YOU, now
was it? Considering I was the one who killed all but ONE of
them. Bet you won't mention that, huh?
    "But, actually,
your wife is the one who saved my ass." I'm shocked. Did
he really just say that? Have I mentioned how much I like that
man? My husband looks at me and laughs. What the hell are you
laughing about, Punk?
    He says, "for
some reason, that doesn’t surprise me." Oh. Ok. Sorry about the punk part.
    Jake calls over all
the adults and hands them each a gun with ammo. After they have all
been given a weapon, he does a quick walk-through on how to use their
guns and load the ammo. After he's done they all go back to their
vehicles and put the guns away. Kneeling down, Jake picks up a rifle
and looks up at me.
    "You any good
at sniping on those games of yours?" He asks me with a grin.
    Grinning back, I
tell him, "As a matter of fact, I kick ass at sniping."
    He hands me the
sniper rifle. "Better take this, then. You got enough ammo for both those handguns?" He asks me with a wink. Gulp! He
caught me.
    Handing me more
ammo, he stands. Looking past me, I see his body stiffen. I turn and
see the others standing in a group, facing us. One of the guys, I
think his name is Bart, but not positive of that, asks if they can
speak to Jake. I move behind Jake and kneel down, moving the extra
few guns around in one bag, pretending like I'm not listening.
    "Look, we
appreciate everything you've done for us. A safe place to sleep for
the night and the guns. But none of us want to go to the hospital
with you. I'm sorry, but we want to live and the worst place to be is
in a hospital." Says another guy, whose name I don't know.
    I can't believe
they are doing this! Jake has done so much and he only wants one
thing, his brother. Good or bad, he needs to at least know the truth.
And they won't help! We'd have a much better chance with all of us
going in. I stand up behind Jake and suck in a deep breath, ready to
give these ungrateful people a piece of my mind, when Jake turns and
puts his arm around my waist and turns me around. He pushes me toward
Will and gives him a look meant to say 'keep her quiet'. As if!
    Turning back to the
group, he says, "I understand and I respect your decision. The
protection for the night and the weapons were given freely with no
expectations on my part. I hope you all stay safe and get where
you're wanting to go." He then turns, kneels at the weapons
still lying on the floor, and starts putting them back in the bags. I
glare fire at the group. They walk away, some with shamed faces. Some
relieved.
    Kneeling beside
Jake, I tell him that we aren't deserting him. Will agrees but says
we need to come up with a solution to protect our boys and the other
kids that are with us now.
    As we're talking,
Lily, the teenage babysitter, walks over and informs us she's leaving
with a couple who are going to check on family near where her parents
live. That scares me. The couple she's planning on leaving with seem
unable to take care of themselves, let alone someone else. But what
can I do?
    "Alright.
Please be careful. Did you get a gun?" She nods yes.
    Then she asks me,
"Can you keep Kaleb and Grace? It would kill me if something
happens to them." Honestly, I never had any intention of letting
her take them. But I nod yes and say of course. I watch her as she
walks to the other couple's vehicle, knowing I will probably never
see her again. Sighing, I stand and ask Jake what the plan is.
    "None of you
are going. Just leave. Go where you had planned to go and stay safe.
I really don't think I will get out of that hospital alive now, and
I'm not putting your lives in danger. I really appreciate all the
help.
    Riled up, I tell him
how it's going to be. "Sorry, Jake. Not