Affliction Z (Book 3): Descended in Blood by L.T. Ryan Page A

rolling waves to inch him forward. He hit the first line of breakers. There, Turk stretched his body and rode a wave for a good distance. Shore was close. He saw the houses rising up out of the sand like corpses escaping their shallow graves.
    A burst of energy spurred Turk on. He dove down and found he was in less than ten feet of water. Pushing forward, he reached the shore breakers. A final wave crested and washed him to shore.
    His face scraped against the coarse beach. Wet sand filled his mouth, sticking to his tongue and the insides of his cheeks and lips. Foaming water enveloped his legs, and then dissipated. He dug his fingertips into the ground and pulled himself forward. The final burst had drained him of all but the last bit of remaining strength. His muscles no longer burned. They barely functioned.
    He inched forward.
    Another wave break. Water rushed past his head. It filled his mouth and nose and found its way into his stomach. His body rejected it at once. Long strands of saliva stretched from his mouth and nose to the sand.
    Turk forced himself to his knees and crawled forward.
    Get to the other side of the beach.
    He aimed for the dunes. He could crawl behind one and find a patch of overgrown grass and fall asleep there. Just for the afternoon. Maybe the night.
    Close. Push forward. Almost there.
    But he failed to recognize the hum until it was on top of him. And then it was too late to react.
    The engine choked and sputtered a few times before falling silent. Plumes of sand kicked up. The last few clouds fell and coated Turk’s back and neck.
    “What’ve we got here?” A man. Deep country accent. “A survivor? Washed up from sea?”
    Turk collapsed his right arm so he fell onto his side, facing the guy. Black boots. Cargo shorts. A faded t-shirt. The clouds had parted and the sun shone behind the guy’s head, creating a wash of bright light around his face, leaving it indiscernible.
    “Gotta tell you, fella,” the guy said. “Of all the beaches to wash up on—” he yanked back on his rifle’s bolt and shoved it into place, thunk-thunk, “—you picked the wrong one.”

Chapter 10
    Sean slowed the ATV to a stop and cut the engine. He continued to feel vibrations for a few seconds even though the rumble had gone. The ringing in his ears gave way to the harmony of birds singing and wind rustling the leaves combined with the ticking engine and Barbara’s labored breathing.
    The GPS indicated they were in North Carolina, about five miles north of I-40. Greensboro was ten miles to the west. Durham ten to the east. They’d traveled about forty miles without stopping since Sean took over driving.
    He’d spent a good portion of the drive looking over his shoulder for one of the pickup trucks. Irrational, he knew, since they often went off road in between stretches on backcountry roads.
    Addison and Emma sat up front, with his daughter wedged between. Jenny was in back with Marley and Barbara. They had stopped the bleeding, but the woman remained in serious condition. Shock had set in. She’d turned pale and had become unresponsive. Time might help, but they didn’t have the luxury of waiting around for her to snap out of it.
    They had made a dent in their journey. But it was far from over. The section of the trip Sean worried about most drew near. Nearby was one of the more densely populated areas of North Carolina. Even if he kept them out of the urban areas, there were multiple major highways to cross as they meandered through suburbia. It could take hours to scout a deserted stretch for them to cross.
    Barbara moaned, which elicited a series of whimpers from Marley.
    “Dad,” Emma said. “What are we going to do about her?”
    A former PJ, Sean knew what to do to help her. It’d been eight years, but you didn’t just forget how to do the job. He needed supplies. Sure, they could scavenge every place they came across, risk running into a surprise each time. Or they could skate along the