Phase Four: Analyze: Territory of the Dead, #4

By Rose Wynters

Sometimes even one day at a time is simply too much especially in the middle of a zombie apocalypse... 
After surviving a brutal revelation about her fiancé and a brutal attack in the woods the same day, Tabitha is left struggling to make sense of it all. She knows the wounds on her body will heal, but it's the wounds that can't be seen that hurt the worst. Living with her ex while he makes a life with her ex-best friend is hard. Maybe even impossible but only time will tell.
After an unexpected attack within the compound reveals Kellan's secret and nearly leaves her dead, Tabitha realizes she's got a hidden enemy on the inside. A heated confrontation between her and Kellan reveals more about her feelings for him than she ever expected.

When a too good to be true opportunity to leave Kellan's compound becomes available, half of the survivors choose to go.
However, they will soon learn when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is... 

 

This book is not meant to be a standalone! Make sure to see the other books in this series. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rose Wynters
• Release date: Jun 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781533746313

Book preview

Chapter 1

I STOOD ON THE STEPS and studied the large wooden door in front of me. My eyes were locked on the stained glass so carefully inserted into the center of the wood. It had been meticulously painted to create a breathtaking oceanic scene with an exotic male on the rocks, one not quite human but not quite other. It was a beautiful work of art, the type most people admired but soon forgotten. I'd seen it hundreds of times before, but I'd never realized the significance of the scene in front of me. Now that I did, the stained glass was a mockery.

Kellan is a merman.

He isn't human.

I exhaled shakily as I looked past the glass and into the foyer. It was lit but silent, though the house wasn't anywhere close to being empty. In fact, it was more occupied than ever with the addition of the new people who had joined us. I had no idea of what Kellan's life had been like before the zombies. None of us did. And though I'd known he was mysterious, I'd never dreamed his secrets were as big as they were. Maybe some doors were better left closed. But it was too late. I'd already learned one of Kellan's big secrets. One was enough for me.

As shocked as I was though, it wasn't enough to make me want to leave. Merman or not, I respected Kellan. I admired him. Kellan had saved me more times than I could count, but it was more than that. My parents were happy and healthy because of him. They were safe with comforts that should have been impossible in the apocalyptic world we now lived in. I could have gone on and on, but I didn't need convincing. I liked Kellan. I felt loyalty to him, and my loyalty wouldn't diminish because of who or what he was.

I wondered when he would return. The thought crossed my mind that it would have been a lot easier to walk through the door had he been with us. Was he hurt? Dead? No. Kellan had slipped away under his own steam. Had there been anything to worry about, Drake would have said something by now. Kellan didn't answer to anyone. He'd return when he wanted to and not a moment before.

As late as it was, it was likely everyone was in bed. If not, they would be found in the living room or kitchen as they waited to see how the night played out. They had to know I had left, but did they know that Drake and Kellan had launched a rescue mission to retrieve me?

Tears filled my eyes, burning them. I'd come so close to death that I couldn't seem to completely pull away from its dark clutches. I still felt it on me, all around me, even in me, my body chilled and my mind numb. I was well aware of how the night could have ended if not for Drake and Kellan. I was sore, beaten, and bleeding, my clothing ripped, my body nearly violated, but I was alive.

It was enough. It has to be enough.

Drake cleared his throat behind me as I jumped. I slowly turned my head to look at him. Like me, the vampire was filthy. Blood and mud covered his body, and his clothing was ruined unless my mom had some kind of magic laundry trick up her sleeve. But unlike me, his eyes were filled with amusement. They weren't shadowed and haunted. The events of the night hadn't touched him. It said a lot about his past and the way he'd spent it. Whatever Drake's life might have been, it hadn't been easy. He was so tough that death no longer bothered him.

I fought back a shudder. I couldn't bear the thought of being that way, but I knew it was inevitable.

Are you going to go in? he asked, his lips curved up in a small smile. His voice was soft, as if he spoke too loudly I might shatter. They are waiting for you, I'm sure. Especially your mom and dad.

That's what I'm afraid of. By walking through that door, I'd have to face what my life had become. My mom and dad with their questions and worry. Jayden, the man I'd planned to marry, who by now had to know that Amanda was pregnant with his child. And Amanda, the girl who had once been my best friend but was now my enemy.

But I couldn't leave. Not yet. Even though I had the will, my body refused to provide the way. I was damaged, too weak to make it on my own.

I stared at the door, my teeth grinding together. I lifted my hand just to drop it. Somehow I stepped back rather than forward. Finally, I sighed, considering my options as I searched for another way. There was none. So I opened the door and went in.

I'm back... but I don't want to be.

WITH MY GOOD HAND, I tugged the blanket a little higher and then sighed in relief. I was beyond feeling a thing... and I was warm. It was bliss. I was lying in my bed, my arm stretched out comfortably on two pillows with Destiny curled up at my side. The cast was an eyesore for sure, heavy on my arm, but somehow I'd have to deal with it for the next six weeks.

I closed my eyes, allowing my thoughts to run free. My return hadn't been as painful as I'd expected. My parents had whisked me to the privacy of my room almost as soon as I'd stepped in the door as they fretted over my injuries. To my relief, Amanda hadn't been anywhere in sight, but