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Bonus Chapter
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75 Days Bonus Chapter
The front door of the store has been barricaded with an empty shelf turned on its side, but the window has been broken out, probably by vandals some time ago. Aaron is the first to climb up and over the shattered glass, and he bends down to help lift me into the store. A shard of glass jutting out of the window frame snags my shirt sleeve and it tears, but thankfully it doesn't break the skin. The thump of my boots echoes in the empty store as I drop down from the window sill, landing in a crouch.The other two soldiers climb into the store after me, and they quickly draw their guns and spread out, trying to make this place as secure as possible. Aaron nudges me in one direction, and I quickly grab two red handheld baskets from a stack near the window, before following him down a nearby aisle. Like many stores in such a large city, there isn't much left in any one place. A lot of the remaining merchandise is scattered around the floor or turned on its side on its shelf, having been ov
75 Days Bonus Chapter
The two soldiers whose names I still don't know hop through the window first, and Aaron helps me up and out safely. "Madison, you don't have to-""I'm going," I say, sliding the gun out of the waistband of my jeans. "What are we waiting for?"More shots are firing off every second, giving us a clear direction to go. However, the noise each shot makes is alerting every zombie in the city to our group's exact location, and many more zombies will be here shortly-ready to feast on our brains. We have to get our other group and get as far away from here as soon as possible.Aaron grabs my hand and drags me away from the store, and the four of us are off, racing down the sidewalk in an attempt to reach our stranded group members. The shots get closer and closer with each step, and as we round a corner, we found ourselves at an intersection that has been overrun by zombies. There are more than thirty zombies, and they've got ou
75 Days Bonus Chapter
"Madison, I want you to show Todd and Janelle to their rooms. Just find a place for them wherever there's room-you'll know the best place for them. Then I want you to show them both where they'll be doing their chores. When you're done with that, you can take them to the cafeteria for lunch. It should be starting right about then.""What are you gonna do?"Aaron sighs and runs a hand nervously through his hair. "I have to gather the soldiers and tell them that I lost five of their comrades on a stupid supply run. That should be fun," he says bitterly. "There's nothing like telling someone their friends all died for a can of baked beans or a package of diapers!"Aaron walks away shaking his head, and I just stand there in the doorway to the school, watching him go. I know Aaron well enough to know how deeply today's events will weigh on his soul, and I hate seeing him like this. Surviving in this harsh new world is hard e
75 Days Bonus Chapter
I ignore his complaint, since I already figured he would hate any work we assigned him. Todd remains quiet as I lead both him and Janelle down to the greenhouse. Surprisingly, Felicia is back in the room, and she's tackling a large pile of clothing all by herself. She looks like she's taking her miserable mood out on an oil stain. "That will never come out," I say, startling her. Felicia drops the brush back into the tub with a disgusted sigh. "Some of the people here are such slobs! They just don't realize these are the only clothes they have, and they aren't likely to get more. You'd think they'd take better care of them." She finally looks up at me. "Who are they?" "Felicia, this is Todd and Janelle. They found us while on our supply run, and since he kind of saved my life, Aaron and I decided to bring them back with us. So I'm showing them around." "Why are they in here though?" "Janelle is gonna help out with the laundry, so I thought I would show her where it was. She won't
75 Days Bonus Chapter
I slip out into the hallway and start my search for Aaron. After checking the storeroom, the makeshift armory, and the soldier's quarters, I finally find him in his temporary office. He's sitting behind a large wooden desk, and he's busy looking through papers with food levels, ammunition levels, and the current population breakdown. He looks up when I burst in, and he frowns."Maddy," he says, using the nickname people only use when I'm incredibly pissed off, "what's wrong?""Are you aware of the bartering system between the soldiers and the survivors?""What?""Some of the female survivors-like Rose-have been trading sexual favors for extra food! I walked in on Rose and one of your soldiers fooling around in the storeroom, and just now I noticed she had extra food. We got into it, and she admitted to it, and I noticed at least four other girls that are in on it too. Please tell me you didn't know..."He grips the edges of the desk so tightly I'm surprised the wood doesn't groan unde
75 Days Bonus Chapter
"Do what? Sleep with a soldier for extra food? No, I wouldn't. Everyone here should get the same amount of food-with an exception for the pregnant women we have here. They need extra, and nobody disputes that.""But-""Felicia, what Rose and those other girls are doing is wrong. You shouldn't agree with them.""The world isn't the same anymore, Madison. We have to do everything in our power to survive these days," Felicia says, sounding weary. "You may not like the way things are now, but this is how it has to be. Rose is staying alive the best way she knows how. We can't all be strong women like you."I'm so shocked by how hopeless she sounds that all I can manage to say is, "I'm not strong.""Yes, you are. You're stronger than me, Daisy, and Rose. And you're stronger than a lot of the people here. That's why Aaron likes getting your opinion on things. He knows what I do-that you're made to survive this.""Felicia, I am not made to survive. I'm just lucky that Aaron found me. If he h
75 Days Bonus Chapter
In the morning, I wake up to find my shoulders and my back mottled with dark, ugly bruises. Some are the size of the palm of my hand, and others are much larger, but they all spread across my skin like splotches of marker. My entire body aches, and I don't feel like moving, but I know I have to get out of bed if I want to find out what Aaron is going to do with the soldiers.I take a quick second to relax, before pushing myself up and off the cot. My muscles scream in protest, and I grit my teeth against the burning pain the slightest movement causes. I can't remember ever feeling this sore before, and it's only going to get worse throughout the day. And today I won't have any aspirin to dull the pain, not that the aspirin did a whole lot last night, but it was still better than nothing.Once I get to the door, I lean on the frame to catch my breath and rest my already sore muscles. Felicia sees my struggle, and she gives me a shoulder to lean against. "Are you gonna be okay, Madison?
75 Days Bonus Chapter
The man who objected shuts up and pulls his daughter closer to his side."That's what I thought," Aaron says coldly, looking at the rest of the room again. "This is where things get difficult. What kind of punishment is fitting for the crime he committed? I can't throw him out and leave him to die. I can't charge him with aggravated assault and imprison him. I can't put him on probation. So, this is what I've settled on," he says, bringing the whip out from behind his back.There's a collective gasp from the room as people take in the long, black leather torture device in Aaron's hands."This isn't ideal, and I'm by no means happy to be doing this, but something has to be done. Now, I want all of you to hear me when I say this: the bartering system is over! There will be no more trading sex for food. If I hear of anyone else participating in this, you will be punished!"Aaron turns around and shifts his grip on the whip. He raises his hand and flicks his wrist, and the thin end of the
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