The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 23

Nicky barged into my room for the second time today. "Look at what he did!"

I remained sitting on the edge of my bed and slowly blinked at the objects in Nicky's hands. "Well... I hope you like pink."

Nicky glared at me for my lack of concern, still holding up her jacket, shoes, pants, and shirt. All of which were a very bright shade of hot pink. "Pink is a very fine color, but not in this shade! Does he really think I'd wear this? Even I have more fashion sense than that!"

I heard Jess's door open as curiosity dragged her over. It was a good thing no one had gone to bed yet, or they surely would have been woken up by Nicky's loud voice. If Daniel was in his room, he'd be able to hear her and would probably be sporting a smug grin.

I managed to keep a straight face. "At the very least, if you get lost in the forest, I'll have an easy time finding you."

"Me getting lost in the forest with three bloodhound zombies in the area is the least of my concerns."

Jess appeared behind Nicky, and her eyes went wide at the sight of the clothes that were so bright they were practically glowing.

"So, what is your main concern?" I asked Nicky. "You have a matching outfit, which is quite unique. I fail to understand why you are so upset over a gift. Imagine all of the work someone had to go through to fix up your clothes so they look brand new. That was the color you originally wanted to paint the quad, right?"

That did it. Nicky dropped her armful of pink belongings and charged toward me. "Oh, you!"

I rolled my eyes and suppressed my instincts, although they could tell she wasn't serious. I didn't even bother getting to my feet, which in the zombie world meant I didn't even register her as a potential threat. Jess gasped, worried about Nicky's safety since she was doing something Jess had probably been warned against.

Nicky jumped, attempting a midair tackle. Her fearlessness surprised me, although my reflexes were as sharp as ever. I grabbed her wrists and redirected her flight so she landed face-down on the bed beside me. I twisted to the side and pressed my arm across her shoulders, pinning her to the mattress. I growled lightly as I put some weight on her shoulders.

Nicky understood the faint challenge. "Okay, okay. Uncle, Auntie, I give up, however you want me to word it."

I snorted faintly and sat back up.

Nicky rolled over and sat up with a big grin. "Well, that was fun."

Perhaps I needed to look up the definition of fun again, but I was pretty sure jumping at someone and having them pin you in three seconds did not fall into that category. Jess stared at Nicky as well, likely questioning her sanity, although a grin was starting to tug at her lips.

"I fail to see how you found that fun," I said.

"Most people would have given me a death threat or attempted to kick my ass for that. The fact that you tolerate me is fun."

Perhaps I needed to pass Nicky the dictionary and make her read the definition of fun.

Nicky sighed and regarded the big pile of eye-watering pink clothes that were desecrating my doorway with their very presence. "What am I going to do with them?"

This question was one I took seriously since I didn't want her wearing those things around me. I contemplated a few options. "Well... You could soak them in bleach water until they came out closer to white, or you could see if the laundry people have a darker dye available. Or I can burn them in the forest, and you can just get replacements."

"I say we take them over to Luke's place and burn them in his firepit," Nicky said decidedly. "If nothing else, it'll be one hell of a conversation starter. Everything they picked was worn out and ready to become rags anyway."