Page 13 of My Undead Love Life

Ever.

A distant groan echoed somewhere down the street, carried by the wind between the abandoned buildings. It sounded far away, but after everything underground, every noise made me feel vulnerable.

I forced myself to keep moving.

My boots dragged over the concrete as I stumbled into a narrow alley between two dark buildings, clutching my bleeding arm tightly against my chest. Warm blood kept slipping between my fingers no matter how hard I pressed. The cut burned viciously now that the adrenaline was fading, throbbing in time with my heartbeat.

I fucking prayed I didn’t infect myself with all the zombie blood covering me. I wore layers upon layers of clothes, but the window had sliced through them.

Bitter wind funneled through the alley hard enough to cut through my blood-soaked jacket, making my skin ache with cold. Somewhere above me, a loose metal sign creaked rhythmically.

I needed to stop the bleeding and to clean this fucking wound before it got infected.

I needed to find Spencer.

The thought of her out there alone with strangers tightened painfully around my ribs.

What if she was hurt?

What if she was terrified?

What if she hated me?

“No,” I muttered shakily through chattering teeth. “I’m coming back to you.”

I pressed my shoulder against the icy brick wall for support, trying to steady my breathing enough to think clearly. My vision swam slightly at the edges from blood loss and exhaustion.

Everything hurt now—my arm, my ribs, my head, and my lungs. My entire body was aching.

Something scraped nearby.

I froze instantly.

That wasn’t zombie shuffling. The undead dragged their feet and twitched unpredictably. They moaned and groaned constantly. This sound was different.

My pulse spiked so violently it made the wound in my arm throb harder.

The alley was dark enough that I could barely make out more than shifting shadows. Weak sunlight spilled faintly from the street behind me, barely reaching deeper into the narrow passage. Maybe it was the blood loss screwing with my vision, but then I noticed them⁠—

Two pale eyes reflecting faintly from the darkness farther ahead.

Animal eyes.

At first, I thought it was a stray dog. Maybe a coyote driven into the city looking for food after the outbreak destroyed everything.

But it was far too large.

A low growl rumbled through the alley. The sound vibrated deep enough that I felt it in my chest.

Every muscle in my body locked up instantly.

The creature stepped partially into the weak light spilling between the buildings, and my blood went ice cold.

It was only then that I realized this city had a zoo.

Snow-white fur covered massive shoulders rippling with muscle beneath the frost collecting along its body. Black rosettes patterned its coat beautifully enough that my brain struggled to process the danger standing in front of me. Its long tail flicked once behind it.

A snow leopard.