Beyond Death (Book 2): Apocalypse by Silas Cooper Page A

safe where you are,” Daniel continued.
    “It’s okay. We’re doing fine,” Chase grumbled.
    “No. It’s not safe. I have to get you out,” Daniel said.
    “What are you talking about,” Chase asked.
    He’d yelled into the phone that time, so he looked over his shoulder, expecting the whole crew to enter at any time. To his surprise, they didn’t.
    “”It’s not safe where you are,” Daniel repeated.
    “You keep saying that, but I don’t understand what you mean. What you want me to do?” Chase growled.
    The phone went dead. He tried redial several times, but with no success. He finally walked out of the room to find them all across the hall from the door staring at him. He stormed away from them, not ready to talk. Fury burned up through his body, and he wasn’t exactly sure why.
    “Chase,” Lucas yelled after him. “I have something I want to show you.”

Chapter Fifteen
    Chase had been taking notes when Dax entered the lab. He looked up briefly, but went right back to scribbling out the latest test results. They’d moved from mice to zombies with the theory that Lucas had come to him with a month ago. The cure seemed just out of their reach now. The sliver of light at the end of the tunnel, plus the treat of dying from boredom, kept them going.
    “Chase,” Dax said. “I need to talk to you.”
    “Ah, sure,” Chase said putting his pen down. “I’m at a place I can take a break.”
    “In a private room, please,” Dax whispered.
    Chase only nodded and followed Dax out of the room, down the hall, and into another.
    “So, what is on your mind, Dax?” Chase asked.
    “We’re getting too comfortable. If a massive group of zombies comes this way, we’re done for,” Dax began abruptly.
    “I don’t think that’s likely,” Chase said with a shake of his head. “We haven’t seen a group of zombies since we got here, what is it… however many weeks ago. Plus, they seem to move slower these days.”
    “We can’t take the chance,” Dax continued.
    “Look, I appreciate your concern, but we’re good now. We all stick close together and we all have access to guns. Plus, the research is coming along. I never would have believed it a month ago, but I think we are actually coming close to a breakthrough. If we’d have had the right kind of setup, we probably would have been there long ago, but we keep plugging away,” Chase smiled.
    “That’s just it,” Dax complained. “I don’t have anything to do! I know it sounds silly to say, but I’m going mad. You and Lucas, you have your work. But me, I patrol the building, I eat or nibble, I sleep, that’s it.”
    “What you do is important, the most important thing. Without you, Lucas and I couldn’t work and the women wouldn’t be safe.”
    “And I’ll keep doing it, just give me something else to do, anything else,” Dax begged.
    “Sure. I’ll think on it,” Chase said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “But, right, now I have to get back to the lab.
    On his way there, he saw Jayda entering the lab. Seemed everyone needed to talk. He went back to work, and tried to make small talk with her, but she was moody. So moody in fact, that she seemed to blame every issue she had on him.
    “I barely sleep. All I do is puke. We eat the same thing over and over again, and the baby isn’t liking it obviously,” Jayda complained.
    “From the sounds of your tone, you blame this all on me too?” Chase sighed.
    Jayda didn’t say anything. As tears rimmed her eyes, she just threw her arms around Chase. Hesitantly, he hugged her back, bringing his arms around her and pulling her close. He let his brain take a break. This close to her, he couldn’t think. He especially couldn’t contemplate what it felt like to have her in his arms. She needed him, and he’d be whatever she needed him to be. He’d made peace with only that.
    “I did it!” Lucas’ voice broke them apart.
    “Did what?” Chase asked, turning but not moving away from