Plague of the Dead | Book 3 | Plague of the Island

think adults would be this ridiculous when life hung in the balance.
“I caught a big fish,” Lasa said bringing my attention away from my thoughts, “But opted to eat some canned sausages. Brian caught one that looked like a zombie fish,” Lasa said and laughed.
“A zombie fish?” I asked.
Lasa nodded enthusiastically.
“That sounds disturbing. What happened to the fish you caught?”
“Diana fried it up and ate it.”
I nodded again.
Lasa continued to tell me more stories and demonstrated some of her shooting skills. I watched her attentively but was suddenly exhausted.
“Sweetie, I’m proud of you. It’s been a long night though; I think I need a nap.”
“Is the baby sleepy?” She asked sweetly as she rubbed my belly.
I smiled, “I think so.”
She kissed my belly and then my head, “Then you must sleep.”
She laid in her cot next to me and colored.
I drifted off to sleep. I don’t think it was very long before Lasa shook me awake. Before either of us spoke, I heard the shouting coming from outside.
“Stay here,” I told Lasa as I grabbed my gun and went outside.
The meeting area is where I saw Holland up in Daniel’s face. I couldn’t make out what he was shouting. It was incoherent noise.
Laura stood back smirking and I was beginning to put together what was happening.
I saw Gerald, Kent and Luther sitting off to the side watching. Luther looked like he had been punched.
Molly sat next to Diana, rubbing her back. Diana looked almost green. She had to be extremely sick.
“She can’t stay here,” Holland demanded of Daniel.
“I told you she is quarantined. We will not let her near anyone until we know for sure…”
Holland interrupted, “For sure she won’t eat our insides? She was bit. She should be taken out.”
Holland caught sight of me as I approached, his eyes narrowing at me.
“I heard all about this one not wanting to take care of it when it happened from Kent.”
Kent gulped and looked at me apologetically. “Good thing she didn’t though,” he said meekly.
Holland turned to glare at him since Kent didn’t back him up. Kent said nothing more.
“Phoebe didn’t turn,” Daniel reasoned.
“Bull-shit. You’ve been blinded by this one from day one,” he said pointing to me. “And ever since you found out you knocked her up you’ve been catering to her every whim.”
That was hardly true, but that was hardly neither here nor there in Holland’s rage. I was pissed off he was using me to justify his hot headedness.
“Even though you’re clearly doing Laura’s bidding right now by staging this ridiculous fight in front of everyone?” I asked.
“Stay out of this,” Holland barked at me.
“You’re the one who dragged me into it asshole.”
“Shut up Shelly,” Laura snapped, “if it wasn’t for you…”
She had gotten up into my face, so I cut her off.
“If it wasn’t for me what? Phoebe wouldn’t have gotten bit? Or no one would have noticed the low food counts you neglected to mention?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said backing up a bit.
“Low food counts?” Kent asked, “The counts have been low? You should have mentioned that.”
“They’re not low,” Laura said defensively. “She’s making it up.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. The whole thing was ridiculous.
“Next thing she’s going to say is we put that zombie there under the car to bite Phoebe.”
Everyone fell silent as eyes fell to Laura. The air somehow felt cold despite the muggy humidity surrounding us like a blanket.
“What?” She asked noticing the shift in the atmosphere.
“No one said the zombie was under the car Laura,” Daniel stated.
“Yeah, Kent told me,” she invented wildly.
“No, I never said that. I didn’t even know that’s where the zombie was,” Kent stated.
Holland looked at Laura, his eyes seeming to be on fire.
“Don’t look at me like that! I slipped. You said it would be her that got bit after you freaked her out in the rec area,” she said indicating she meant me.
“What?” I asked.
There were murmurs from everyone else. We all wanted answers.
“Holland said if we could get you out of the picture, Daniel would step aside without a fight.”
“Laura?!” Holland snapped.
“I’m sorry,” she told him.
“You’re sorry to him? You were going to help him turn me or kill me and you apologize to him?” I asked in disbelief.
I was flabbergasted at the whole thing. It made me sick to my stomach and I wanted to throw up.
Laura’s eyes became like razors and I saw her pull back her hand in a fist. Despite feeling a new wave of sickness unrelated to the baby, I was prepared to dodge what I’m sure would be a sloppy punch, but Gerald grabbed her wrist.
“Enough,” He said his normally smooth voice almost menacing.
“Don’t you touch her,” Holland snapped at Gerald.
Gerald let go and stepped up to Holland, “Seriously? After all you’ve two done and she was about to punch Shelly!”
“I don’t care,” Holland said.
“You wouldn’t, would you, you selfish bastard?” Gerald said. His outburst silencing everyone as he was always so calm. “You have wanted to be the leader since you got here but you don’t have what it takes. You’re inconsiderate and blinded by power. You would’ve made a good politician but not a leader.”
Holland opened his mouth to say something, but Gerald cut him off.
“If Luther and Daniel believe Phoebe is okay, as crazy as it sounds, I’m going to believe them. Daniel always uses his best judgment. I trust him. You I don’t trust. Especially given you were trying to kill a pregnant woman and sabotage our food.”
Laura began to protest, and Holland yelled at Gerald.
His voice boomed louder than either of them, “Don’t get mad