After The Fires Went Out: Coyote (Book One of the Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Series) by Regan Wolfrom Read Free Book Online

meeting and we did our best to put whatever shit’s between us on hold.
    Graham drove the truck and I was on lookout, both of us wearing as much protective gear as we have. If we know we’re crossing the river, we’ll start off with our riot suits; they’re light enough that it’s not that bad wearing them, except for a few hot weeks we had in July and August now that the sun’s back. And once we cross the West Gate, the one on the road bridge, we’ll strap our vests on over our suits and we’ll throw on the helmets and goggles. It’s a lot to wear, especially when we’re lifting and hauling, but there’s a big advantage to being some of the best equipped guys coming into Cochrane.
    We reached the outskirts of town, passing by the industrial buildings along the highway as it runs along the tracks and into town.
    “So... best place for batteries?” Graham asked. He was obviously eager to get started.
    “I need to look for more pills first,” I said. “I want to check Lady Minto again... just to be sure.”
    “You’re serious? That’s all the way across town.”
    “I’m serious. If we leave it for last we’ll run out of time.”
    Graham winced like I’d kicked him in the nuts. “You can’t just spring this on me, Baptiste. Plus... don’t you think we should focus on what’s best for the whole team?”
    “Don’t tell me my job,” I said.
    “That’s not your job, Baptiste. Your job is security, not supplies.”
    “Well... when I die in six months I’ll be taking on a new job as weed fertilizer. That sure as hell won’t do you guys any good.”
    Graham shook his head. “You have pills for now. We don’t have enough batteries.”
    I laughed. “There are probably three hundred car batteries left in this town. We can pull those out once we’re done checking the hospital again.”
    Graham started slowing down.
    “We’re going to the hospital,” I said.
    “There are a half dozen school buses over there,” Graham said, pointing toward a gravel lot on the south side of the highway. “Let’s yank those batteries at least... just to get started.”
    “You can yank whatever you like, Graham. But I’m taking this truck up to Lady Minto with or without you.”
    He turned to glare at me. I assume it was a glare; all I could see was his helmet.
    “I’m not kidding,” I said.
    Graham seethed a little, but eventually he gave me a long sigh and a slow shake of his head. “It’s selfish,” he said quietly.
    “That’s your opinion.”
    He started us moving again, not saying anything more about it. I could tell that he was pissed, and I knew that he’d probably run right to Lisa when we got home to tell her what a big bad asshole I am. It doesn’t make a difference what he says about me; he’ll keep mumbling but we’ll keep working, because that’s really all there’s left for us to do.
     

    Graham pulled us into the empty parking lot of burnt-out Lady Minto.
    Beside a curb we found her.
    The first body of the season if you don’t count Ant.
    She’d been pretty once, early twenties, with short brown hair and thick purple-rimmed glasses, but her face was bruised and battered now. Someone had beaten her to death and I didn’t know why.
    “Pauline Yarrow,” I said. “Wasn’t she shacked up with the McIvors?”
    I wasn’t as horrified as I ought to be. As I used to be with this type of thing.
    “I thought the McIvors left,” Graham said.
    “They did. Over a month ago. Guess she decided to stay behind.”
    I heard Graham sigh. I looked over and saw tears in his eyes. At least one of us still felt something.
    I looked at the trail of blood that marked a path behind her.
    “Looks like she stumbled over here from somewhere. She’s been here a couple hours,” I said, realizing that I’d become an expert on dead people.
    “She thought she’d find help at an abandoned hospital?”
    “I guess she wasn’t thinking straight. You know, since she was slowly bleeding to