American Revenant (Book 3): The Monster In Man by John L. Davis IV Read Free Book Online Page A

need to move, tonight if possible.”
    “Let’s take this to Dad,”
Calvin said, “get his opinion on the situation.  We need to get Jimmy and Alex
involved as well.”
    “Calvin, you mind waiting
here?  We’ll send Daniel, and someone else, down to take over guard duty.”
    “Sure, Rick.  I’ll be
here waiting, just tell them to hurry.”
    “Will do, keep your eyes
open.”
    Dean, Mike and Rick piled
into the De Soto and headed back to Oko Tipi.

 
     
    Chapter 9
     
    “We can’t deal with these
kinds of injuries, damn it!  I don’t have half the supplies I need to get in
there and make sure nothing major was torn apart.  Even if I could, I don’t
have a sterile environment to work in, or the antibiotics to fight off anything
but the mildest infection!”
    Jan’s voice continued to
rise.  She stormed around the large room of the main meeting hall, fuming about
the attacks and injuries.
    Looking from Dean to Calvin,
she said, “Your Dad’s knee is shot.  I’m almost certain it needs surgical
attention to repair it properly.  It’s not life threatening in the immediate
sense, but it won’t heal properly.  He won’t walk again, not without help, or
he’ll need a wheelchair.  If he can’t walk, he can’t run, if he can’t run…” 
She was unable to finish the thought, dreading the future for a man that
couldn’t run in the world they now inhabited.
    “Jan, we have two
situations, both dire.  You need medical supplies and medicine, the real stuff,
not scavenged home meds.  We also have a group of nutbags who are more than
willing to come after us or anyone else without thinking twice about it.”
    “Make your point, Mike,”
Jan said, scowling.
    “We need to prioritize,
remove the threat to everyone before we can even think about trying for the
medical stuff.”
    Jan opened her mouth as
if she were about to start yelling, at Mike and everyone.  Her eyes began to
shimmer as her mouth slowly closed.  She looked defeated, her will to shout
deflating with her spirit, as she resigned herself to losing yet another life.
    “Do what you need to do,”
she told the assembled group.  “I’m not sure how long I can keep Garret alive,
but I’ll do what I can.  I have to get back over there.  Let me know when you guys
are planning on leaving.”  She walked slowly to the door, leaving without
looking back.
    Rick turned to those
remaining behind, including Rebecca, Tam, and Lisa.  The cold stares from the
women told him everything he needed to know about their thoughts on the
subject.
    Mike spoke up, breaking
the uncomfortable quiet.  “We have to do this.  No one will be safe as long as
these pricks keep running around popping off shots,” he said, looking at Lisa,
but speaking to everyone.
    “We know what has to be
done, Mike,” Tam told him, “doesn’t mean we have to like it.”
    “No, it doesn’t.” Lisa
glared at her husband, as if expecting him to argue. 
    “Do you want to go?” he
asked.
    She continued to stare
for a moment before responding.  “I don’t want anyone to go, but I’m not
stupid enough to think we can turtle up and be safe.  That just means we’re
waiting to die.  Go, get it done and come home.”
    “This isn’t going to be a
run-and-gun kind of deal.  I just want everyone to know that.  We may be out
all night, possibly two.  We have to set up somewhere, a sort of base camp, go
in slow, maybe even use guerrilla tactics to lower their numbers a bit.  That’s
after we take time to recon the area.”  Rick stopped, taking time to briefly
look every person in the eye, to impress upon them the seriousness of the
mission.  “This isn’t going to be easy, and everyone needs to realize that,
right now.”
    The room was silent, no
one wanting to speak, fearing they would scream, or cry, or worse, say they had
changed their mind, did not want to go. 
    After a long,
uncomfortable minute Dean said, “Ok, then.  Let’s figure out a plan and