Amongst the Dead by David Bernstein Read Free Book Online Page B

trees—the greenery a welcoming symbol of life amongst all the human death. The Earth, with its most dominant species on the brink of extinction, was still showing that it was alive.  
    Riley smiled as the flora flew by, a blur of green and gray. Why were humans the only living thing affected by the virus or whatever it was that was causing the dead to rise up?  
    She was more at ease than she’d been in some time, guessing the gentle ride and having Jack at her side had something to do with it. It was cool out, but she kept the window down, allowing her hand to sail up and down like the wing of a plane, the rush of air exhilarating.  
    The car slowed as it approached the entranceway to Route 17. Jack stopped the car, but left it running. “You’re going to be a second pair of eyes and the main gunner should we run into any hostiles. It’s obvious you can shoot, but firing from a moving vehicle is completely different. You’ll need to aim of course, but set your sights slightly ahead of the target, almost anticipating it.”  
    “Okay,” was all she could say. She’d never shot from a moving vehicle and only doing so would help her become proficient at it.  
    “Get ready to shoot. Practice on objects in the distance like road signs. I hate wasting ammo, but it’s important to learn to shoot while on the move. In this world shooting and survival are equivalent to learning the ABCs. Jack hit the gas. The car lurched forward and they sped onto the highway, the speedometer reaching sixty miles per hour. Jack maintained the speed. “Okay, unbuckle the seatbelt and start shooting at any signs you see.”  
    A good two-mile stretch of asphalt lay ahead as the car sped along. Making sure the passenger door was locked, Riley leaned out of the window, eyeing a yellow road sign in the distance. The wind was fierce, causing her eyes to tear and the weapon to jostle. She tightened her grip.  
    “They’ll most likely be firing at us too,” Jack yelled.  
    Riley squeezed the trigger. The gun’s loud crack erupted, but was quickly left behind.  
    “Keep firing. Steady shots.”  
    Riley had missed badly the first few times, seeing the dirt splash up alongside the road nowhere near the sign. After a dozen tries she caught on, quickly getting a feel for the new experience, and was able to puncture holes through the metal signs.  
    “You sure you’ve never…” Jack was about to ask. “Damn!”  
    A black SUV came around a bend up ahead, barely sideswiping the car. Jack swerved, reaching out a hand to grab Riley and yank her back inside the vehicle.  
    “What’s going on?” she asked. “What’s that vehicle…”  
    “They found us,” he said.  
    “The army men? Ben’s brother?”  
    “Yeah. They must have been on their way back to base, having given up on us. Damn, if we’d only stayed off the road a little longer.”  
    Riley spun around in her seat, looking out of the rear window. The SUV had turned around and was in pursuit of them. She turned to Jack. “What do you want me to do?” The back window exploded as bullets struck it. Riley screamed, ducking low.  
    “Stay down,” Jack hollered.  
    “No,” she told him, already reloading with a new clip.  
    “All right, but don’t bother shooting back until we get around this bend. Put the Kevlar vest over the seat and use it as a shield.”
    She reached into the backseat and grabbed the vest, draping it over her seat before grabbing a bag of clips, and setting them on the floor at her feet. Now she was somewhat protected—the headrest the only piece poking through the neck slot. “What about you?”  
    “I’ll be fine. You’re the gunner, just stay alive and take them out.”  
    The highway was windy for a bit, the men in the SUV firing wildly and missing. “I know this road,” Jack said. “There’s a straight stretch coming up. Get ready. Aim for the truck’s grille.”  
    “I can’t believe they traveled so far to find