Bone And Cinder: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Zapheads Book 1) by Scott Nicholson, Joshua Simcox Read Free Book Online Page A

the Big Zap.  Further proof that God had surely lost interest in what was left of His scorched earth.
    “But...the storms...how did—”
    “Oh yes.”  Krider’s smile widened.  “Everything just kind of went to shit out there, didn’t it?  I was here from Tampa with six men.  Two dropped dead immediately, and another Herrera had to put down, ‘cause he was all...” Krider contorted his face in a pantomime of a rage-filled Zaphead.  “Creepy, creepy shit.”
    Herrera chuckled, a sound like pebbles tumbling down a metal chute.  “Bad horror movie, bro.”
    “We were at the safe house when all this happened,” Krider said.  “Enjoying a respite from the heat, waiting to see how things played out with you and Ms. McAllister.”
    Of course he’d want to watch, after setting up Kara to get her revenge.  He wouldn’t have missed that for the world.
    “Where is Kara?”
    Krider ignored the question.  “The few of us that were left, we stocked up with plenty of guns, some other supplies from my safe house, and we made the trek here.  Killed plenty of those crazies along the way.  Would’ve been a short trip by car, but well, those storms pretty much eliminated that possibility.  No chance in hell of getting an engine to turn over now.  They’re calling it ‘After.’  Apparently the scientists tried to warn us but the asshole politicians buried it.  Typical.”
    “Why come here?” Mackie asked.  “Why not stay holed up in the safe house?  You wouldn’t have taken that kind of risk just for me and the McAllister girl.  You couldn’t have been sure we even survived.”
    “That should be obvious to you, Mackie,” Krider said.  “What’s happening out there is happening everywhere.  Help is not on the way.  America doesn’t exist anymore.  Society doesn’t exist anymore.  But a college campus like this, it functions as its own little community.  A place with plenty of shelter and resources and enough survivors to get by.  A castle keep for the New Age.”
    Krider would also want to align himself with other survivors, though Mackie wasn’t aware how many were here, with the exception of Kara.
    “We found Ms. McAllister exiting the campus,” Krider said.  “And after Herrera removed a Glock from her person, she and I had a conversation.  Seems she didn’t play her part in all of this as expected.”  Krider nodded toward the front entrance.  “But with all that’s happening out there...well, of course that changes things.”
    Mackie hoped his anger would dull the heroin high.  It was in there somewhere, the rage he needed to leap up from the table and put his hands on Krider before a bullet cut him down.
    But all he felt now was, well... floaty .
    “What did you do with her?” Mackie asked.
    “She’s with a few friends of mine.  Restrained, but alive.  She wasn’t willing to say much, even with a little persuasion from Herrera, but we did manage to pry your whereabouts from her.  She obviously doesn’t feel any great sense of loyalty to you.  I guess it didn’t take her long to figure you out.”
    Mackie swallowed hard to flush the sand and cotton from his throat.  “You played us both.”
    Krider chewed another green gummy before continuing.  “My hope was that Ms. McAllister would kill your girl, and then, in a fit of Shakespearean grief and rage, you would kill her in turn.  Of course, if the pieces didn’t fall in place as hoped, I wanted to be here to personally supervise the clean-up.”
    Mackie’s limbs felt weightless, but a dense pressure seemed to keep his head pressed to the pillow.  “But that’s not you.  That’s not what you do.”
    Krider nodded.  “You’re right.  It isn’t.”
    As Mackie spoke, it felt as if his words were clouds of mist somewhere above his head.  “Why do this?  Why go to this kind of trouble?  You could’ve had us both killed anytime you wanted.”
    Krider stroked his beard and then ran his hand through