Eric S. Brown by Last Stand in a Dead Land Read Free Book Online Page A

watched. He wanted to run but something inside of him made him stand his ground. Whatever was in the woods sure wasn’t a rotter and his life might depend on knowing what it was. Thomas heard the sound of breaking limbs as something larger than a bear and as fast as a car tore through the trees heading to the North, away from his position. He raised his rifle, bracing its butt against his shoulder as he took aim at the area where the movement was. His finger twitched on the trigger but he didn’t pull it. Instead, he whirled about and ran for home, calling for the dogs to follow him.
     
    ***
     
    “ Elijah, I really don’t think this is a good idea,” Jacob said as Elijah steered the Outback up to the pumps of the Mom and Pop gas station. The town they were in was a small one. Jacob thought he remembered seeing a sign that read “Clyde” or something like that. He supposed the place’s name didn’t matter. Not much did anymore. They’d only seen a handful of rotters staggering its streets so far and those had been pretty scattered. The station’s lot was clear of them for now. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t an army of them somewhere in the buildings or woods nearby.
    “ It’s this or walk,” Elijah scowled. “We used the last of what was onboard this morning.”
    Jacob hoped Lori would take his side but she was still a wreck. She sat in the passenger seat beside Elijah staring at the dashboard. Her eyes were so red it looked almost like they were bleeding. There was a glistening layer of snot between her upper lip and nose. Jacob felt bad for her but there was nothing he could do to help her. The grief she was feeling was too deep, too personal for him to do anything to drag her out of it.
    Helena, on the other hand, was really coming alive. She had asked Elijah for a weapon and held onto the .38 revolver he had given her like a Round Table knight clutching Excalibur.
    Elijah threw the Outback into park and killed the engine. “The power’s on here. This should be fast and easy.”
    Jacob stepped from the Outback with him. He needed to stretch his legs. “I’m starving,” Jacob complained as he eyed the station; his earlier fear was replaced by the desire to fill his belly.
    “ Take Helena with you if you go,” Elijah ordered him.
    Jacob saw Helena perk up even more at her name. Her door swung open on the other side of the vehicle. She walked around to join them at the pumps, beaming and bristling with energy.
    “ Okay then. We’ll be back in a few.” Jacob nodded at Elijah, then smiled at Helena. “You sure you know how to use that?”
    She held up the revolver in her hands like a model on a Charlie’s Angels poster. “Don’t worry,” she giggled, “I won’t shoot you. . .intentionally.”
    The station’s windows were shattered. Shards of glass littered the pavement. “Be careful and watch where you step,” Jacob told Helena. She was still barefoot and he didn’t want her getting hurt from something as stupid not paying attention and ending up with her feet more injured than they already were.
    The door was unlocked. Jacob peeked through its plexi-glass to check for rotters waiting inside before he opened it. A small silver bell jingled above them as they entered. Shredded potato chip bags, stepped-on candy bars, and other trash covered the floor, crunching and crackling underneath their feet.
    “ Guess this place has been looted before,” Jacob commented, a bit disappointed at that fact. The register on the counter was open and all the money gone. He wondered what sort of idiot would take the time to do that. What value could green paper possibly have now?
    “ Wow. Even most of the condoms are gone,” Helena chuckled as she stared into the closest of the three aisles in front of the rear refrigerator section.
    “ How old are you again?” Jacob teased her.
    Helena frowned. “I’m seventeen.”
    Jacob patted her shoulder as he walked by her into an aisle. “Forget it. I was