Escape by T.W. Piperbrook Read Free Book Online Page B

luck.
    Dammit.
    “What are we going to do?” Quinn whispered.
    He hesitated.
    “We need something else to drive.”
    The task would be a lot more difficult than it sounded. By the looks of it, many of the vehicles had been damaged or crashed. Of those that were untouched, not all of them had keys. Even if they were to procure another vehicle, they’d lost their entire stock of uncontaminated food and drink.
    Dan struggled to keep his composure.
    “We’d better get moving,” he said.
    Before he could take a step, Sandy stopped him.
    “I know where he’s going.”
    “Who?”
    “Reginald. The man who stole your car.”
    “You know him?”
    “Yes. He’s one of the survivors I’ve been staying with.”
    Dan eyed her with suspicion. “Why didn’t you say something earlier? Why didn’t you yell out to him?”
    “I tried, but it all happened so fast. If he’d seen me, I’m sure he wouldn’t have driven off. He probably came looking for me.”
    “Do you know where he went?”
    “Yes. He would’ve driven back to the lumberyard.”
    “Is that where you’ve been staying?”
    “Yes.”
    “How many of you are there?”
    “Ten.”
    Sandy looked at him, her eyes tearing up.
    “I had no idea Reginald would do this. We all agreed that if we found more survivors, we’d do our best to help them. I can’t believe he stranded us.”
    Dan sighed. “I’m not surprised. In fact, I know Reginald pretty well myself.”
    He briefed the two of them on Reginald’s background, as well as the man’s run-ins with the law.
    “I only met him two days ago,” Sandy said. “He seemed nice enough. This is my fault. If I hadn’t gotten stuck up there—”
    “Don’t worry about it, Sandy. We’ll get the car back. The lumberyard is only a twenty-minute walk from here. We’ll just have to be careful.”
    He glanced down the street, which was still devoid of movement. Even though the area appeared to be clear, he knew it was far from safe.
    Given the noise they’d created—both from their encounter with the creatures and their encounter with Reginald—Dan was certain more things would be right around the corner.
    As if on cue, a series of crashes erupted from the adjacent block.
    He motioned the girls onward.
    “Let’s go. There’s no time to waste.”

8
    M eredith stared at the three bodies on the ground in front of her. After Sheila passed, she’d covered them with sheets, placing them next to each other in the barn. It seemed like the decent thing to do.
    The last thing she wanted was for the animals to get at them.
    In a normal situation—if a situation like this could ever be called normal—she would have left the bodies in place and waited for the police. But the circumstances were far from normal, and her instincts told her help wouldn’t be coming soon.
    She wasn’t sure if it would ever come.
    Meredith staggered outside into the field, letting the warm sun glance off her face. For a moment, she convinced herself that all of this was imagined, that she was lying in bed, about to awaken.
    But each time she glanced back into the barn, the sheets were still there, and so were the people underneath.
    Her closest neighbors—Ben, Marcy, and Sheila—were all dead, and Meredith was alone.
    She wandered back into Sheila’s house in a daze, her mind still reeling, and stepped through the kitchen and into the living room. On top of an antique looking table was an equally old-looking television, and she hit the power button and turned it on.
    Static.
    She hit the channel buttons, flipping from station to station, but came across nothing but black and white fuzz. Gone were the newscasters with their warnings and speculations, gone were the televangelists with their prophecies of doom.
    It was as if Meredith was the last person on earth.
    She turned off the set and walked back to the phone, once again dialing every number she could think of. The phone rang and rang.
    She hung up the receiver, hands trembling. After