Eve of Redemption by Tom Mohan Read Free Book Online

illuminate the hulking police officer. Burke noticed the man no longer wore his uniform. “What’re you doing here?” His words came out slurred through his raw throat.
    “Was worried about you,” the cop said. “Couldn’t get what happened out of my head. Looked up your address. I’m making a habit of finding you out cold. Sounded like a fight going on in here, but when I got the door open you were alone.”
    Burke let out a heavy sigh as his body relaxed against the wall. “Where are they?” he asked.
    Martinez looked confused. “Who?”
    Burke shook his head slowly. “They were here, waiting for me.”
    “Who was here?”
    “Laura…Sara…here.”
    Martinez turned the light around the room. “Your wife and daughter?” he asked. “They were here?”
    Burke sighed. “You think I’m crazy.” He paused. “Maybe I am. I don’t know anymore.” He knew he was rambling. “They were here, though. I saw them. Felt them. But they weren’t alive. Not anymore.”
    “You’re not making sense. Calm down and start over.”
    Burke laughed, but the sound came out much higher than he would have thought possible. “Calm down? You want me to calm down?” He almost said more, but just shook his head before letting it fall with his chin to his chest.
    Martinez put a hand on Burke’s shoulder. “Stay here. I’ll look around.’’
    Burke heard the big cop step away and move deeper into the darkness of the house. Resting his head against the wall, he stared into the darkness. Had it really been less than twenty-four hours since the little redheaded street girl had stolen the picture of his family? He tried to wrap his mind around all that had happened. He knew he had seen the girl in his house, just as he knew something else had been here. Not Laura and Sara. He could never believe that those monstrosities were his family. If they were dead, they would be in heaven, not roaming the planet as rotting corpses. He wondered what would become of him when he passed on. He knew heaven was not an option. Even before the events of four years ago, he had known his wife and daughter were much better people than he would ever be. Working weekends had given him an excuse not to attend church with them, but an excuse was all it had been. He had no room in his life for God and, he suspected, God had no room for him. Maybe if he had been more involved, had at least taken the time to check out that new church that had popped up, things would have turned out different.
    “What the…?” Martinez’s startled voice came from further in the house. His heavy steps pounded back into the room. Without warning, Burke found himself flung face down on the floor. A knee came down on his spine as the much bigger man pulled Burke’s hands behind his back.
    “You scum. I was worried about you…and why?”
    “What? What did I do?” Burke had been taken by surprise. He gasped as the cuffs clicked home, pinching his flesh.
    “Shut up. Just shut your mouth.” Martinez’s breathing was ragged as he finished cuffing Burke.
    “I don’t understand,” Burke tried to say, but Martinez stood up and stomped his foot into Burke’s back, right between his shoulder blades, knocking the air from his lungs.
    “Don’t know why I bother,” Martinez mumbled. “Always the stinkin’ same. Why should I expect anything else? Why’d you do it? Huh?”
    Burke tried to lift his head, but the huge foot planted in the middle of his back kept him flat on the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I didn’t do anything.”
    “Didn’t do anything, huh?” Martinez’s voice grew more menacing with each word. Burke heard the big man taking deep breaths, as though trying to get himself under control.
    “I have no idea what is going on here, and not knowing makes me very irritable. Do you understand that, Mr. Burke?” Martinez grabbed Burke by the cuffed wrists and heaved him to his feet. Burke nearly screamed as his