Hamsikker 3 by Russ Watts Read Free Book Online Page A

earlier. Would Bishop have even entered their lives? Would he have made a different judgement call? At the time it had appeared to be a horrible crime, that perhaps the men hanging in that garage had been the victims of someone evil. Now Jonas knew that he shouldn’t have felt sorry for them. They deserved what they got. Jonas was glad Bishop found them. He was a little unhinged undoubtedly, and the way he talked to his dead wife was unnerving, but his heart was in the right place. Even now, after only just meeting, he was generously offering to help them even further. They finished breakfast and went outside to let the sun warm them up naturally. They all looked at the array of vehicles Bishop had collected.
    “Over time I’ve picked up what I can. Most of them still have gas, and the batteries should be fine. I keep them ticking over when I can spare the time,” said Bishop. “Of course, nothing compares to Black Jack. Whatever you need, you can take. I’ll travel my own way.”
    “What about that one?” asked Dakota, pointing to a station wagon. “It’s got plenty of space for us, and any provisions we pick up along the way. Once we find Janey we can’t guarantee her place will be okay. It could be compromised. If so we’re going to need lots of space for her and the kids.”
    Jonas was pleased that Dakota was finally on board with the whole idea. She had begun talking about meeting Janey and his three nephews. If Dakota did have any doubts, she was hiding them well.
    “Nice idea, but it’s no good. We need speed, and she wasn’t built with that in mind,” said Lukas. “We need something with space, and the ability to outgun a pack of zombies. If I’m coming along, I want to be sitting in something with a bit of grunt.”
    “There,” said Jonas. “We might also need something with some power behind it, not to mention strength if we have to batter our way through a horde of those things. How about that?”
    Jonas pointed to a black armored van. The truck was unmarked, had a mesh grill at the front, and looked impervious to attack. It would have plenty of space inside and be strong enough to cope with anything they threw at it. Jonas couldn’t afford to take any risks now they were on the home straight. It was less than a day’s ride to the border and from there only a few more hours to Thunder Bay. He had to make the right decisions from now on. There was no room for error. Javier had a head start on them and that worried him.
    “I picked her up in Aurora,” said Bishop. “She was sitting there with the keys in, just begging me to take her. Seemed rude not to. This was before I found Black Jack, of course. I thought it would come in useful someday.”
    “Can I drive?” asked Lukas, flashing Jonas a cheeky smile.
    “Actually, yes,” replied Jonas, to Lukas’s surprise. “I take it you know how to?”
    “I know I’m young, but I’m not completely wet behind the ears. I can drive. Never had so much as a parking ticket.” Lukas admired the black truck they were about to set off in. “Yeah, that’s good. You sure you don’t want in, Bishop? I can’t see how you can possibly feel safer out on Black Jack when we’re in that thing.”
    Bishop shook his head. “No, thanks. I prefer to be in charge of myself. I trust Black Jack. I’ll ride ahead of you when I can; check out what’s up ahead. That way, if there is anything, I can double back and let you know.”
    “Like a scout?” Lukas whistled. “Nice.”
    “All right then, it’s settled,” said Bishop. “Let’s pack up some gear, and we’ll get going. I’m quite sure there’s no talking you out of this, is there?”
    Jonas looked at Dakota. She didn’t need to answer his questioning gaze.
    “No. We need to go. Our friends are relying on us. My family is relying on us. We need to hurry.”
    It didn’t take long to pack up what they wanted. Bishop insisted they take some food and water, as he had plenty stored away in the hold