HOOD: A Post Apocalyptic Novel (American Rebirth Series Book 1) by Evan Pickering Read Free Book Online
Authors: Evan Pickering
road to what had become their home. He turned to face the tall colonial, and he felt his entire body shiver with intensity.
Outside the front door of his house a man was dragging Taylor off of the property. She fought back, punching and kicking wildly, but the man grabbed both her arms, trying to subdue her. Hood heard Taylor screaming out Whiskey's name, then his own. The man's voice boomed in an imploring shout:
“Listen to me, I'm trying to save you!”
He recognized the voice. It didn't fully register in his mind as Hood strode forward, taking aim of the man. He lowered the .38, stunned, as the man’s face came into view.
It was Ian.
He looked older, much older than he should've looked in only a few years’ time. He stood tall with a calm determination, and his blonde hair was cut short now. But it was him. You’re alive. What are you doing here?
A faint rustling came from behind him. A rough arm wrapped itself around Hood's neck and a hand mashed a wet cloth over his face. It smelled of chemicals. Hood leaned forward, trying to leverage the man off his back. But his vision blurred and he felt weak. As he hit the ground, he saw the old Sheriff's crooked smile looking down at him with the blue sky and tree branches above.
“This moment is even sweeter than I dreamed it'd be.” The Sheriff stood up, the sun framing his head.
Hood called out for Ian as the world faded away.
Chapter 4 – Desolation
A murky haze slowly lifted from Hood's mind as consciousness came back to him. He vaguely remembered dreaming, but what about, he couldn't say. Hunched in a chair, he tugged at his hands which were locked behind his back, the cuffs digging into his wrists. Taylor and Ian. What happened? His shoulders throbbed, and his hands buzzed with a stinging numbness from lack of circulation. He blinked slowly, still seeing only darkness. The smell of used motor oil and sawdust permeated the air. He tried to move his legs, but they were bound fast to the legs of the chair by rope.
“You're a damn fool,” Hood whispered to himself.
He tried to replay it all in his mind. It kept snapping back to the image of Ian holding Taylor by her forearms, trying to subdue her.
Are you working for the Kaiser? Why? Hood thought about the dead man's journal. Do you even have a choice?
He knew the town was going to get massacred. He was getting Taylor the hell out of there. If Ian knew I was there, he'd have mowed the Sheriff down, even if they were working together. Hood tried to shake his mind free of the confusion. He hung his head, his chin on his chest, before swiveling it around to stretch his sore neck. He had more important things to think about. He was alive. He didn't know why, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe they wanted him as a slave. There had to be a reason he was here. He had to find out what it was.
Lucky's dead. They're all dead. The town is gone.
The dark thoughts in his head ran free.
You failed them, you acted like everything was fine and no one was ever going to come try to kill you all. You just wanted to pretend the world wasn't fucked. Now you're going to die, too. Hood bit his bottom lip, wanting to turn the pain in his head into something he can feel. Maybe Ian does know I'm here. He might come and find me. He was trying to keep Taylor out of harms' way.
With a click, light filled the room, so bright Hood had to turn his face and jam his eyes shut.
“You're getting full of yourself,” came the hoarse voice of the old Sheriff. “Thinking you could get away with stealing from us.”
The idea that the Sheriff had Hood's life in his hands was a dark seed in his mind. He needed to buy some time, find out why he was here, why he was still alive.
“Yeah, you're probably right,” Hood answered at length. The yellow floodlight nailed to the wall still shone in his eyes, but they’d adjusted enough to be able to see that they
Outside the front door of his house a man was dragging Taylor off of the property. She fought back, punching and kicking wildly, but the man grabbed both her arms, trying to subdue her. Hood heard Taylor screaming out Whiskey's name, then his own. The man's voice boomed in an imploring shout:
“Listen to me, I'm trying to save you!”
He recognized the voice. It didn't fully register in his mind as Hood strode forward, taking aim of the man. He lowered the .38, stunned, as the man’s face came into view.
It was Ian.
He looked older, much older than he should've looked in only a few years’ time. He stood tall with a calm determination, and his blonde hair was cut short now. But it was him. You’re alive. What are you doing here?
A faint rustling came from behind him. A rough arm wrapped itself around Hood's neck and a hand mashed a wet cloth over his face. It smelled of chemicals. Hood leaned forward, trying to leverage the man off his back. But his vision blurred and he felt weak. As he hit the ground, he saw the old Sheriff's crooked smile looking down at him with the blue sky and tree branches above.
“This moment is even sweeter than I dreamed it'd be.” The Sheriff stood up, the sun framing his head.
Hood called out for Ian as the world faded away.
Chapter 4 – Desolation
A murky haze slowly lifted from Hood's mind as consciousness came back to him. He vaguely remembered dreaming, but what about, he couldn't say. Hunched in a chair, he tugged at his hands which were locked behind his back, the cuffs digging into his wrists. Taylor and Ian. What happened? His shoulders throbbed, and his hands buzzed with a stinging numbness from lack of circulation. He blinked slowly, still seeing only darkness. The smell of used motor oil and sawdust permeated the air. He tried to move his legs, but they were bound fast to the legs of the chair by rope.
“You're a damn fool,” Hood whispered to himself.
He tried to replay it all in his mind. It kept snapping back to the image of Ian holding Taylor by her forearms, trying to subdue her.
Are you working for the Kaiser? Why? Hood thought about the dead man's journal. Do you even have a choice?
He knew the town was going to get massacred. He was getting Taylor the hell out of there. If Ian knew I was there, he'd have mowed the Sheriff down, even if they were working together. Hood tried to shake his mind free of the confusion. He hung his head, his chin on his chest, before swiveling it around to stretch his sore neck. He had more important things to think about. He was alive. He didn't know why, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe they wanted him as a slave. There had to be a reason he was here. He had to find out what it was.
Lucky's dead. They're all dead. The town is gone.
The dark thoughts in his head ran free.
You failed them, you acted like everything was fine and no one was ever going to come try to kill you all. You just wanted to pretend the world wasn't fucked. Now you're going to die, too. Hood bit his bottom lip, wanting to turn the pain in his head into something he can feel. Maybe Ian does know I'm here. He might come and find me. He was trying to keep Taylor out of harms' way.
With a click, light filled the room, so bright Hood had to turn his face and jam his eyes shut.
“You're getting full of yourself,” came the hoarse voice of the old Sheriff. “Thinking you could get away with stealing from us.”
The idea that the Sheriff had Hood's life in his hands was a dark seed in his mind. He needed to buy some time, find out why he was here, why he was still alive.
“Yeah, you're probably right,” Hood answered at length. The yellow floodlight nailed to the wall still shone in his eyes, but they’d adjusted enough to be able to see that they
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