Land of Dust and Bones: The Secret Apocalypse Book 7 by James Harden Read Free Book Online

open.”
    I notice Kenji has his rifle raised and
armed. I follow the direction of the barrel.
    It is pointing at the passenger’s side
door.
    The door is wide open.

 

Chapter 6
    “Are you sure you closed it?” I ask.
    “Yeah,” Kenji answers quietly. “I’m sure.”
    “Like, all the way closed? Maybe the wind
blew it open.”
    “There’s no wind,” Sarah says.
    Kenji begins moving forward. “I definitely
closed it.”
    I take a deep breath and my heart beats
faster and faster. Something isn’t right.
    “Stay behind me,” Kenji says.
    I check my rifle again. I make sure it’s
armed.
    Sarah has her gun in her hand.
    Kenji keeps a safe distance from the
driver’s cabin. “Who’s there?”
    His question is met with silence.
    “Talk to me or I will open fire.”
    But again, there is no response.
    “Maybe the door just opened by itself,” I
say. “Maybe it’s a really heavy door or something, and it just swung open.”
    Kenji shakes his head.
    He walks around the front of the truck and
he immediately lowers the barrel of the rifle, aiming it at something on the
ground. “Do not move! Keep your hands where I can see them.”
    Sarah and I quickly follow Kenji, moving
around the front of the truck. And sitting down, leaning against the front
grill of the prime mover, is a man. He has his head lowered, his eyes closed,
and his hands in the air.
    He is alone. He appears to be exhausted.
Malnourished. Weak. Confused. Just like the rest of us. Just like everyone.
    I’m not sure if he knows that three people
are standing directly in front of him. I’m not even sure if he knows he has
three guns pointed at his head.
    But he keeps saying, “Don’t hurt me.
Please, don’t hurt me.”
    “Where the hell did you come from?” Kenji
asks. “Who are you?”
    “Don’t hurt me,” he repeats.
    “And what the hell are you doing out here
by yourself?”
    “Please, don’t shoot…”
    “You better give us a reason not to.”
    “I’m not a bad person,” he says. “I’m not.”
    “Where were you hiding?” Kenji asks.
    “In back.”
    Kenji shakes his head. “No, you weren’t. I
checked. You weren’t there.”
    And the man finally opens his eyes. He
raises his head slowly and he looks at Kenji. He smiles. “I was. I was there.
You missed me.”
    Kenji has his rifle aimed directly at this
guy’s head. But the barrels dips slightly. Kenji begins to second guess himself.
    You
missed me…
    This is because we are dehydrated. We are
staring to make mistakes.
    I take over the questioning. “Where are you
from? Where have you been living?”
    He shrugs his shoulders.
    “Don’t tell me you’ve been hiding out here
the whole time. There’s no food. There’s no water.”
    “Been living in the desert,” he answers.
“It’s the only way.”
    “There’s nothing out here,” I say louder,
angrier. “Where’s your camp?”
    “Not a camp.”
    I step in front of him. I move closer,
aiming the gun directly at his head. “Do you know what this is? Do you know
what happens when I pull the trigger? You need to give us some answers, or
we’re going to find out. Now tell me, are you alone?”
    He looks at the gun, and then he looks at
me. “You pull the trigger, you better mean it.”
    He says this like he is reciting words from
a gun safety manual.
    “And yes,” he continues. “I’m alone. I was
searching for supplies. Same as you people, I guess. Same as everyone. Thought
I might find some here. But vultures have already picked this carcass clean.”
    Sarah picks up his backpack and opens it.
    “What’s in there?” Kenji asks.
    Sarah shakes her head. “Nothing. Three
empty water bottles. No food.”
    “You packed light,” I say.
    “I didn’t expect to be out here for this
long,” he answers.
    “So where’s your camp? Your place?” I ask.
“Where have you been living?”
    “It’s about a…” he pauses, thinking. “It’s
about a four or five day walk from here. Depending on how far you