Last Hope, Book One: Onslaught by Drew Brown Read Free Book Online

floor, shining through the carpet and guiding the way to the suite’s entrance.
    Juliette roused on the bed. She sat up and yawned happily, stretching her arms. “Were you getting some fresh air, Monsieur Ashby?”
    “Not exactly,” Budd answered. He sat on the foot of the bed and looked at Juliette. “I’m having a nightmare.”
    “A nightmare? About what?”
    “The end of the world,” he said with a chuckle. He pinched the skin on his forearm.
    Juliette watched the action and a puzzled expression formed on her face. “You are awake now, Monsieur Ashby.”
    “No, I’m not.”
    “Yes, you are. I am awake, too.”
    “Oh yeah? Then why don’t you go out on the balcony and tell me you’re not part of my nightmare.” Budd leant over and turned on the bedside cabinet’s lamp. The bulb did not light. “There’s only emergency power.”
    “That does not make this a nightmare, Monsieur Ashby. There is just a problem with the electricity.”
    “When I was a kid, my folks used to drag me to church every Sunday. There was this woman who worked in the local bar. Her husband died, so she took a second job to earn a little extra money for her kids. You know, one of the two jobs you can do on your back. And she couldn’t fix a tap. Anyway, she always came to church, rain or shine, but everyone shunned her. Even the good ol’ Rev had nothing to say. I grew up thinking sex was bad, something to feel ashamed of. I guess that’s why I’ve always had nightmares when I’ve made love to a beautiful woman, you know, some sort of repressed feeling of guilt.”
    Juliette smiled sympathetically and then reached over to stroke the side of Budd’s face. “If that is true, Monsieur Ashby, then it is a sad story. But this is not a nightmare. I am awake, too.”
     
    Just for the record, that story is true. By the time I was thirteen, I spent every sermon trying to look at her, imagining how great it would be to take advantage of the services she offered. I felt as though my pipes could use a good seeing to. But between my comic-book collection and trips to the arcade, my paper route never quite left me with enough moolah for a call out, so to speak.
    I thought it best not to tell Juliette that bit. You know how touchy women can be ’bout that kind of thing…
     
    Budd took Juliette’s hand and led her to the balcony doors. “If we’re awake, then what the heck’s goin’ on?”
    Juliette gasped.
     
     
13
    Budd put on his brown pants and blue sweatshirt, and then tightened his boots and placed his Stetson on his head. When he was done, he sat on the edge of the unmade bed and let his attention switch between looking out across the vacant skyline and watching Juliette as she dressed.
    “What has happened out there?” Juliette asked as she rummaged through her wardrobe for something more suitable to wear than her evening dress. She chose a pair of close-fitting black tracksuit pants, socks, gym shoes, and a red long-sleeved T-shirt that she eased over her body. She wore no bra. Glancing in the mirror, she pulled her brown hair into a short ponytail and secured it with a band. Finally, she put on a black, biker- style leather jacket that tucked in around her narrow waist.
    “I don’t know. I’m still hoping this is a nightmare.”
    “So am I, Monsieur Ashby.”
    “Do you have a cell?”
    “A what?”
    “A mobile phone?”
    “Yes, it is in the bedside cabinet.”
    Budd clambered over the bed and opened the drawer. Apart from the standard-issue bible, the sleek mobile phone was the only item inside. He took it out and held down the power button. When it had finished loading, the screen indicated that there was no signal. He moved to the door, hoping for more luck, but he guessed the French words that appeared on the screen meant that there was no network coverage.
    “It doesn’t work,” he said and tossed the phone onto the ruffled bed sheets. “Let’s get moving.”
    Juliette followed Budd to the suite’s