Out of the Shadows by Timothy Boyd Read Free Book Online Page B

pulled back into a braided ponytail that hung down the length of his back, and the piercings in his ear lobes were gauged up so large I could probably have stuck my thumb through one. A black plug filled a pinky-sized hole in the middle of his bottom lip.
    “Who are you?” I demanded of him.
    He gave a small bow of his head and replied, “Tsuyoshi.”
    “Who?”
    But before he could clarify, the door from the main bar burst open and Deb stumbled in, trailing a bottle of whiskey in her hands, the tails of her white button-down shirt hanging loosely, no longer tucked into her pants. The liquor reminded me of how thirsty I was.
    “Yoshi!” Mama hollered at him. “Quit pesterin’ my friend, Bear! He’s a regular, an’ he’s got a good heart!”
    Yoshi smiled and bowed his head to her, seemingly familiar with her antics, drunken or not.
    She fell into me, and I had to lower her down into a sitting position on the cot. Yoshi removed the whiskey bottle from her hand without her even knowing. She leaned her head against my shoulder and patted my leg. “Bear,” she said before taking the deep breath that was a sure sign that someone had had too much to drink. “I’s so glad when Yoshi dragged ya in here from outside. It’s nice to know you’re all right.”
    “He clocked me pretty hard.”             
    “Well!” she began, a sudden wild fire in her eyes. “Ya never can be too careful! And if you’re gonna…” she halted, looking at her empty hands with a furrowed brow. “Wait a damn minute. Where’s my whiskey?!”
    Yoshi handed her a huge glass of water, which she chugged without taking a breath, making no mention of the fact that it wasn’t the whiskey she’d wanted. Clearly, Mama hadn’t been taking current events very well.
    “Sorry for hitting you,” Yoshi said. “We haven’t seen any normal people for hours, and when I heard your truck pull up, I was worried it was another of those messed up Jehovah’s Witnesses wanting me to join their community.” He smiled at the clever reference he’d devised.
    I shrugged away his words. “I’m just glad someone’s here for Deb.”
    “She won’t leave. I’ve argued with her for hours, but she just won’t. And I’m not going to leave her here.”
    Deb stood and wobbled, waving her finger wildly in Yoshi’s face. “You’re damn right I ain’t leavin’! A captain never abandons ship!”
    “This isn’t a ship, Mama,” I tried to reason with her. “You’re not safe here.”
    “Balls I’m not!” she argued, stumbling back out into the main bar.
    I glanced at Yoshi, who was following her out the door, so I stood and trailed behind them.
    Out in the bar, heavy shelves had been pushed against the windows, blocking entry from the outside. The tables had been overturned and pushed against the shelves as well, for extra protection. Yoshi had fortified the place sufficiently, but we would need more than liquor to wait this thing out.
    “So,” I began, motioning around at the blocked windows and bolted door. “Do you have a plan?”
    Yoshi stood behind the bar and flipped the switch on the small radio in front of him. I expected static, but instead, a male voice spoke with urgency. “…evacuating southwest Ohio. The following counties, be advised: the last rescue helicopter will lift off from the roof of the Franklin Police Headquarters at sunrise. I repeat: the last evac before neutralization will lift off at 0630 this morning. The list of counties affected are as follows: Montgom…” and Yoshi switched off the broadcast.
    My eyes were wide, and my heart fluttered with hope. Rescue! When I got the fax in the police station earlier in the night, I had wanted to head toward Franklin anyway. It was only a ten or fifteen minute drive on the highway. But then a particular word in the radio message flickered in my mind.
    “Wait… neutralization?” I asked, pretty sure I didn’t want clarification.
    Yoshi nodded grimly. “It’s