Positive by David Wellington Read Free Book Online Page A

shoes started moving away. I watched them go, obscured now and then by some obstacle. I held absolutely still until I was sure they were well out of sight. Then I waited even longer. I waited for what felt like an hour. By then my legs were starting to cramp from being held so still and my stomach felt wet where the dripping oil had pooled underneath me. My lips were burning with thirst, and I was afraid my stomach would start growling soon.
    Slowly, careful not to snag myself, I inched myself backward, out from under the car. I was anxious to make sure no part of myself would be visible from the turnpike. I grunted a little from the soreness of my muscles, but I did everything I could to try to stay quiet. I had no real idea what I was doing—­I’d never in my life been in a situation like this before, but I guess there are some instincts, some reflexes we’re all born with. At least since the crisis. We all know how to hide and how to run away. Those who didn’t have those instincts didn’t make it.
    I got to a point where I was mostly out from under the car. I was still watching through the gap between the bottom of the car and the road surface for any sign of movement. Another car was behind me, and I decided I would crawl under that one as well, just to be extra careful. I started scooting underneath it and had to turn around to get my hips under its chassis.
    That left me facing upward, through the space between the two cars, looking up at a sky that was already turning orange.
    And suddenly, silhouetted against that sky, something dark appeared. A face, grinning down at me.
    â€œHi,” the looter said.

 
    CHAPTER 11
    H earing about them on the radio I’d always expected the looters to be big, bearded men in leather jackets and chains.
    This one was a woman, about thirty years old, dressed in a fur coat.
    She did have a wicked-­looking hunting knife in her hand. She showed it to me, and I saw an eagle engraved in the blade. Once I saw that eagle I couldn’t look anywhere else.
    â€œYou’re smarter than you look, aren’t you?” she asked. “You waited a long time. That’s good. But you can’t wait forever. You’re too young, and too soft from living in the city. I bet you’re pretty hungry.”
    She turned the knife a little, and the orange light of the sky made it glow. It was like I was hypnotized. She had a big watch on her wrist, and that sparkled too. The face of it was cracked and it was missing one hand, but it gleamed silver.
    â€œListen, I know we got off on a bad foot here. And you’re worried I’m going to hurt you. I could. There’s no use pretending, either of us, that I’m not a dangerous person. But I can also be pretty friendly. ­People who are nice to me get to see my friendly side. Now, I’m going to take you someplace where you can get a little food. Maybe not the good stuff you’re used to, but it’ll fill you up. And I’m afraid it’ll be a little dirty and unsanitary by your standards, this place. But you’ll get to meet lots of ­people there. Lots of ­people just like me, who are undeniably dangerous, but who like it when ­people try to be their friends. ­People who do what they’re told, and don’t talk back—­they can make a lot of friends in this world. Are we going to be friends, little boy?”
    The gleam of her knife and her wristwatch was almost blinding. Maybe that’s why I did what I did next.
    It was clear she wanted me to climb out from under the cars on my own—­she didn’t want to have to come in after me. The whole business with turning the knife from side to side was meant to scare me.
    It also meant she wasn’t holding it very securely.
    I jabbed my arms upward and grabbed her watch as if I would pull it off her wrist. She yanked her arm back, moving very fast, so instead I grabbed the collar of her coat, getting