Rotter World by Scott R. Baker Read Free Book Online Page B

alive, about her alliance with the humans. Even the surviving members of her coven had opposed the idea when she first proposed it. They had acquiesced only when Dravko spoke out in support of the alliance. She knew Dravko considered the idea insane, and had agreed to it only out of loyalty to her. Truth be known, Elena had not liked the idea of trusting their lives to the humans, but she had been left with few choices. She had been amazed that the coven had endured as long as it had, living off of stray animals and wildlife, and holing up by day in any building where they could find refuge. Too many times they had to clear a building of zombies in order to occupy it for the night, and in the process lost Christophe, her lover, as well as Svetlana and Toshii. Elena knew their luck would soon run out, which left an approach to the humans as the only viable option to ensure their survival.
    Elena never knew why Paul accepted the offer. She had spent those first few days lying awake all day, waiting for the humans to break into their containers and drag the coven out into the sunlight, exacting revenge for what vampires had brought onto mankind. Thankfully that never happened. The threat of death, however, always hung just beneath the surface. She chalked up their continued existence to the humans having the same loyalty to Paul as the coven did to her. Just as she knew her coven’s loyalty was growing tenuous, and could be shattered by the slightest incident, she assumed the humans’ loyalty to the alliance to be just as shaky. Elena feared Compton’s arrival could be the catalyst that broke the bond.
    Elena stared intently at the ceiling, guessing where the sun would be in the morning sky. It would be another seven hours before the sun set again, and she dared not imagine how much discord Compton could sow in that time.
    Not since the first weeks of the outbreak had Elena felt so uncertain about the coven’s future.

Chapter Six

    Dravko spread out on the bottom bunk, desperately trying to fall asleep. He could not doze off, partly because of the adrenalin rush of the raid, and partly because he always felt uncomfortable in the steel container the vampires used as their emergency quarters when they returned to camp after sunrise. It had nothing to do with their safety, for the container was the ideal haven. The outer layers were covered with steel plates welded onto the outer frame to ensure sunlight could not filter in, and the only door was secured from the inside with four heavy-duty slide bolts. He felt uneasy having to rely on their hosts to ensure their survival.
    In the bunk above him, Tibor stared up into the pitch dark at the ceiling. “I don’t trust the humans.”
    Dravko mentally sighed. Having to listen to Tibor’s complaints did not help him relax. He pretended to be asleep, hoping Tibor would do the same.
    Unfortunately, Sultanic was not as astute. “Shut up and get some rest.”
    “I can’t. What if the humans are waiting for us to doze off so they can kill us?” Tibor nearly spat the word “humans”.
    “You’re paranoid,” said Sultanic.
    “And you’re naïve,” Tibor shot back.
    Dravko reasoned it was time to end the conversation. “The humans have done nothing to threaten us. Why distrust them now?”
    “I’ve always distrusted them.”
    “So why complain about them now?”
    “Because of last night’s raid.” Tibor leaned over the edge of the top bunk and leered at Dravko. A large scar ran down his face, the result of being sliced centuries ago by a hunter who dipped the blade of his knife in holy water. The scar stretched from the right forehead, across his eye and cheek, and over his lips before ending on his chin. “Didn’t it bother you?”
    Dravko hesitated before answering. “I admit it was unusual.”
    “Unusual?” Tibor snorted. “Get your head out of your ass. We haven’t gone near Portsmouth since the Navy yard fell to the rotters. We didn’t even send a scouting