Snatchers (Book 3): The Dead Don't Cry by Shaun Whittington Read Free Book Online Page A

just noticed that the leader, Average, had an old-style farmer's shotgun by his side. It wasn't a patch on his Browning that he had lost, but it was still enough to do some damage if need be.
    "Okay, guys." Average looked at the driver in the truck, and was the first of the four that spoke up. "Leave the vehicle, and you won't get hurt."
    The middle-aged driver of the pick-up truck wound his window down and popped his head out. He nervously begged, "Listen, boys. We don't want trouble, but we need to get past, please. We're off to see our son in Skelmersdale."
    "I don't give a shit, fat boy. We want your truck, and more importantly, we want your fuel. I want you all walking back that way in one minute." Average pointed at the road behind the truck, from where they had just come from.
    "Please," the driver begged once more. "We're just a harmless couple."
    There was a silence that covered both sets of groups, and Pickle hated these kinds of people: bullies. Pickle only used violence for business; he never hurt people for sadistic pleasure or for greed. These men already had two cars; they didn't need another set of wheels.
    In prison, there'd be some cowards that would strut about, and would spend their time picking on the younger remands to enhance their own reputation. But one newcomer, who must have been wet behind the ears, eyed Pickle up one day in the canteen queue, but Pickle ignored him. Seeing this as a sign of weakness, the inmate went for Pickle to enhance his own reputation, and Harry Branston grabbed his attacker and bent his little finger back so much that the inmate collapsed to the floor. Once Pickle walked away from the scene, two of Pickle's men then stabbed the bully half a dozen times with toothbrushes that had been sharpened, while the inmate lay on the floor, and the guards were miraculously busy with 'other things'. The inmate survived.
    After a minute of nothing, just staring and head-scratching, Average spoke up once again. "Look. I ain't gonna tell you again. We're having that truck. Now, get out, or we'll use force!"
    Pickle stood up from behind; jumped off the pick-up truck, and Karen, Paul and Jade followed suit.
    "Ain't gonna happen," Pickle announced.
    "Oh really." The mangy-looking man with the ponytail had now spoken and revealed a macabre grin; the two front teeth were missing.
    "Yes." Pickle nodded confidently.
    Seeing that Pickle was the leader of this rebellious group, Average looked at Mangy to his left and they both burst into hysterics. Average looked to his left and beckoned Specks and the wiry individual to walk over to Pickle and sort him out.
    If you remove the leader, the rest of the pack will fold.
    Wiry was reluctant to do anything that involved violence and said to Average, in a voice that was overheard by Pickle and his friends, "But the man's fucking huge."
    Average sighed, went into the boot of one of the cars, took out two baseball bats and handed them to Wiry and Specks.
    Mangy snarled at Wiry and Specks, "The only reason you've been eating for the last week is 'cos I killed that farmer. You ain't done nothing for the group yet; time to prove your worth."
    Both men reluctantly walked over towards Pickle, and what unnerved the men was that the big man from the pick-up truck didn't seemed remotely bothered about the pair of them heading the short distance towards him.
    Karen stepped forward by Pickle's side, but Pickle ushered her back. "It's okay," he said. "I'll take care o' these little puppies."
    They were five yards away from him, and Pickle could see that they didn't have it in them to perform such violence. He had no idea why these four men ended up together, or, if any of them had a family. How have they survived? Were their stories even more horrific and dangerous than theirs? Were they good men back in the old world?
    Specks was the first to strike, while Wiry lagged behind, purposely. Pickle grabbed the bat with two hands and booted Specks inbetween his legs, then