Sometimes We Ran (Book 2): Community by Stephen Drivick Read Free Book Online Page B

a good recipe for the end of the world.
    Odegard continued. “We lost everybody. The unit we were attached to got wiped out. They lost their leadership, and just about everything else.” He paused. “Wallace took over. He put on someone’s uniform with those stars on it, and all of sudden, he was a leader. Self-appointed, of course. All of us began to listen to him. He kept us together. He was the one who knew where this facility was.”
    “What kind of facility?” My head began to spin.
    “This is a old National Guard compound. It was shut down, but the buildings and fences remained. We came in here, turned on the power, and cleaned it up. You and Claire are in the medical building. It can be turned into a quarantine by setting the locks up. They can be set to only work from the outside, or by using cards. Perfect for keeping soldiers and civilians exposed to chemical, biological, or nuclear attacks isolated from other people.” He waved his arms at the walls. “I guess they didn’t count on using it in a zombie apocalypse though. The whole compound is known by the number 66, or Double-Six.”
    My head hurt. It was a lot to take in at once. “Who are you? How do you fit in to all this?”
    Odegard swallowed. “I was Wallace’s Atlanta contact… essentially an assistant. I was supposed to set up his computer networks and communications. I lived in Atlanta with my wife, so I got the job.” He laughed a little.
    I started to get dressed. I ripped the plastic off the new black T-shirt and threw it on the bed along with my pants and jacket. “Got caught up in it all, huh?”
    “Yeah. Me and my wife had to evacuate with Wallace and the army as Atlanta went up in flames. The last thing I saw was the Air Force firebombing the city, trying to cut off the reanimates.”
    I stopped dressing for a minute. I had my own firebombing memories. I remembered the stink of burning flesh and gasoline as the area around my home was bombed. That was the exact moment I knew I would never find my Gia. I forced the images in my mind to go away. “Wallace was here earlier. He asked me to join him and his homemade army.”
    Odegard started to fidget in the chair. “Yeah. He has been sending patrols into the dead zones to find volunteers to help him. Most of the survivors we brought back didn’t work out.” He trailed off.
    “Didn’t work out? What do you mean?” I finished dressing and started pulling on my boots.
    Odegard stared into space. “They had been fighting to survive too long. They were road weary, or too sad. Most of them had gone a little crazy with stress. They weren’t fit.”
    “You said I wasn’t fit when you saw me for the first time.” Wallace and his crew had given me new laces for my boots. That was nice of them.
    Odegard sipped his water. “I was trying to buy you some time. When you came in, he said you were perfect. You were the one.”
    I stood, shocked at what he said. “The one?”
    “Yeah. He told me he saw something in you. You were not an ordinary survivor. There was something different about you. You had a need to survive. He really wanted you to join him. Wallace said you could make a difference.”
    I tied up my boots and sat down. “Join him? For a suicide run, against the undead?”
    Odegard looked me in the eyes. There was a lot of sadness in his gaze. “To him, it’s not suicide. Wallace thinks he’s doing something good. Maybe it’s a way to go out fighting.”
    “If your his assistant, why should I trust you’ll get us out of here?”
    Odegard stood up and began to fumble in his pocket. “You just have to trust me. I’ve had enough. It’s time to end all this. Wallace keeps bringing people in, and destroying them. I’m sick of it. First time I’ve taken a stand on anything.” He pulled a handgun and some extra ammo out of his pocket. I thought for a second he was going to hold me at gunpoint, but he put it on the table. “I couldn’t get any of your weapons back. This