The Beginning of the End (Book 2): Toward the Brink II by Craig A. McDonough Read Free Book Online

laughing.”
    Roger, Elliot, and Allan did. “Good one, Chuck.” Elliot gave him a thumbs-up.
    “Seriously, Riley, come look at this.” The Tall Man led Mulhaven over to the motor home. “Go in, go in.”
    Mulhaven pulled himself up the step and went inside. “Wow, this looks impressive indeed, don’t it?”
    “And check this out.” Elliot joined them and opened the fridge. “This side is the fridge, and the other is the freezer. And look!”
    Elliot opened the freezer side to show Mulhaven the frozen foods they’d filled it with.
    “And down here,” the Tall Man said. “We found a generator. We won’t find power anywhere, so we’ll need this. It will mean more gas has to be found and stored, but we grabbed a few extra gas containers. We should be okay.”
    Mulhaven nodded his approval, and the smile grew on his face. It had been some time since he had smiled, and this was a genuine smile.
    “I think we should all get some coffee and a bite. There’ll be a roll call and a weapons check in fifteen, and then after that … Canada. But that will depend on whether we can get Cindy out of the shower in time.”
    “Yee, ha!” Roger wailed then gave Allan a high five.
    Fifteen minutes later, Mulhaven stood on the front porch, clipboard in hand, ready to take inventory. He looked every bit like a drill sergeant.
    “I’ve stored all the extra weapons with ammunition in the motor home,” the Tall Man said before Mulhaven started.
    “Okay. Do you know exactly which weapons we have in the motor home, Chuck?” Mulhaven asked.
    The Tall Man produced a list from his pocket. “We’ve got four crossbows with approximately five hundred bolts for them. Four 870s with three hundred rounds each, four AR-15s with five hundred rounds apiece, a .340 Weatherby Magnum with two hundred rounds and two Ruger 10/22s with a thousand rounds each, plus some extra combat and hunting knives, machetes, and whatnot.”
    “Good. Now, what about personal carries?” Mulhaven moved it along. “Let’s start with you, Chuck.”
    He pulled his Desert Eagle from its holster. “Well, I have this with about a thousand rounds for it, and I also carry this as a backup.” He raised the leg of his pants and freed a Japanese Tanto from its sheath.
    Mulhaven looked at the menacing blade and raised an eyebrow in Elliot’s direction.
    Hate to bump into Chuck in a dark alley!
    “I just have this,” Elliot said as he rested his hand on the grip of the massive Ruger Super Redhawk on his hip.
    “I’ve got this Colt Delta,” Cindy said when it was her turn.
    “I’ve got the same weapon, thanks to Chuck.” Allan was elated that he was trusted to carry a gun. He knew little about them, but it made him feel like one of the group—like he belonged.
    “I carry this SPAS-12 everywhere I go … even when I go …” Roger said.
    “Thanks Rog … I think we get the picture.” Elliot rolled his eyes. Same old Roger.
    “And I have this.” David Grigsby pulled out a Colt Navy single action .44-40 from an old duffel bag. “I got a couple of hundred rounds for it too.”
    “And I’ve got a 9mm Sig Sauer plus this .38 revolver,” Mulhaven added.
    “Why don’t you give it to Mrs. Grigsby? We can’t have anyone unarmed,” the Tall Man said.
    “You know how to use this?” Mulhaven asked Margaret.
    “You better believe she does. Damn better with a handgun than most men I’ve ever seen,” David answered.
    “All right, I say we look good. If there are any last-minute items you can think of or you might need, grab it now. We roll in five minutes.”
    “I got some fresh and frozen vegetables, as well as some homemade juice. That’s all,” Margaret said as she dashed back into the house to get them.
    Moments later, the engines of the van, the Hummer, and the motor home all fired up. They figured they would have almost a full day of driving before they would need to look for a secure spot to hide out. With the comfort of the motor home, better