The Fall (Book 4): Genesis Game by Joshua Guess Read Free Book Online Page A

them away from known zombie swarms and marauder hunting grounds.
    “This should work,” Emily said when he showed her the map he worked out for the trip. “I'll run it by the other scouts just to be sure.”
    It was the end of a long day, the late summer sunset marking one less spin of the globe before their departure. Kell felt apprehensive about the trip, and not only because his injuries made him dependent on other people for his safety. It would be the first time he had traveled away from the compound for more than a few hours. He had grown comfortable thinking of the place as home, especially after so many years of bouncing around.
    Getting to his feet with a grimace, Kell pulled the straps holding his arm immobile tighter. He had to keep them loose when sitting or they constricted his movements, but when standing or jogging as he was planning to do, tight was good.
    Jogging the perimeter had been a habit of his for most of the time he'd lived here, but since his initial injury Kell made it a point to do it as often as possible. If he couldn't fight effectively, he was going to be damn sure he could run.
    That was the plan, at any rate. Kell only made it as far as the large open-sided metal building where vehicle repairs were before forgetting why he'd come outside. The sight in front of him caught him off guard, mainly because seeing a swarm of unfamiliar faces and one shockingly familiar one working together on a vehicle that hadn't been there a few hours earlier contrasted starkly with the idyllic farmland.
    “Tim?” Kell asked mouth agape. “What the hell are you doing here?”
    The tall man unfolded himself from the stool he was hunched over as he welded something to the cargo van in front of him. “Kell! Good to see you,” Tim said. “And you can call me Mason. That's my real name. We're not fighting a war any longer, so there's no need to keep that quiet.”
    Tim—Mason, rather—walked over and extended a hand. Kell grasped it firmly and smiled at the other man. He was willing to bet Mason didn't get many smiles, looking the way he did. Heavy scars twisted along every inch of exposed skin. They weren't patterned in any real sense, not the way you'd think of someone with burn scars or injuries from a mechanical device would be. These scars were ragged and came in groups; the results of a fight with a bunch of zombies that Mason had somehow won.
    The facial scars were bad, if not as thick as the ones on his arms and shoulders. The tank top Mason wore left little to the imagination. Heavy muscles and a frame not much smaller than Kell's own gave truth to the impression that the guy was just a beast. Though Kell had no idea what he'd looked like before, it was still obvious that the missing pieces of skin on Mason's face had resulted in hasty and inexpert sewing to pull the ragged edges together. His face had lost symmetry and gained a canted, stretched appearance.
    “As for what I'm doing here,” Mason said with a wink, “I'm your driver. I even brought my own wheels.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the van, which was quickly being transformed into something fit for the dangerous world outside.
    “How did anyone manage to find you in time?” Kell asked. “We haven't sent any scouts your way in a while.”
    Mason shook his head. “Me and my people aren't staying down south anymore. Since the UAS stopped being a bunch of dicks, there's been no need for me to spy on them. Other people can do that. We were already talking about joining up with you when Emily sent word telling us you might need a little help.”
    “Sent word?” Kell repeated, brow furrowed.
    Mason grinned. “Sure. We've been camped out about a hundred and fifty miles southwest of here for a few months. Haven't you wondered why no random groups of zombies or other bad guys have come from that direction?”
    Kell had, actually, but...wow. “You're telling me you've been guarding us in an arc that big? Jesus, man, your patrols