The Hunger (Book 2): Consumed by Jason Brant Read Free Book Online

like it would only be a matter of time before they find us.”
    “I hate to ruin the party,” Eifort shouted.  “But how are we going to survive out in the woods every night?  Those things are out there.  There’s no way we can make it to Greensburg in a day.”
    That was the million-dollar question that Lance continued to ask himself.
    “I don’t know.  All I can say for certain is that we aren’t safe here.  If the Vladdies don’t get us eventually, then those militant assholes will.  My hope is that there are less of the infected in the middle of the state because the population was so much lower.”
    Lance hated the idea of putting their lives on the line with only a hope.  But what other options did they have?
    The shrieks died away as the sky lightened over the following hour.  By the time the shore became visible, the Vladdies had retreated to their underground hovels, leaving the day to the newly infected.
    The four of them swam to land before the sun broached the horizon.  They dropped their life preservers to the rocky shore and clomped their way to the first street, wringing their clothes out.
    Brown inspected Lance’s cut again.  He hurriedly cleaned the wound and slapped a bandage on it from one of the sealed bags.  Lance watched for the remains of their midnight attacker, hoping the beasts of the night had taken care of him.
    They’d never heard the man scream, so he assumed the bastard was still out there somewhere.
    Cass and Eifort began inspecting vehicles for keys.  They hit pay dirt twenty minutes later, just as the first of the daywalkers appeared in the parking lot of a small grocery store.  A gray Silverado straddled the sidewalk, its doors open.
    The truck had half a tank of gas and four-wheel drive.  Everyone climbed inside—Lance and Cass in the front with Brown and Eifort sitting behind them.  Lance cranked the ignition as a small group of infected wandered out of the grocery store and staggered in their direction.
    He backed into them as he swung onto the road.  The truck bumped over their distorted bodies, leaving bloody tracks in their wake.
    “Does anyone know how to get to Greensburg?”  Lance turned right onto Freeport Road.
    “Go east.”  Cass buckled her seat belt and leaned her head against the rest.
    “No shit.  All roads don’t lead to Greensburg though.”
    “Just drive, Lance.  Just drive.”
    They were forced north for several hours due to destroyed bridges. Multiple roadblocks and traffic jams clogged the streets, slowing their progress.  On several occasions, Lance had to put the car in four-wheel drive and climb over a bank to get around accidents.
    An intact bridge finally appeared just before the town of Freeport, crossing over the Allegheny River.  They were far enough away from the city that the military hadn’t destroyed it.  Cass had to get out twice to start a car and drive it out of the way so they could get across.
    After crossing the bridge, they drove along 356, a small, rural road that ran to the southeast.  Lance followed a small compass built into the roof above the rearview mirror, doing his best to maintain the same direction, hoping to see signs for the city.
    Their theory about seeing less of the infected proved true.  Within an hour of crossing the bridge, the amount of daywalkers lessened considerably.  By noon, they only spotted a handful as they passed through a small village of farmhouses and recently tilled fields.
    Lance drove at a slow pace.  He wanted to keep an eye out for safe places to stay.  Getting in an accident while they were so exposed wouldn’t be the best of ideas either.
    Eifort and Brown dozed in the backseat, the occasional snore making Lance smile.  Cass stayed awake beside him, eyeing the countryside as it rolled by her window.  She appeared tense to Lance and he couldn’t blame her.  Without the boat, their night would be interesting to say the least.
    They barely talked as they drove on,