The Hungry 5: All Hell Breaks Loose (The Sheriff Penny Miller Series) by Steven Booth, Harry Shannon Read Free Book Online Page A

sign of Scratch?”
    Rat, Sheppard, and Brandon were already digging through the rubble.
    “This is pretty solid,” said Brandon. “Where was your friend when all this came down?”
    “Right about there,” Rat said
    “I swear to God,” said Miller, “if he went and got himself killed—in the dumbest way possible, I might add—I will never forgive him.”
    Rat kicked at some rocks. “I’m sure Scratch is fine, Penny.”
    At the mention of Miller’s name, Allison and Brandon looked at each other. Miller caught the exchange and it worried her just a tad. The lantern light sent tall shadows up the cave walls. Somewhere a bat squeaked.
    Miller turned to Rat. “The only indication we have that he isn’t dead is that we haven’t found blood splatter or any little bitty pieces of him scattered all over this cave, which is pretty thin evidence to hang your optimism on.”
    Miller reached over and took the lantern from Allison. She shined the light around the inside of the cave. “You people obviously know these caves better than we do. Is there any way our friend could have gone a different way? Gotten sealed in and run from the attack, maybe. Taken a different tunnel?”
    “Sorry to tell you, but I doubt that,” Allison said. “This is the only tunnel that comes through this area.”
    Brandon said, “Unless the explosion opened one up. That could have happened. There are a lot of abandoned mines around here.”
    “Is there another way out?” asked Sheppard. “We can’t exactly stay down here forever.”
    “If there is,” Miller said, “he would have found it by now.”
    “Yeah, come this way,” said Brandon. He took the lantern from Miller, and headed back the other direction. The woman, Allison, waited while Miller, Rat, and Sheppard followed Brandon. She brought up the rear. They concentrated on walking. Miller kept her eye on the pistol in Allison’s hand. She wanted to get it away from her as soon as possible.
    They walked silently through the cave tunnels, following Brandon’s light. After a few moments, they could see the natural light of morning coming in from ahead. They had discovered how to make their way above ground. Still, Miller felt sick with worry. She rooted for Scratch in her mind and prayed they were about to find him.
    Brandon led them up a curving slope. The rocks turned to tightly packed dirt. She could see human footprints everywhere, barefoot and wearing shoes. Quite a few people had passed this way; Abraham’s people, most likely.
    When they went through the slightly bowl-shaped cavern, which was open to the sunlight and deserted, Miller drew a deep breath. She looked up at the sky—not for the drones, but for spectators.
    It was the arena.
    This is where she had been trapped by Father Abraham and forced to fight for her life against several zombies—and the first time she had observed them exhibiting triad behavior, always working in threes. She said nothing to the others, but knew that Sheppard and Rat had probably recognized the spot as well. A moment later, they were back in the darkness, blindly following Brandon again. Allison kept her hand on the butt of her pistol every step of the way.
    After walking for what seemed like a very long time, they arrived at their destination. Brandon had led them to a large underground chamber. It was lit by torches, and currently occupied by maybe ten other people.
    “What happened?” asked one of the men, a fellow in his sixties who wore a tattered suit. He stepped forward.
    “I told you that the drones were still out there, Gary. These people nearly got their asses handed to them by one of those things.”
    “Are you all right?” Gary walked over to where Miller, Sheppard, and Rat were standing. “You’re lucky to be alive, you know. Those drones don’t usually miss.”
    Miller felt her stomach sink at the man’s approach. She had a pretty good idea that this was the Gary who was the de facto leader of the cannibals after