The Infected Dead (Book 2): Survive For Now by Bob Howard Read Free Book Online

us, Tom said, “I could tell from the moment I met your group that you guys are very close. You’re lucky to have each other.”
    We acknowledged his sentiments all around the table, but my eyes lingered on Jean’s, and hers did the same. It was Jean who had started whipping off her clothes as soon as I had asked them how I could be sure none of them had been bitten. I had stopped her before she had gone too far, and that moment of trust had allowed her to immediately see me for the kind of guy I am……an idiot with the chance to see two good looking women get naked, but a gentleman who would rather believe a stranger.
    It was sort of sad that we reached a point where I couldn’t be that trusting again. Back then it was just me, but now I would be placing others at risk by being so trusting.
    Kathy said, “Tom, we trusted a couple of people on our first trip out of here. It was a married couple. They had a chance to join our group and come back with us, but the first chance they got they tried to take what we had and leave us stranded. We need to know that you’re not like that.”
    “Did the other people have a nine year old daughter with them?” asked Tom. “It’s not hard for me to tell that we’re safer with you than without you, and if something happens to me, I don’t think you guys would turn your back on Molly.”
    Jean said, “I think you hit the nail on the head, Tom. So now that you know how we ended up here, the boys can give you a tour of the rest of the shelter while we get Molly up and make her some breakfast. We still have a lot we want to know, but you need to see the rest of what we have here.”
    We all agreed it was time to give Tom a tour. The Chief led the way while Kathy and Jean went to get Molly. Tom was all smiles as he watched them go down the hall that led to the individual rooms.
    The Chief couldn’t wait to show Tom the armory, and he was like a proud father himself as he showed off the wide variety of hand guns and rifles. Tom wasn’t a stranger to weapons, first because he had grown up around them, but second because he had spent time in the company of heavily armed soldiers and police. Even though he was a civilian, they had appropriately armed him as if he was one of them, and there had been no shortage of target practice.
    Tom didn’t have the same interest in the power plant as he did the armory, but he was definitely impressed. He listened as we explained the details to him, understanding that this was a tour, but it was also instruction that could save their lives.
    We showed him the expansive storage areas and how well stocked they were. It was hard to put ourselves in his shoes since none of us were parents, but he said more than once how grateful he was that we had brought them in.
    Tom said, “You mentioned something last night about the fish being contaminated. What was that all about?”
    I asked him if he had seen many of the infected dead that had been in the water or out in the surf, and he said that he hadn’t, but that he had seen plenty of them stuck in the mud along the Waccamaw River.
    “Have you eaten any of the blue crabs or fish that you caught?” I asked.
    “I didn’t get a chance to before you showed up,” he answered. “I was looking forward to frying the fish when you stopped me.”
    “How about before we came along?” asked the Chief.
    “No,” he said, “I found the fishing gear in the houseboat. The first thing I thought of was fresh fish. You guys left a few cans of food in the houseboat, but the thought of cooked seafood was making my mouth water.”
    “It won’t anymore,” I said. “When you see one of those infected dead standing on the beach with six or eight blue crabs hanging from it, you’ll lose your taste for seafood.”
    “I don’t think I need to see that to lose my taste for it, Ed. Just hearing you describe it is enough for me,” he answered. “You think the fish are contaminated too?”
    The Chief winced a bit