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

and said, “It’s the food chain, Tom. The crabs, the fish, the infected dead, and even living people are all in the food chain. I don’t know if it’s safe or not, but I don’t want to find out.”
    “Come on, Tom,” said the Chief. “Ed and I are going to show you something that will help take your mind off of the seafood for now. We’re just glad you didn’t eat any of it. We don’t really know if it’s bad for you, but we don’t want to find out the hard way.”
    We took him to the workout room, and the Chief was right again. Being a professional athlete, Tom had a real appreciation for the variety of equipment.
    “There’s no excuse for not staying in shape with this stuff in here, and look at all the entertainment equipment to give you something to watch while you do the really boring stuff,” he said.
    I told him that Jean had gotten me to spend a little more time in the gym and a little less time on the video games. I had managed to gain a few pounds in the right places while losing a few around the waistline. I wasn’t quite buff yet, but I liked the way I looked and felt.
    We eventually made our way back to the dining room where Molly was digging into a stack of pancakes soaked in maple syrup. She couldn’t have looked like she was enjoying herself more.
    “Hi Daddy,” she said with a big smile.
    Tom circled the table and gave her a big hug, but on the way by he gave Kathy and Jean an appreciative look. The way to Tom’s heart was definitely through that child.
    After Tom was done talking with Molly for a few minutes, he came with us to the living area so we could talk about the question that was burning a hole through our brains. How did they get here? Not just their escape from Conway, but literally how did they get to Mud Island? Molly would be content with her food for a bit, and we could get some information.
    The ladies followed us to the living room, and we all got comfortable with fresh cups of coffee. Tom looked around the room and realized he was still the center of attention, but he couldn’t know that it was more than just his journey we needed to know about. It was our long term safety.
    Since Molly was eating at the dining room table, the Chief just handed a sketch pad to Tom and said, “Take a look at this, Tom. This is Mud Island.” He pointed at the northern tip and said, “Here’s where the dock would be, and the houseboat would be right about here.” He drew a rectangle next to a straight line.
    “This is the moat, and this would be the mainland. Did you cross from the mainland to Mud Island from somewhere around this area?” asked the Chief.
    Tom studied the rough drawing for a moment to get his bearings and said, “Yes, this spot right here wasn’t more than knee deep at low tide. When I saw the houseboat the tide was going out, but the water was too deep for us to cross, and the current was so strong we couldn't make it two feet without it starting to pull me along with it. Molly and I sat on the rocks and watched the tide go out, and gradually the bottom appeared all the way across. I carried her over and I lifted her onto the deck of the houseboat, then I climbed up after her.”
    Tom saw our concerned looks and easily guessed what the problem was. “There was a man-made jetty extending outward from the mainland. The rocks we were sitting on were part of the jetty. There was a big gap in the jetty about twenty yards out, and a sandbar was forming from the gap all the way to your island.”
    The Chief said, “The good news is that the infected aren’t problem solvers. They aren’t going to wait for low tide. The bad news is that some will stumble out of the woods at low tide. Jean was right when she said we need to move the houseboat so our camera will have a clear view to the other side of the moat where the jetty begins. That won’t be so hard to do.”
    “What about the seaplane and the boat?” I asked. “Are we in danger of the southern exit of the