The Razor's Edge: A Postapocalytic Novel (The New World Book 6) by G. Michael Hopf Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: G. Michael Hopf
over, laughing. “Beau, my boy, today was not your day, but don’t you worry, you’ll get him or one of his cousins soon.” She petted his head and walked away.
Beau looked back at Lexi then turned again to the squirrel, barked one last time and gave up. He jumped down and ran up to Lexi.
“Gave up?” Lexi asked looking down at him.
She had grown to love Beau and was happy she’d taken him months ago. He had proven to be a capable companion and an effective hunter, minus his most recent failure. He was another mouth to feed, but it was worth it.
They walked side by side to the campsite she had called home for five weeks. Often she contemplated finding an abandoned house, but each time she came close to acting on that thought she quickly talked herself out of it. One thing was certain; in order to avoid people, which she liked to do, she had to stay off the beaten path and give a wide berth to towns and even individual homes.
She tossed the kindling down next to the fire, removed her rifle, which had been slung across her back, and plopped down on a log. Her head itched, so she removed the tight black beanie and pulled the hair tie that held her thick ponytail. Her dark brown hair fell down around her neck and tanned face. She pulled off her gloves and began to scratch feverishly. When she was done, her hair went in a thousand different directions. Her hair had grown out from the days of Rahab and she was happy for it; gone also was any trace of blonde. She thought about cutting it short, but there was something she liked about long hair. In some ways it made her feel a connection to some sense of femininity.
Beau walked around in circles before lying down close to the fire, his standard operating procedure.
Lexi picked up a couple pieces of kindling and placed them on the fire and with another piece stoked it until the flames grew.
Hunger pangs began to gnaw at her stomach. She reached into a large backpack and pulled out a bag of jerky.
The crinkling sound of the plastic bag piqued Beau’s interest; he lifted his head and looked at her with longing eyes.
Lexi pulled a long piece of jerky from the bag and was about to eat it but stopped short when Beau gave a pathetic whimper.
“You want this?” she asked.
His ears peaked, and he replied with another whimper.
Again she teased by asking, “You want this?”
This time he yelped.
Lexi cut her eyes and said, “I don’t know if you deserve the first piece today after that miserable failure with the squirrel.”
Beau cocked his head and whined.
She loved his piercing brown eyes. If asked, she would swear they were almost human in the way they appeared, as if he was an old soul, a kindred spirit living in the body of a dog.
“Fine,” she said, tossing him the jerky. “And it’s only because I’m a sucker for that pouty face of yours.”
Beau snatched the jerky in the air and began to chew heartily.
Lexi reached in the bag for another when a faint scream in the distance gave her pause. She sat upright and slightly turned her head towards the direction she thought she heard it come from.
A second scream and this time louder.
Lexi avoided people, but she made it her life’s mission to help those in need. She dropped the bag of jerky and grabbed her rifle, a Sig Model 716 equipped with a Trijicon ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight). She had found the rifle months ago while scavenging through abandoned vehicles on Interstate 45 in Idaho. Since then the rifle had proven to be the perfect weapon. The .308 caliber was the right size, but it was the ACOG that enabled her to accurately reach out and touch someone .
Beau hopped up and pivoted his ears towards the direction of the screams.
Not wasting time, she sprinted up a small wooded rise and stopped near the top.
Beau came up behind her and froze.
Lexi low crawled the remaining distance and took cover behind a large pine tree that sat on the tree line.
More screams echoed from the valley
Beau looked back at Lexi then turned again to the squirrel, barked one last time and gave up. He jumped down and ran up to Lexi.
“Gave up?” Lexi asked looking down at him.
She had grown to love Beau and was happy she’d taken him months ago. He had proven to be a capable companion and an effective hunter, minus his most recent failure. He was another mouth to feed, but it was worth it.
They walked side by side to the campsite she had called home for five weeks. Often she contemplated finding an abandoned house, but each time she came close to acting on that thought she quickly talked herself out of it. One thing was certain; in order to avoid people, which she liked to do, she had to stay off the beaten path and give a wide berth to towns and even individual homes.
She tossed the kindling down next to the fire, removed her rifle, which had been slung across her back, and plopped down on a log. Her head itched, so she removed the tight black beanie and pulled the hair tie that held her thick ponytail. Her dark brown hair fell down around her neck and tanned face. She pulled off her gloves and began to scratch feverishly. When she was done, her hair went in a thousand different directions. Her hair had grown out from the days of Rahab and she was happy for it; gone also was any trace of blonde. She thought about cutting it short, but there was something she liked about long hair. In some ways it made her feel a connection to some sense of femininity.
Beau walked around in circles before lying down close to the fire, his standard operating procedure.
Lexi picked up a couple pieces of kindling and placed them on the fire and with another piece stoked it until the flames grew.
Hunger pangs began to gnaw at her stomach. She reached into a large backpack and pulled out a bag of jerky.
The crinkling sound of the plastic bag piqued Beau’s interest; he lifted his head and looked at her with longing eyes.
Lexi pulled a long piece of jerky from the bag and was about to eat it but stopped short when Beau gave a pathetic whimper.
“You want this?” she asked.
His ears peaked, and he replied with another whimper.
Again she teased by asking, “You want this?”
This time he yelped.
Lexi cut her eyes and said, “I don’t know if you deserve the first piece today after that miserable failure with the squirrel.”
Beau cocked his head and whined.
She loved his piercing brown eyes. If asked, she would swear they were almost human in the way they appeared, as if he was an old soul, a kindred spirit living in the body of a dog.
“Fine,” she said, tossing him the jerky. “And it’s only because I’m a sucker for that pouty face of yours.”
Beau snatched the jerky in the air and began to chew heartily.
Lexi reached in the bag for another when a faint scream in the distance gave her pause. She sat upright and slightly turned her head towards the direction she thought she heard it come from.
A second scream and this time louder.
Lexi avoided people, but she made it her life’s mission to help those in need. She dropped the bag of jerky and grabbed her rifle, a Sig Model 716 equipped with a Trijicon ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight). She had found the rifle months ago while scavenging through abandoned vehicles on Interstate 45 in Idaho. Since then the rifle had proven to be the perfect weapon. The .308 caliber was the right size, but it was the ACOG that enabled her to accurately reach out and touch someone .
Beau hopped up and pivoted his ears towards the direction of the screams.
Not wasting time, she sprinted up a small wooded rise and stopped near the top.
Beau came up behind her and froze.
Lexi low crawled the remaining distance and took cover behind a large pine tree that sat on the tree line.
More screams echoed from the valley
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