The Three by Meghan O'Brien Read Free Book Online Page A

through.
    “What do you think?” Elin held up two rolled sleeping bags. “Red or green?”
    “Green.” Anna shot her a half-grin. “I don’t want to be too easy to spot when I’m unconscious.”
    “Good call. You know, I saw some clothing up near the counter. I don’t know what they have, but maybe you could find something. I’ll look for a backpack for your stuff.”
    “Thanks.” Anna limped to the racks of clothing at the other side of the store. As she walked past a center aisle, she caught sight of something that immediately captured her interest: a row of baseball bats, both wooden and aluminum. She disappeared between the tall shelves for a closer look and emerged a moment later with a sturdy wooden baseball bat gripped in her hand. I have a weapon again. Relieved, she set out in search of something to wear.
    On her way past a cash register, she glanced down at a folded newspaper that sat on the counter. The headline was similar to the headlines of every paper she had seen from right before they had stopped printing them twenty years earlier: The Attack That Never Ends: Billions Dead As A Result of Biological Agent. She read the subtitle. Are These The Last Days?
    “Not for all of us,” she muttered under her breath. “God knows why.” A tired sigh, and she limped off to go shopping for new clothes.

Chapter Three
    After only a day and a half of rest at their campsite just out of Sullivan, Anna felt stronger and healthier than she had in months and decided it was time to start fighting lessons. She left Elin cooking breakfast by the fire, deeply engrossed in a tattered paperback book, and set off in search of Kael.
    She found him standing in a small clearing, and as she looked on, he nocked an arrow and drew the compound bow he’d picked up in the sporting goods store in Sullivan. Anna stopped about fifteen feet from where he stood. As he aimed at something in the distance, she took the opportunity to study him in a way she didn’t feel comfortable doing when he could watch her in return. His body was lean and strong, muscled shoulders in stark relief beneath his black T-shirt. Dark energy radiated from his tense frame; his concentration on his target was silent and intense.
    Do you think Kael is sexy?
    Anna took in the unrelenting strength of her traveling companion, and her cheeks flushed at the sudden heat in her belly. She dropped her eyes to her feet, confused, then raised them again so she could keep watching.
    Kael released the arrow, keeping his upper body straight and in line with his hips. His posture was impeccable, his entire presence cool and confident. The arrow whizzed through the air and landed with a thwack in the narrow trunk of a tree amongst dozens of others, just below the juncture of the branches. He held his position momentarily after the arrow hit its mark, then lowered his impressive bow with a quiet sigh.
    “So, was that a hit or a miss?” Anna leaned against a tree, arms folded over her chest.
    “Hit,” Kael said, not even reacting to her sudden presence. “I think I’m getting the hang of this thing.”
    “Looks like it.” They stood in silence for a beat until Anna gave an awkward cough and cleared her throat.
    “Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you were up to helping me practice fighting this morning. Elin told me I’d find you out here.”
    “Sounds good.” He walked over and set his new bow down near the tree, standing as close to her as he had ever been.
    For the first time, Anna noticed the startling indigo color of his eyes. She blinked, entranced, then dropped her gaze. “Cool.”
    “But I’m going to take it a little easy on you today.” Kael raised his arms above his head and stretched. “I think we should concentrate on good strategies for fighting with an injured ankle. No weapons.”
    Anna stripped off her light jacket, laid her toiletries down upon it, and straightened to begin her own stretching. “Don’t go too easy on me. The point isn’t