The Walls of Lemuria by Sam Sisavath Read Free Book Online Page A

coming to help,” Keo said. “You a cop?”
    The man cocked his head, then grinned slightly. “How’d you know?”
    “You look like a cop.”
    “Not anymore. Orlando PD.”
    “You’re a long way from home.”
    “Yeah, well, I was on vacation.”
    Keo grinned. “Small world. I was on vacation, too.”
    That’s right. Find something in common with the guy pointing a shotgun at you. Maybe then he won’t shoot you dead.
    Keo nodded at the door behind him. “What happened in there?”
    “I was looking for survivors. I found more of those things instead.”
    “There are more of them, you know. In the other buildings with the covered windows. That’s how you know.”
    The man didn’t reply right away. He seemed to be considering what Keo had said. Then, finally, “How’d you know that?”
    “They’re afraid of sunlight.”
    “Why?”
    “Because it seems to be the only thing that can kill them. I saw it for myself on the way over here.”
    “How do you know it’s the only thing that can kill them?”
    “How many shots did you fire at those things inside the gas station?”
    The man grunted. Keo wasn’t sure if he had gotten through, but the guy hadn’t shot him yet, so that was a good sign.
    “I’m not the enemy,” Keo said. “I’m just trying to figure out what’s happening, same as you. I came to the police station looking for help and maybe some answers.”
    And some guns would have been nice, too, he thought, but didn’t say out loud.
    Keo heard footsteps behind him. He looked over his shoulder at a man and a short woman with blonde hair running across the street. He had no idea where they had come from, but he guessed from inside the police station. The man was armed with a shotgun and the woman was clutching a police baton. They slowed down as they reached the gas station parking lot, both out of breath.
    “Norris!” the woman said. “Are you all right?”
    “I’m okay, Rachel,” the man named Norris said. “This guy had some interesting things to say about the creatures.”
    “Does he know what’s happening out there? About last night?”
    “I know as much as anyone,” Keo said. “But if we can all lower our weapons, maybe we can figure this whole thing out. After all, I’m the only guy who’s going to get killed here if people start shooting.”
    Norris made a quick circle around Keo before joining his friends on the other side. Keo turned around to face all three of them.
    Norris lowered his shotgun. “He’s not armed, unless you count the tire iron. Lower your weapon, Aaron.”
    The man named Aaron hesitated. “Are you sure?”
    “He heard my shots and ran over to help.” He eyed Keo for a second, then added, “We gotta trust somebody; might as well be him.”
    “Do you have a name?” Rachel asked.
    “Keo.”
    “What kind of name is that?”
    “John was taken,” Keo said.

CHAPTER 6
    “The SUV. That’s yours?” Keo asked.
    Rachel nodded. “We were on the I-20 when everything started happening. We heard about it on the radio and decided we should probably look for a place to stop for the night, just in case…you know.”
    “Where were you headed?”
    “Texas. Well, Santa Marie Island in Galveston. We were going to visit some family, maybe even stay there for a while.”
    “Where were you guys coming from?”
    “Atlanta. I had a job there until a few months ago.” She shrugged. “We were looking for a change of scenery, anyway.”
    “We” was Rachel and her eight-year-old daughter, Christine. The girl sat on one of the big desks inside the police station, small legs swinging back and forth over the side. She ate enthusiastically from a bag of Doritos and hummed some random pop song he had heard on the radio a few days ago to herself.
    Aaron, the other guy with the shotgun, stood at the window peering out through the bars, absently clutching and unclutching the Mossberg 500 in his hands. He wore slacks and a jacket, the pockets stuffed with shells. Every