The War for Mare (The Fall of Man Book 3) by Jacqueline Druga Read Free Book Online Page B

you’re going
to die a happy man. Let alone less angry.”
    “Gee, thanks.” I didn’t say much after that.
I wanted to save my breath and keep my mouth moist. They didn’t
give us any water or anything. We walked for a while, then in the
distance I spotted a small wooden shack. It was the tiniest little
building I had ever seen. Maybe 8’ x 8’. A little distance from it
was another small, open, wooden structure. Did someone live out
there? Were they out in the open, with the Savages flying around at
night?
    “Look ahead,” Snake said, pointing
outward.
    “I see it.”
    “I think that’s what they meant, by us being
able to get home from here.”
    “Maybe they know someone is here and that
person can give us provisions.”
    “Funny how they just left us out here
without any protection whatsoever. Can’t be alive. No way. Savages
would tear that place apart.”
    “We are awfully close to the Ancient City,”
I said. “Maybe the Savages don’t come out this far.”
    We walked further towards the shack,
expecting nothing, and were surprised when a man appeared from the
building.
    He stood there in the distance, not moving.
Watching us. As if he were expecting us.
    He lifted his hand high in the air when we
drew closer.
    “Did they call him?” I asked in a whisper to
Snake.
    “How do you propose they would do that? This
isn’t one of your sitcoms, or even a pre-vamp world. There’s no way
to call.”
    We kept walking, focusing on the man, an
older fellow as I could tell the closer we got to him.
    He finally moved when we were at a good
twenty feet away. He jogged our way with a big smile on his face.
He extended his hand to Snake first. “Hey there,” he said. “Nice to
see you. My name is Burt.”
    “Did you know we were coming?” I asked. “How
in the heck would I know you were coming?” Burt asked. “I came out
to enjoy the sun, even though it’s hot as hell, and then I saw
you.”
    “You saw us?” I asked.
    “Thought maybe you were a mirage of first.”
Burt laughed at his own joke. “Just kidding. I saw you, heard you.
Voices carry in the quiet. What in the blazes are you doing out
here in the middle of nowhere? You don’t talk like one of those
streets people.”
    “We aren’t,” Snake answered. “We were in the
City of the Ancients. We went there searching for one of our own.
We found her, but she is staying there. The Ancients dropped us off
here and told us that we could get home from here. But we don’t
know where here is.”
    “Well, here is a place that I swore
the Ancients didn’t know about,” Burt said. “I thought we only knew
about them.” He chuckled. “But they were right, you can get him
home from here.”
    “Are we that close to Angeles City?” I
asked.
    “No.” He shook his head. “Over one hundred
miles away. At least.”
    “Then how are we getting home from
here?”
    “We can help you,” he replied.
    He said ‘we’, plural, implying there were
more than just him. I found it hard to believe. Here we were in the
middle of nowhere with one shack, one even smaller half shack, and
a middle-aged man. We? I thought for a moment he had lost his mind.
I suppose he saw the look on my face.
    “Don’t believe me?” he said. “That’s okay.
We don’t have to help you.”
    Snake reached back and smacked me in the
gut. “Way to show your lack of appreciation… again.” Snake turned
to the man. “We will gladly and humbly along with being
appreciative, accept your help.” He then gave a side eyed look at
me.
    Was Snake playing into this man’s delusion?
Or did he actually believe this man that there were people around
people. People? What, they were all shoved in that little building?
Because we were headed that way.
    With the wave of his hand the man let us
into the shack. The building was a single room with a bed, a desk,
a dresser, and a tiny table. Once inside, Burt shut the door.
    “Welcome to Hopeland,” he said.
    I placed my hands on my hips