Torn Apart (Book 1): Terror In Texas by C.A. Hoaks Read Free Book Online Page A

asked a little less gruffly.
    “In a dumpster. You fell in last night.” Amy answered. “We’re hiding from the sick people.”
    “They threw me in a dumpster?” Matt asked.
    He reached above his head to test his theory when he heard the snap of wire-cutters cutting zip ties. Before he could respond, the lid of the dumpster swung open and sunlight invaded the dark recesses.
    Matt blinked at the glaring light and saw a small fair-haired girl sitting in the dumpster with him less than six feet away. She couldn’t be older than ten and held a squirming tow-head, that he assumed was a sibling. She stared at him, more than a little frightened.
    Matt looked down and saw three neatly bundled diapers inches from where he sat.
    A deep voice called over the edge. “Okay, buddy. We gotta go. The world has gone to shit and if we don’t hurry up we’re getting flushed.”
    Jake’s black face peeked over the edge with a big grin. “Fuck! He’s got company.”
    Amy had had just enough time to see a black man wearing military clothes peak over the edge of the dumpster. Tears welled up in her eyes as she imagined being alone in the dumpster again.
    “Ah, Jake. Don’t tell me they got him?” A second voice that Matt recognized as Larry answered. “Oh, fuck.”
    “No!” Jake answered. “A couple kids. Just sitting there with him.”
    Matt struggled to make sense of being in a dumpster with shit on his hand. He tossed the offending diaper across the ally as he looked from the two men to the little girl holding a fidgeting baby in pink.
    “What the fuck is going on?” Matt demanded as he glared at his friends.
    “We ain’t got time to explain,” Jake said. “Come on sweetie. We need to get out of here.” He turned to Matt. “Get your ass outta there or you’ll end up like those dead fucks we came across during the last mission.”
    That got Matt moving. He stumbled to his feet and reached out to the girl. “Come on, kid. When Jake says we gotta go, it’s time to go.”
    “But my mommy?” Amy protested as she slowly got to her feet still clutching Claire to her chest.
    “We’ll try to find her, but right now we have to go. Give me the bag.” Matt wiped the brown goo from his hand to his pants leg and passed the bag to Larry. He motioned for the girl to stand up. When she got to her feet, he grabbed her under the arms still clutching her sister and lifted her over the edge of the dumpster.
    Jake caught the child and set her on her feet, careful not to disturb the squirming bundle in her arms. “Go with him, sweetie.” He whispered as he pointed toward Larry as he hurried toward them. Jake turned back to help Matt stumble over the edge to the ground.
    Matt stood staring at the alley entrance, his face mirrored his horror. “Thought it was a dream....”
    “In the Humvee now!” Jake called out as several shambling forms had taken notice of the activity and turned into the entrance of the alleyway. The infected shambled steadily closer as they headed for the Humvee in front of the dumpster.
    Larry grabbed the bag and the child’s hand to hurry her to the vehicle, but she dug in her heels and balked.
    “My mom will be coming for us. We can’t leave. She won’t know where to find us.”
    Larry grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the vehicle. “Kid, you don’t have a choice.”
    He opened the door, set her inside and pulled a seat belt over her lap, careful to avoid the baby in her arms. He dropped the bag at her feet. “Don’t move kid.”
    Amy gave a quick nod then looked around searching for a glimpse of her mother. She didn’t want to leave. “My mommy is coming. She’ll be worried.”
    She knew the soldiers would protect her and Claire but how would her mother find them? How would they find her daddy? Tears filled her eyes and quietly slid down her cheeks as she resigned herself to staying with the soldiers.
    Larry jumped behind the wheel of the Humvee and the machine roared to life. Matt stumbled