When The Dead Came 2 by Ariana Torralba Read Free Book Online Page B

cloud of smoke
and she looked back at the front seats, the guy in front of her no
longer Keith but the stranger, and the guy in the passenger seat
changed from Alex to the guy she heard was called Trevor. At that
moment, she felt dumb and lost. She shook her head and sat back in
the seat.
    “Nothing,”
she mumbled and went back to staring out the window, beginning to
fear she was losing her mind. Trevor looked at her, studied her
expression and knew what was going on. It was something he has always
been quite familiar with. He turned back to look out the window,
passing the streets and he began to no longer feel so alone now since
they found someone else who knows what it’s like to have the
mind and thoughts that he has always suffered with.
    Nick
looked at Trevor and recognized that distant look on his face, he
then looked at the girl in the back through the rearview mirror and
noticed the same distant expression then went back to watching the
road. Great ,
he thought, I’m
stuck in the car with two disturbed people .
He cleared his throat and began making small talk. “What’s
your name?” Avery didn’t look up until he repeated his
question,” what’s your name?”
    “It’s
Avery,” she finally answered.
    “I’m
Nick and this is Trevor,” he gestured and blew smoke out
again,” how old are you? You look like you should be in middle
school.”
    "19,"she
replied," I’ll be 20 in March." Nick looked
surprised.
    "Trevor
here is 24 years old," Nick said,” and I’m 27 years
old. Most of us are adults in our group. Well, all of us are. The
youngest is Trevor. We did have another who was young too but…
some things happened. Who’s the youngest in your group?”
    “15
years old,” was all Avery said, not really wanting to release
names at the moment.
    “And
the oldest?”
    “Alex,”
she answered, since they knew him already,” he’s 20 or 21
years old.”
    “Our
oldest is Charles,” Nick responded,” he’s in his
late 30s to early 40s.” Avery looked out the window again,
watching the undead walk along, a few attempting to follow the
vehicle down the streets and the turns. “How many you got in
your group?”
    “It’s
just Alex and I,” she spoke. Nick and Trevor could tell she was
lying but decided to play along.
    “Must
be tough making it out there with just you two,” Nick said,
looking at Trevor,” we have seven. One girl and six guys. Like
I said, there used to be more of us. Were there more in your group?”
    Avery
thought a moment and she realized that it's always just been her and
Alex this whole time. Jenny and Holly had drawn away long ago, back
in Oklahoma when Joel and Zackary had joined the group. And Keith had
been long gone after Kansas happened. They've changed and there's no
fixing that. She stopped thinking and spoke,” there was. But
they're gone now. They just do their own thing now after the group
leader disappeared. So that's why it's just been Alex and I.”
    “
Understand that,” Nick responded,” it's hard losing
people that begin to matter.”
    “Sure
it is,” she mumbled, staring out the window once again.

    They
slowed as they drove under a bridge, finally coming to a stop. Avery
looked out the window, and saw a paddy wagon parked; she could see a
woman and guy leading Keith and Holly into a dark area, dimly lit as
she squinted before realizing it was an underground tunnel opening.
She instantly began to realize they caught her lying when she claimed
it was only her and Alex. The two men with Alex got out, the one
named Jeff pulling Alex out of the truck, basically almost dropping
him face first on the ground and taking their weapons and bags with
them.
    The
Dodge stopped as Nick got out and Trevor did. The door on the back
passenger side opened and Trevor climbed half way in and pulled her
out of the vehicle while Nick grabbed up his and Trevor's bags,
Trevor holding Avery's tied wrists as they joined the others in the
tunnel.
    Avery
began to survey