Z-Burbia 4: Cannibal Road by Jake Bible Read Free Book Online Page A

company while we get the evacuation in order. Right, El?”
    “I’ll sit right here,” Elsbeth said as she shoved John out of his chair and took the seat for herself. “He ain’t going nowheres.”
    “No, I suspect he isn’t,” Stella grinned.
     
    ***
     
    It was not easy getting everyone moving in order to be ready to leave in a day and a half. I was pretty surprised by the amount of resistance we met. You’d think people would be willing to put a little hustle into their survival, but as I grew more and more frustrated with the inefficiency and laziness, Stella pulled me aside to remind me of something very important.
    “They are terrified, Jace,” Stella said as I watched people stand about, their eyes glazed over, their shoulders slumped. “Being able to have a home like Whispering Pines or The Farm has kept folks going. They had something to work and live for. Now we are about to head out into unknown territory. It all scares the shit out of me and I know what’s going on. Imagine what they feel like when all they know is what we have told them.”
    “Yeah, you’re right,” I replied. “It’s just killing me how many people are digging their heels in. And I’m not even talking about the ones staying. Half the folks joining the convoy are acting like toddlers.”
    “Take a deep breath and let it go,” Stella responded. “You are not these people’s parent anymore than I am. In the end, they are ready and come with or they aren’t ready and get left behind. Once we are on that road there is no looking back.”
    “Damn,” I grinned. “Look at you all ruthless and shit.”
    “I am not,” Stella frowned and smacked my arm. The fully intact arm, not Stumpageddon. That puppy is almost always strapped tight to my body so I don’t move my collarbone. It hurts, it sucks, and it is what it is. But it gets better each day, so I got that going for me.
    “Can I at least bark at people to move ass?” I asked. “In a nice way that takes their terror into account?”
    “If you need barking done, get Critter to do it,” Stella said. “Everyone’s used to getting barked at by him and it won’t undermine their confidence in you.”
    “Who’s barkin’ at what?” Critter asked, walking up to us as we stood in the middle of the field that split the valley cliffs that made up his holler. “I’ll do some barkin’. Who ya need me to bark at?”
    He looked about and saw a couple of his men standing by a water barrel.
    “You two!” Critter barked. “I ain’t payin’ you to stand there! Water break is done! Go help secure supplies in the haul truck! Then double check the mobile homes is tied down right! Go on! Git!”
    “Uh, you don’t pay us,” one of the men said.
    “You still alive?” Critter countered.
    “Well...yeah,” the man replied.
    “Consider that payment,” Critter sneered. “Want to know what happens when I dock your pay?”
    The two men shook their heads and hurried off. Critter nodded then looked at Stella.
    “Who else? I’m in a barkin’ mood, that’s for sure,” Critter said.
    “Something up we need to know about?” I asked.
    “Nah, just feelin’ pissy,” Critter replied. “Ain’t easy leavin’ this place behind after all the work I done put into it.”
    “Can’t be easy leaving your home either,” Stella said. “You grew up in these mountains and you may never see them again.”
    “Damn, woman,” Critter snapped. “Why you have to go and say that? I was just thinkin’ about my holler, not these mountains. Gonna make me all depressed, sayin’ shit like that.”
    Critter stomped off as he found a couple of new targets to bark at. I looked over at Stella and she held up a finger.
    “Don’t say it,” she warned.
    “What?” I smiled.
    “You were going to explain the irony of me giving you a speech about handling everyone carefully when I went ahead and ignored my own advice and pissed off Critter,” she said.
    “I wasn’t going to say that at