Read Online American Infection (Book 2) by Justin Smith - Free Book Online

nodding.
    "So what's the game plan?" Rob asked.
    "Well, we have a couple choices," I said. "First off, we need to decide if we wanna try to march into West Chester tonight, and risk getting cut off in the dark, or if we wanna wait until morning. Second, we need to solidify who's going. I don't wanna put Sarah or Melissa at risk, but I also don't wanna leave them here alone. Third, if we wait until morning, we need to figure out what we're doing tonight."
    "I say we wait until morning," Matt said.
    I was glad he spoke up. If we were going to successfully extract his parents, assuming they were even still alive, we needed Matt to lead the way. This whole plan would go to shit if he felt alienated from the group.
    "Why's that?" Brian asked. "It's only four. We've got plenty of sunlight left to get in and get out. Why not get it done with?"
    "Because we don't know what we're dealing with," I said.
    I didn't want Matt to have to feel like he was defending himself. Besides, he was right. We'd be better off in the light of day.
    "Who the hell knows how many of those infected are wandering the streets right now," I continued. "This is a big town. We're gonna need to take our time and allow opportunities to develop. If we start rushing, we're gonna end up with a damn block party chasing our asses back here."
    Rob and Dale each agreed that waiting until morning was the safest course of action.
    After a few more minutes of debate, we all agreed we would search the farm house at the top of the driveway in hopes that it was empty and would provide refuge for a night. We also agreed that tomorrow morning, Sarah and Melissa would remain at the house while the guys went into West Chester. I wasn't happy about leaving the girls behind, but if the place was safe enough to sleep in tonight, certainly the girls would be safe for a few hours in the morning. Besides, Brian wanted all the men on the mission into the city, and he had already compromised by waiting until morning, so I figured acquiescing on this made us square.
    We climbed back into the van and Brian reversed, then pulled forward down the driveway, headed toward the farm house. Barley fields stretched from each side of the drive like a green, calm sea. A three‐rail wooden fence surrounded the property on three sides, all except the front along the road, which was bordered by evenly‐spaced, 50‐foot tall oaks casting a continuous shadow on the ground below. The Pennsylvania Dutch‐style farm house sat at the center of the property, two hundred yards of barley between the home and the fence in every direction. The two‐story house was built with stone, grayish‐brown in color, five windows along the second floor, four on the first, with a double front door and a porch wrapping around the entire building.
    The driveway opened up to provide a small parking area to the right of the home, but Brian pulled directly in front of the main entrance before shutting off the engine. I climbed out of the side doors and helped Sarah to the ground. Melissa, Matt and Dale followed, while Brian and Rob emerged from the front seats. If anyone was home, they weren't concerned about strange cars in the driveway. The curtains behind the first floor windows were pulled to the side, revealing fragments of the interior and indicating that whoever lived here either left at the outbreak of the virus, or wasn't worried about infected guests breaking in.
    I surveyed the surrounding fields. There was nothing but barley between us and the fence, beyond which trees formed another natural barrier.
    Brian tried the front door, found it locked, and began looking under rugs and potted plants on the porch. Two minutes later he had found the key, unlocked the door and stepped into the foyer. I took Sarah's hand and we followed the rest of the group inside.
    Brian, Rob and Dale began an inspection, covering each other as they went door to door throughout the home, ensuring there were no infected lying in wait. After