Read Online American Revenant (Book 2): Settlers and Sorrow by John L. Davis IV - Free Book Online Page A

do it one or two at a time, rather than twenty or thirty all at once. 
Besides that, they need the truck for moving the railroad ties.  So, be nimble
Jack, and let’s hoof it.”
                Jack
looked over at Jimmy walking beside Mike and said, “Dick.”
                Jack
took on a sullen look while the others laughed.  He hated walking, and hoped
they would find some bicycles while they were out. 
                Gordy
had asked each of the men last night as they all huddled in the main hall at
the Camp if they would be willing to start working their way into Saverton in
the morning.  They were to look for the living dead, dispatching them if they
could, avoiding them if they could not.  Finding additional supplies was
important, but ensuring that there were no undead creatures lurking around took
precedence. 
                The
unincorporated township of Saverton had a population of less than seventy-five
people.  A small river community, it was spread out between small fields and
large gardens, giving the area a more open feel.  The people that chose to live
so far out from the larger towns enjoyed their privacy and quiet.
                “You
guys ever wonder why none of us got sick?”
                “You
know why, Jack.  As soon as we heard the reports about the sickness, or plague,
whatever you want to call it, we got everyone together.  It was obvious from
the beginning that there would be no stopping it.  That was the “It” moment
most of us had been preparing for.  Hunkering down in that old school is the
only thing that kept us all alive.”
                “Except
for Jenny,” Mike said.
                “Please,
man, I don’t even want to talk about that.  And whatever you do, I wouldn’t say
that name around Gordy,” Jimmy responded.
                By
the time the sickness had hit Hannibal, Gordy and the rest of the group had
been holed up in the old school for nearly a week.  The Tanner family and Jenny
Appleton were the only people that had not reported in yet. 
                Early
one morning, Sam had been on watch when he saw someone stumbling down the
darkened street.  He had been unable to tell at a distance who it was.  He had called
out for his father, and Gordy had come running down the hall, followed by
several others already awake at that hour.  Gordy took Sam’s binoculars,
watching the figure as it stumbled and shuffled its way up the street.
                After
watching for a few moments, Gordy realized who it was.  “It’s Jenny, but she
looks awful.  She’s sick; you can see it from here.”
                “Gordon,
we have to help her,” Jan told him as she headed for the door.
                “No,
Jan, we can’t and you know it.  Whatever this is there is no helping, only
dying.”
                Jan
had halted at the door, her head hung low as she realized the truth of her
husband’s words. 
                When
the young woman was close enough to hear a shout Gordy drew up the window and
yelled down to her.  “Jenny, you have to stop there, honey!”
                Gordy
had been unable to see the bloody tracks down her face, where the bleeding had
begun, until she looked up towards the sound of his voice.  “Mr. Fletcher, is
that you?  You have to help me,” she had cried, her voice weak and plaintive.
                Gordy
felt heartsick at what he was about to do.  “Jenny, sweetheart, there’s nothing
we can do for you.  You can’t come in here, or you’ll kill us all.  I’m so
sorry.  Please go home, Jenny.”
                Jenny
couldn’t hear his voice cracking as he shouted down to her, but the others in
the room could.  They all shared in the hurt that Gordy was feeling at that
very moment.  This young woman had been part of the group, part of the