Read Online Armageddon Heights (a thriller) by D. M. Mitchell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: D. M. Mitchell
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tracks.’ The businessman sneered, looking down.
‘It’s hardly Piccadilly Circus,’ Wade said quietly. ‘I’m going to see if I can find him.’
‘Best of luck with that,’ said the businessman. ‘It’s too bloody hot. You’ll fry out there. I say if the guy abandoned us then we take the bus and turn back.’
‘Turn back?’ said Wade. ‘Have you seen back? It’s the same as forward.’
‘Well we sure as hell can’t hang around here waiting for the goddamn bus driver to show his face. The best thing we can do is find some kind of town, get someone to come and find him when we’re all safe and well and out of this mess the guy put us in. Can you drive the bus?’
‘So now you’re blaming the bus driver?’ said Bolan.
‘Sure, who else?’
Wade shook his head slowly. ‘I’m not going to abandon him. I’m going to find him,’ he said.
‘I’ll come with you,’ said Bolan. ‘Two sets of eyes are better than one.’
‘Three are better,’ said the Country Life Woman from behind them. ‘I’ll help you.’ She reached into a small bag she carried. ‘I have a full half-litre bottle of spring water, too. That might prove useful.’ She held it out hopefully.
‘You’re not exactly dressed for the terrain,’ said Wade. ‘We’ll be fine.’
‘Are you?’ she observed. ‘Is this man?’ she added, looking Bolan up and down. ‘I’m tougher than I look, you know.’
‘It’s up to you,’ Wade shrugged. ‘I don’t intend going too far. I’ve just got a feeling he’s out there, that’s all.’
‘Well you’re crazy,’ said the businessman. ‘All of you. You can see for miles – I can’t see the man, can you? I’m going to see if anyone else can get a signal on their phone, get us some help.’
‘I doubt they’ll work,’ Wade said. ‘I noticed a few people trying and giving up. Seems we’re cut off from the outside world for now. The only man that might be able to shed some light on this is the bus driver. And he’s out there somewhere.’
‘Whatever,’ said the businessman walking away back to the coach, holding his phone up in the air and twirling it around as if he could snatch a stray bit of signal that happened to be flying by. He grunted in disdain.
‘Not a happy fellow,’ said the Country Life Woman.
‘Hardly surprising,’ Bolan mused. ‘Sorry, I don’t know your name…’
‘Amanda Tyler,’ she offered.
‘Martin Bolan,’ he returned politely. ‘I’m an engineering rep…’ He trailed off into silence.
‘And this is?’ she said, looking at Wade who turned around and stepped off the road onto the soft desert soil. He ignored her and trudged away, his attention on the ground.
‘Looks like he’s the private kind,’ said Bolan.
They set off after Wade.
7
Huge, Powerful and Vicious
The tracks were relatively easy to follow. There had been no wind or rain to erase them. Samuel Wade noticed how they’d started out wide and confident, a man in a hurry, but pretty soon they tightened up as the man slowed down. Where was he headed? There wasn’t anything up ahead except desert. What had he hoped to gain? He could only put it down to sheer panic. Wade had no idea how long the bus driver had been out here, but in this heat, without cover or water he would soon have gotten exhausted and dehydrated. His two companions were soon feeling the effects. He stopped, brought them up short.
‘Look, it’s fine if you turn back now,’ he said as they stood gasping in front of him. It hadn’t been very long into the search before Amanda Tyler had taken off her Aran sweater. She was using it as a makeshift fan. Over their shoulders he could make out the shape of the bus some distance away, small on the horizon and looking like it sat in a pool of shimmering mercury. ‘It’s hotter than I thought. You shouldn’t stay outside too long,’ he advised.
‘You seem more immune to it than we do,’ said Martin Bolan, his face aglow and his skin wet
‘It’s hardly Piccadilly Circus,’ Wade said quietly. ‘I’m going to see if I can find him.’
‘Best of luck with that,’ said the businessman. ‘It’s too bloody hot. You’ll fry out there. I say if the guy abandoned us then we take the bus and turn back.’
‘Turn back?’ said Wade. ‘Have you seen back? It’s the same as forward.’
‘Well we sure as hell can’t hang around here waiting for the goddamn bus driver to show his face. The best thing we can do is find some kind of town, get someone to come and find him when we’re all safe and well and out of this mess the guy put us in. Can you drive the bus?’
‘So now you’re blaming the bus driver?’ said Bolan.
‘Sure, who else?’
Wade shook his head slowly. ‘I’m not going to abandon him. I’m going to find him,’ he said.
‘I’ll come with you,’ said Bolan. ‘Two sets of eyes are better than one.’
‘Three are better,’ said the Country Life Woman from behind them. ‘I’ll help you.’ She reached into a small bag she carried. ‘I have a full half-litre bottle of spring water, too. That might prove useful.’ She held it out hopefully.
‘You’re not exactly dressed for the terrain,’ said Wade. ‘We’ll be fine.’
‘Are you?’ she observed. ‘Is this man?’ she added, looking Bolan up and down. ‘I’m tougher than I look, you know.’
‘It’s up to you,’ Wade shrugged. ‘I don’t intend going too far. I’ve just got a feeling he’s out there, that’s all.’
‘Well you’re crazy,’ said the businessman. ‘All of you. You can see for miles – I can’t see the man, can you? I’m going to see if anyone else can get a signal on their phone, get us some help.’
‘I doubt they’ll work,’ Wade said. ‘I noticed a few people trying and giving up. Seems we’re cut off from the outside world for now. The only man that might be able to shed some light on this is the bus driver. And he’s out there somewhere.’
‘Whatever,’ said the businessman walking away back to the coach, holding his phone up in the air and twirling it around as if he could snatch a stray bit of signal that happened to be flying by. He grunted in disdain.
‘Not a happy fellow,’ said the Country Life Woman.
‘Hardly surprising,’ Bolan mused. ‘Sorry, I don’t know your name…’
‘Amanda Tyler,’ she offered.
‘Martin Bolan,’ he returned politely. ‘I’m an engineering rep…’ He trailed off into silence.
‘And this is?’ she said, looking at Wade who turned around and stepped off the road onto the soft desert soil. He ignored her and trudged away, his attention on the ground.
‘Looks like he’s the private kind,’ said Bolan.
They set off after Wade.
7
Huge, Powerful and Vicious
The tracks were relatively easy to follow. There had been no wind or rain to erase them. Samuel Wade noticed how they’d started out wide and confident, a man in a hurry, but pretty soon they tightened up as the man slowed down. Where was he headed? There wasn’t anything up ahead except desert. What had he hoped to gain? He could only put it down to sheer panic. Wade had no idea how long the bus driver had been out here, but in this heat, without cover or water he would soon have gotten exhausted and dehydrated. His two companions were soon feeling the effects. He stopped, brought them up short.
‘Look, it’s fine if you turn back now,’ he said as they stood gasping in front of him. It hadn’t been very long into the search before Amanda Tyler had taken off her Aran sweater. She was using it as a makeshift fan. Over their shoulders he could make out the shape of the bus some distance away, small on the horizon and looking like it sat in a pool of shimmering mercury. ‘It’s hotter than I thought. You shouldn’t stay outside too long,’ he advised.
‘You seem more immune to it than we do,’ said Martin Bolan, his face aglow and his skin wet
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