Read Online Badlands Trilogy (Book 3): Out of the Badlands by Brian J. Jarrett - Free Book Online Page B

it.
    “Lester’s cool, Chloe. He hasn’t done anything bad. He’s smart, college degree and everything. And in case you hadn’t noticed we don’t have any adults with us now.”
    “We don’t need any.”
    “I think maybe we do.”
    “Speak for yourself,” Chloe said, glaring. She could feel the anger building inside her as he continually refuted her arguments.
    Sam took a deep breath. “Look. I just lost my mom and I’m not even thirteen yet.”
    “Don’t talk to me about losing a parent,” Chloe said. “Like you’re the only one in the world who has.”
    Sam’s mouth turned into a frown. Now he was upset…and mad. Chloe could see any chance of convincing him to leave dwindling right before her eyes and yet she couldn’t stop herself from lashing out. She loved him and hated him at the same time.
    “What are we going to do when we need an adult around?” Sam said, his eyes hard and cold. “Lester is a good guy and you haven’t proved he’s not. Some kind of weird feeling isn’t enough to leave everything behind and run away.”
    Chloe felt hot tears of frustration begin to well up. There was no way she would let him see her cry. Obviously he was bound and determined to stick with Lester, regardless of anything she had to say and leaving without Sam was out of the question. Even as stupid and bull-headed as he could be.  
    “What if he tries something?” Chloe said.
    “We got the guns, remember?”
    “What if it happens when we’re asleep?”
    “We’ll sleep in shifts. One of us will be awake with him, just to make sure.” He looked at her earnestly. This was Sam’s attempt at a compromise and Chloe knew that she wouldn’t get any better deal than that. She gritted her teeth, took a deep breath and admitted defeat. “Whatever then,” she said.
    Sam’s face lit up. “Good! Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”
    Chloe frowned. “Go on. I have to pee.”
    “I though you wanted me to stay with you.”
    “That was just an excuse to talk in private, you dummy.”
    “Oh,” Sam replied sheepishly.
    Chloe shook her head. Sometimes Sam really was just a kid. “Go on. I’ll be right there.”
    She watched him walk away, back to the road and to Lester, her stomach a roiling pit. She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. For a split-second she considered just walking away, deep into the forest. Let Sam have creepy old Lester. They could be best friends. And if something bad happened then that was Sam’s own fault.
    That was the kid in her talking. She knew it and she shut that voice up. She had no time to be childish, especially now. Now they needed to be the adults they didn’t have, despite what Sam said about having Lester around. They had to be their own guardians, make their own decisions.
    As she stood in a nondescript patch of woods along a crumbling road, Chloe wondered to her herself if the boy she liked so much would end up being the death of her. Frustrated, she headed back toward the road, hoping like hell she was wrong about Lester.

Chapter Fifteen

    It happened so fast that Ed could barely register it. Only moments after descending the steps, the door at the top slammed shut behind them. Startled, Ed turned around. Behind him stood two men in robes, their beards wiry and unkempt, their eyes dark and cold.
    In their hands they held pistols.
    A man yelled from somewhere within the basement kitchen. A woman screamed. Ed reached for his pistol, but received a fist to the face for his efforts. The blow caught him by surprise and he went down hard, slamming his chin off the concrete floor, but maintaining his grip on the gun. Stars swirled along with patchy black spots, clouding his vision. Somewhere in the distance he heard Jeremy cry out; a moment later his son’s voice went silent.
    More yelling echoed throughout the basement now. A gunshot rang out, followed by two more in quick succession. Men yelled. Someone cursed. Movement flashed near Ed as he struggled to get to his