Read Online Frontier Justice - 01 by Arthur Bradley - Free Book Online

both shook their heads.
    “Most of them abandoned their posts when things got bad,” said Jules. “Who can blame them? Family comes first for all of us.” To emphasize the point, she reached out and placed a hand on her husband’s arm.
    “Have you been through Boone?”
    All three stiffened at his question.
    “Yes sir, we have,” answered Carl. “I wouldn’t advise you go that way, especially with that badge.”
    “Why’s that?”
    “The place has been overrun by a gang of thugs. Not what you’d call law-abiding citizens. The worst part is that I suspect there are quite a few survivors hiding out, just too afraid to come out of their homes for fear of being victimized.”
    Mason nodded, giving his words the attention they deserved.
    “Sounds as if somebody’s going to have to go into Boone and help those folks.”
    Carl sighed. “I suppose you’re right. But that would be a tall order. You’d probably have to put down more than a few people in the process.”
    “Did you folks run into any trouble?”
    “Nothing we couldn’t handle,” he answered, glancing over at John. “There are sixteen armed adults in our convoy. The old adage about there being strength in numbers apparently holds true when society falls apart.”
    The RV door opened, and the face of a young girl peeked out.
    Jules looked up at her and said, “It’s all right, Lucy. This man’s a U.S. Marshal. He’s a good guy.”
    Wearing a pair of wrinkled capri pants and a bright yellow shirt, the girl descended the stairs. She smiled and gave a short little wave.
    “Hi.”
    “Marshal Raines, this is our daughter, Lucy.”
    “Pleased to meet you, Lucy,” Mason said, returning her smile.
    “She’s the bravest ten-year-old in the entire world.”
    “I bet she is.”
    “Mom,” said Lucy, obviously embarrassed.
    “It’s true,” said John. “When this all started happening, Lucy was a real trouper. Never cried, not even once.”
    “You couldn’t say the same about me,” Jules said with a nervous laugh.
    John put his hand on her back. “We’re all dealing with the impossible.”
    “Marshal Raines, will you be coming with us?”
    “Great idea, Lucy.” Carl turned to Mason. “We could really use a man like you.”
    “It would sure make me feel safer,” added Jules.
    Mason rubbed the stubble on his chin, thinking about their offer.
    “Where exactly are you folks headed?”
    “West toward Johnson City and Kingsport, wherever there might be folks setting back up. Truth is we may be on the road for a while.”
    Mason smiled and shook his head.
    “I appreciate the invitation. I really do. But I’m not quite ready to move on just yet. Who knows? Maybe we’ll meet up sometime later.”
    Only Lucy seemed surprised by his answer.
    “Understood,” Carl said, looking around and surveying the service station. “Mind if we help ourselves to a little gas before we move on?”
    Mason thought about the two dead bodies inside the building.
    “No one here would care,” he said. “Take what you need. I’ll probably fill a couple cans myself.”
    “Many thanks,” said Carl, motioning for Jules and her husband to get the refueling supplies.
    Mason followed them to the circular refueling ports located on the ground a few paces away from the pumps. There were four ports, each topped with a different-colored lid.
    When Carl saw Mason looking over his shoulder, he said, “The red, white, and blue covers are all different grades of gasoline. The big plus symbol on top indicates that the fuel is unleaded. The yellow one here is diesel. That’s what we need most right now.”
    Carl and John used a pry bar to remove the yellow cover. Beneath it was a large cap with a protruding handle. John knelt down and removed the cap. Underneath was a six-inch diameter pipe leading down into an underground fuel tank. Jules lowered a rubber hose into the pipe. The other end was connected to a small pump with a battery-powered hand drill attached. A