Read Online Hell's Children: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller by John L. Monk - Free Book Online
Authors: John L. Monk
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didn’t give him any lip. He just did it.
“So, the gangs,” Jack said. “How bad are they?”
“Pretty bad. All they do is take. The other day, they came in a group of eight, telling us what to do.” She went quiet a moment, her expression cold. “Six of them left, and Greg and I got two new pistols for our growing collection.”
“Jesus,” he said. “Was it Greg who—”
Lisa held up a hand, cutting him off. “Doesn’t matter. Give me a second. It’s time to wake him up. I’ll tell him you’re here so he doesn’t blow your head off in the middle of the night. Or Pete’s. Oh, and if you need to pee, there’s buckets of water in the bathroom. Just fill the tank and flush. Down that hall and to the right.” She pointed off into the gloom. “If you get thirsty, there’s jugs of boiled water in the kitchen.”
They walked into the party room, and Jack relaxed. He found a spot near a group of children spread around a wheelbarrow full of hot dumbbells. There was a candle burning on the fireplace mantle. In the meager light, the children looked Mandy’s age and younger.
Lisa approached a larger shape lying at the edge of the circle in a sleeping bag. She nudged it with her foot. When it didn’t move, she kicked it, bringing forth a muffled curse, then whispers.
A moment later, Greg said, “He is?”
Lisa shushed him angrily and whispered something else.
Greg got up and came over.
“Hey man,” he said quietly. “Glad you made it. Knew you would, what with your doomy parents and … ah crap, man, I’m sorry.”
Jack smiled. “I know, man. It’s cool. Glad you’re okay.”
“You too, man.”
They talked briefly, catching up a little, enjoying the good news of their mutual survival. For Jack’s part, he was happy he wasn’t alone, and glad there was someone else alive who’d known his parents.
Before leaving, Greg lightly punched his shoulder and said, “Later on, okay?”
“Sure, man.”
The front door opened and closed and the room fell quiet. Jack lay back and shut his eyes.
* * *
I n the morning , everyone wanted to know more about the new arrivals. Lisa and Greg quickly introduced Pete, Mandy, and Jack to the group. She introduced each child and gave their ages.
Kimberly was a two-year-old girl with fine blond hair.
Brian was four years old.
Two sisters, Riley and Jessica, were seven and eight, respectively.
Not everyone was so young. The twelve-year-old black kid with the pistol on his side was named Tony. Of them all, he appeared the most well fed, if not slightly plump.
Wondering if he’d come from a gang, Jack gazed steadily at him and said, “You’re eating well.”
Tony smirked. “I used to be pretty fat. Now I’m starving. You got something to eat, I’ll show you.”
Jack smiled. He’d forgotten how overweight people were before the Sickness.
“That reminds me.” He turned to Lisa. “I brought some food with me. Is there somewhere …?”
Lisa nodded. “I have just the place for it.”
Jack grabbed his backpack and Pete’s makeshift pack and followed her into the rental office near the entrance.
“There’s a safe under here,” she said, pulling aside a blanket. “I cracked it.”
He stared at her in amazement. “You crack safes now?”
She smiled, basking in the attention. “I learned last year on my grampa’s floor safe. Easy, once you know how they’re made. There were lots of videos online showing how it’s done. Grampa said if I ever robbed a bank I’d have to pay him hush money.” Her smile faltered and she glanced away. “Anyway, it wasn’t too hard.”
Jack nodded at the safe. “So what was in it?”
“A little money, blank checks, papers, stuff like that. We used it for kindling. How much food did you bring?”
Jack broke it down quickly: ten packs of dehydrated trail food, five pounds of rice, five pounds of beans, seven protein bars, and a pound of beef jerky his parents had made from the meat in the freezer after
“So, the gangs,” Jack said. “How bad are they?”
“Pretty bad. All they do is take. The other day, they came in a group of eight, telling us what to do.” She went quiet a moment, her expression cold. “Six of them left, and Greg and I got two new pistols for our growing collection.”
“Jesus,” he said. “Was it Greg who—”
Lisa held up a hand, cutting him off. “Doesn’t matter. Give me a second. It’s time to wake him up. I’ll tell him you’re here so he doesn’t blow your head off in the middle of the night. Or Pete’s. Oh, and if you need to pee, there’s buckets of water in the bathroom. Just fill the tank and flush. Down that hall and to the right.” She pointed off into the gloom. “If you get thirsty, there’s jugs of boiled water in the kitchen.”
They walked into the party room, and Jack relaxed. He found a spot near a group of children spread around a wheelbarrow full of hot dumbbells. There was a candle burning on the fireplace mantle. In the meager light, the children looked Mandy’s age and younger.
Lisa approached a larger shape lying at the edge of the circle in a sleeping bag. She nudged it with her foot. When it didn’t move, she kicked it, bringing forth a muffled curse, then whispers.
A moment later, Greg said, “He is?”
Lisa shushed him angrily and whispered something else.
Greg got up and came over.
“Hey man,” he said quietly. “Glad you made it. Knew you would, what with your doomy parents and … ah crap, man, I’m sorry.”
Jack smiled. “I know, man. It’s cool. Glad you’re okay.”
“You too, man.”
They talked briefly, catching up a little, enjoying the good news of their mutual survival. For Jack’s part, he was happy he wasn’t alone, and glad there was someone else alive who’d known his parents.
Before leaving, Greg lightly punched his shoulder and said, “Later on, okay?”
“Sure, man.”
The front door opened and closed and the room fell quiet. Jack lay back and shut his eyes.
* * *
I n the morning , everyone wanted to know more about the new arrivals. Lisa and Greg quickly introduced Pete, Mandy, and Jack to the group. She introduced each child and gave their ages.
Kimberly was a two-year-old girl with fine blond hair.
Brian was four years old.
Two sisters, Riley and Jessica, were seven and eight, respectively.
Not everyone was so young. The twelve-year-old black kid with the pistol on his side was named Tony. Of them all, he appeared the most well fed, if not slightly plump.
Wondering if he’d come from a gang, Jack gazed steadily at him and said, “You’re eating well.”
Tony smirked. “I used to be pretty fat. Now I’m starving. You got something to eat, I’ll show you.”
Jack smiled. He’d forgotten how overweight people were before the Sickness.
“That reminds me.” He turned to Lisa. “I brought some food with me. Is there somewhere …?”
Lisa nodded. “I have just the place for it.”
Jack grabbed his backpack and Pete’s makeshift pack and followed her into the rental office near the entrance.
“There’s a safe under here,” she said, pulling aside a blanket. “I cracked it.”
He stared at her in amazement. “You crack safes now?”
She smiled, basking in the attention. “I learned last year on my grampa’s floor safe. Easy, once you know how they’re made. There were lots of videos online showing how it’s done. Grampa said if I ever robbed a bank I’d have to pay him hush money.” Her smile faltered and she glanced away. “Anyway, it wasn’t too hard.”
Jack nodded at the safe. “So what was in it?”
“A little money, blank checks, papers, stuff like that. We used it for kindling. How much food did you bring?”
Jack broke it down quickly: ten packs of dehydrated trail food, five pounds of rice, five pounds of beans, seven protein bars, and a pound of beef jerky his parents had made from the meat in the freezer after
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