Read Online Instinct by Ike Hamill - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ike Hamill
Tags: Science-Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Genre Fiction, post apocalyptic, alien invasion
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Tim.
“Wouldn’t you come outside if you heard an airplane for the first time in months? Those sheets can’t have been hanging there since last Thanksgiving, could they?”
Tim banked the plane so he could get a better look at the house. He descended and circled. There was nowhere to land. The road that led along the shore was too narrow and was lined with trees and power lines. Tim brought up his altitude to look for a highway or at least a road big enough to safely land on. It looked like the nearest road was miles away.
He pulled out his map and marked the location.
“We’ll keep going and see if there’s anything else to investigate,” he said. His heart was beating fast. Leaving behind the fluttering sheets was torture. He wanted nothing more than to take to ground and find his way back to that point, but it wasn’t logical. If he intended to land, he needed a plan. Every time he brought the plane down he was taking a risk, and a set of hanging sheets wasn’t enough reward.
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪
Tim flew all the way to Buffalo before he turned the plane around. His mind wandered back to the sheets. He imagined people living in that long house. In his thoughts, they were probably out gathering supplies when he flew by. They’d heard his engine and rushed back to see him disappearing on the horizon.
He felt a hard, hot lump in his chest when he saw that point of land again. It was harder to see the sheets from this direction, but when he circled back around, he was certain. He struck off east, to find a good place to land.
The nearest open space was a field. It might be fine, but it was impossible to know for sure from the air. There could be holes, or other pitfalls hidden below the growth.
He went farther and found a long parking lot next to a strip mall. It didn’t have any dividers or curbs that he could see, and if he headed into the wind, he should be able to take off again. He shook his head and changed his mind. His plane was heavy with gear, and the day was warming up. It wasn’t worth the risk.
Tim had to travel several more miles before he finally found a big open stretch of road with no hazards. He circled several times before brought the plane down without issue.
Cedric wiggled in his seat, anxious to explore the smells of this area.
“Okay,” Tim said. He unbuckled the dog and opened the door so Cedric could bound out into the afternoon. “Don’t go far. We have a way to travel.”
He tried to find his location on the map. He had to approximate. Some of the roads he’d seen weren’t on his map. They looked black and fresh. They might be recent construction.
Tim brought a small bag with a map and essentials. He climbed out.
The first few cars he found were all in the same condition. They had keys in the ignition, no fuel, and dead batteries. The people who’d abandoned the cars were simply gone and it seemed like they’d taken the vitality of their vehicles with them. This was familiar territory for Tim. Serviceable cars were getting harder and harder to find as the world aged. Back when the whole world had been alive, Tim had thought of cars as dependable, permanent machines. Now he saw them as spoiled fruit. They were beyond ripe and no longer fit for consumption.
“You ready?” he asked Cedric. The dog was sniffing around the tire of a dead car. He tilted up his leg and peed on the tire while Tim tightened the straps on his pack. Tim bent to stretch his legs and retie his laces.
When he was ready, he struck off in a casual jog. It took about a mile for him to really hit his groove, and then his feet moved automatically. He wasn’t fast, but he could jog for miles. Cedric moved in spurts at first. He would run ahead, investigate something until Tim passed, and then catch up. Eventually, the dog moved to his side and kept time with Tim’s jog.
They only stopped to consult the map.
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪
“Stay right with
“Wouldn’t you come outside if you heard an airplane for the first time in months? Those sheets can’t have been hanging there since last Thanksgiving, could they?”
Tim banked the plane so he could get a better look at the house. He descended and circled. There was nowhere to land. The road that led along the shore was too narrow and was lined with trees and power lines. Tim brought up his altitude to look for a highway or at least a road big enough to safely land on. It looked like the nearest road was miles away.
He pulled out his map and marked the location.
“We’ll keep going and see if there’s anything else to investigate,” he said. His heart was beating fast. Leaving behind the fluttering sheets was torture. He wanted nothing more than to take to ground and find his way back to that point, but it wasn’t logical. If he intended to land, he needed a plan. Every time he brought the plane down he was taking a risk, and a set of hanging sheets wasn’t enough reward.
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪
Tim flew all the way to Buffalo before he turned the plane around. His mind wandered back to the sheets. He imagined people living in that long house. In his thoughts, they were probably out gathering supplies when he flew by. They’d heard his engine and rushed back to see him disappearing on the horizon.
He felt a hard, hot lump in his chest when he saw that point of land again. It was harder to see the sheets from this direction, but when he circled back around, he was certain. He struck off east, to find a good place to land.
The nearest open space was a field. It might be fine, but it was impossible to know for sure from the air. There could be holes, or other pitfalls hidden below the growth.
He went farther and found a long parking lot next to a strip mall. It didn’t have any dividers or curbs that he could see, and if he headed into the wind, he should be able to take off again. He shook his head and changed his mind. His plane was heavy with gear, and the day was warming up. It wasn’t worth the risk.
Tim had to travel several more miles before he finally found a big open stretch of road with no hazards. He circled several times before brought the plane down without issue.
Cedric wiggled in his seat, anxious to explore the smells of this area.
“Okay,” Tim said. He unbuckled the dog and opened the door so Cedric could bound out into the afternoon. “Don’t go far. We have a way to travel.”
He tried to find his location on the map. He had to approximate. Some of the roads he’d seen weren’t on his map. They looked black and fresh. They might be recent construction.
Tim brought a small bag with a map and essentials. He climbed out.
The first few cars he found were all in the same condition. They had keys in the ignition, no fuel, and dead batteries. The people who’d abandoned the cars were simply gone and it seemed like they’d taken the vitality of their vehicles with them. This was familiar territory for Tim. Serviceable cars were getting harder and harder to find as the world aged. Back when the whole world had been alive, Tim had thought of cars as dependable, permanent machines. Now he saw them as spoiled fruit. They were beyond ripe and no longer fit for consumption.
“You ready?” he asked Cedric. The dog was sniffing around the tire of a dead car. He tilted up his leg and peed on the tire while Tim tightened the straps on his pack. Tim bent to stretch his legs and retie his laces.
When he was ready, he struck off in a casual jog. It took about a mile for him to really hit his groove, and then his feet moved automatically. He wasn’t fast, but he could jog for miles. Cedric moved in spurts at first. He would run ahead, investigate something until Tim passed, and then catch up. Eventually, the dog moved to his side and kept time with Tim’s jog.
They only stopped to consult the map.
✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪
“Stay right with
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