Read Online Nasty Little F___ers-Kindle by David McAfee - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: David McAfee
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of your damn business.”
“Fair enough. Is everyone here?”
“Everyone but you guys.” Moretz said, buttoning his shirt.
“Good. Go and get the rest of them and have them meet me by my tent,” Colby started walking to the water tank. “We have to talk.”
“Where are Bock and Harper?” Moretz asked.
Colby laughed, but it didn’t have an ounce of humor in it. The sound sent an icy shiver up Moretz’s spine.
“Don’t worry,” Colby said. “They’re coming.”
Chapter Nine
Colby faced the remaining scientists: Allen, Edison, Moretz, Steinman, and Janice. As with Moretz, he’d forced them to open their shirts so he could check for Grubs. He’d thought Janice might fuss, but she simply lifted her T-shirt over her head and waited for him to check her over, a slight look of disappointment on her face, as if she felt betrayed by his mistrust. But then, she hadn’t seen the things he had. If the situation hadn’t been so dire he might have tried to soften the question, might have tried to make it a little less urgent for all of them, but he didn’t have time, and they didn’t need him coddling them right now.
Once he verified they were all clean, he filled them in on what he’d found of Jared, and what had become of Bock and Harper. Several times, Janice gasped aloud. More than once Edison snorted in derision. The other three looked at him like they couldn’t figure out if he was crazy or pulling their leg, but Colby pressed on, ending with his mad, injured run through the woods from the bear carcass to the camp.
“So that’s the story,” he concluded. “Any questions?”
“Did you bring back a sample of the grubs?” Allen asked.
Colby looked at Allen, a little taken aback. He’d expected to hear questions like When are we leaving? or What do we do now? But Allen’s calm query about samples surprised him. Then he remembered that, unlike Harper, Allen was an entomologist. “Yeah,” he replied. “Glad you asked. I almost forgot.” Colby was only too glad to hand him the small bag with the hand and grubs in it. Allen took it without even looking at Colby, then turned and vanished into his tent, never taking his eyes off the bag.
“I think you just made his year,” Steinman said.
Colby nodded. “Probably, but that doesn’t help the rest of us.”
“So what did you mean when you said Harper and Bock would be coming soon?” Moretz asked. “If those grubs got them, don’t you think they’re dead by now?”
“Someone followed me here. I could hear them behind me. I stopped and tried to shoot them a few times, but I could never spot them. Those woods out there,” Colby spread his hand behind him in a sweeping line, “are fucking dense. They could be twenty feet away and we wouldn’t be able to see them.”
Moretz looked doubtful, if a bit afraid. So did the rest of the group (except for Allen, of course, who could be heard exclaiming about his new find from inside his tent). That was good. Colby wanted them a little afraid; fear sharpens the senses. The trick was not to let them panic.
“Harper might be long gone by now,” he said. “But not Bock. Bock is almost certainly still alive.”
“Are you sure?” Janice asked.
Colby remembered how Bock had only a few grubs on him, and those didn’t seem to be feeding. If that hadn’t changed, then oh, yes…he was sure. In fact, Bock was probably watching them all right now, Colby would have bet his left nut on it. But how would he explain all that to her without scaring the living shit out of her?
“I’m sure,” he said simply.
“Ok, Sarge” Edison said. “So what’s the plan? What do we do?”
Just the question Colby had been dreading. “I don’t know.”
They all stared at him. His status as their guide made him the group leader in their eyes, and now they wanted him to lead them to safety. But they were hundreds of miles away from anything at all, with no means of communicating back to Anzer, and there
“Fair enough. Is everyone here?”
“Everyone but you guys.” Moretz said, buttoning his shirt.
“Good. Go and get the rest of them and have them meet me by my tent,” Colby started walking to the water tank. “We have to talk.”
“Where are Bock and Harper?” Moretz asked.
Colby laughed, but it didn’t have an ounce of humor in it. The sound sent an icy shiver up Moretz’s spine.
“Don’t worry,” Colby said. “They’re coming.”
Chapter Nine
Colby faced the remaining scientists: Allen, Edison, Moretz, Steinman, and Janice. As with Moretz, he’d forced them to open their shirts so he could check for Grubs. He’d thought Janice might fuss, but she simply lifted her T-shirt over her head and waited for him to check her over, a slight look of disappointment on her face, as if she felt betrayed by his mistrust. But then, she hadn’t seen the things he had. If the situation hadn’t been so dire he might have tried to soften the question, might have tried to make it a little less urgent for all of them, but he didn’t have time, and they didn’t need him coddling them right now.
Once he verified they were all clean, he filled them in on what he’d found of Jared, and what had become of Bock and Harper. Several times, Janice gasped aloud. More than once Edison snorted in derision. The other three looked at him like they couldn’t figure out if he was crazy or pulling their leg, but Colby pressed on, ending with his mad, injured run through the woods from the bear carcass to the camp.
“So that’s the story,” he concluded. “Any questions?”
“Did you bring back a sample of the grubs?” Allen asked.
Colby looked at Allen, a little taken aback. He’d expected to hear questions like When are we leaving? or What do we do now? But Allen’s calm query about samples surprised him. Then he remembered that, unlike Harper, Allen was an entomologist. “Yeah,” he replied. “Glad you asked. I almost forgot.” Colby was only too glad to hand him the small bag with the hand and grubs in it. Allen took it without even looking at Colby, then turned and vanished into his tent, never taking his eyes off the bag.
“I think you just made his year,” Steinman said.
Colby nodded. “Probably, but that doesn’t help the rest of us.”
“So what did you mean when you said Harper and Bock would be coming soon?” Moretz asked. “If those grubs got them, don’t you think they’re dead by now?”
“Someone followed me here. I could hear them behind me. I stopped and tried to shoot them a few times, but I could never spot them. Those woods out there,” Colby spread his hand behind him in a sweeping line, “are fucking dense. They could be twenty feet away and we wouldn’t be able to see them.”
Moretz looked doubtful, if a bit afraid. So did the rest of the group (except for Allen, of course, who could be heard exclaiming about his new find from inside his tent). That was good. Colby wanted them a little afraid; fear sharpens the senses. The trick was not to let them panic.
“Harper might be long gone by now,” he said. “But not Bock. Bock is almost certainly still alive.”
“Are you sure?” Janice asked.
Colby remembered how Bock had only a few grubs on him, and those didn’t seem to be feeding. If that hadn’t changed, then oh, yes…he was sure. In fact, Bock was probably watching them all right now, Colby would have bet his left nut on it. But how would he explain all that to her without scaring the living shit out of her?
“I’m sure,” he said simply.
“Ok, Sarge” Edison said. “So what’s the plan? What do we do?”
Just the question Colby had been dreading. “I don’t know.”
They all stared at him. His status as their guide made him the group leader in their eyes, and now they wanted him to lead them to safety. But they were hundreds of miles away from anything at all, with no means of communicating back to Anzer, and there
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