Read Online Outbreak (Book 1): Emerald City by Jay K. Anthony - Free Book Online

gate and found it was not going to be any easier to get through. This Bowman guy must have had some issues .
    Finished with his assessment, Luke walked back to the van. Any plan he might have been forming to use the vehicle to bust through the gate was worthless. The van was as good as dead. The two zombies he had run into crushed the front end. Steam boiled out from under the hood and green antifreeze dumped into the street. Ted and Pete got out and came around to stand next to Matt and Luke.
    “We ain’t going to make it to Zombie Free Country in this,” Pete said, clearly disappointed. “So now what?”
    Matt put his hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “It was never supposed to, remember?” Pete looked confused. “Never mind,” Matt continued. “Okay, next step. Into the boatyard.”
    Luke looked at Matt. “And how are you going to pull that off? It’s Fort Knox.”
    “I’ve got a plan,” Matt said.
    “Good,” Luke said.
    “All we need to do is find a rowboat or something and come in by the water,” Matt explained.
    Luke looked out at the water. The fence extended along the side of the bay and wrapped around to a guardhouse. He looked down the length of the compound and could see another gatehouse at the far corner as well. A mini marina ran between the houses along the water’s edge. “I’m kind of surprised Bowman didn’t put another fence back there,” he said.
    “He didn’t need to,” Matt said. “Back before everything went to hell those gatehouses were staffed all day and night, twenty four by seven. Nothing came in or went out without being logged. Old man Bowman even had some deal with the Coast Guard. Some kind of shit where he dropped these big donations. In return, they helped keep an eye on his factory.”
    “Ain’t no Coast Guard anymore,” Ted said.
    “No, there is not,” Matt agreed. “I figure with all these fancy houses on the water around here, all we have to do is find one that still has a boat tied up.”
    Luke was not so sure it was going to be that easy, but anything was better than standing around doing nothing more than waiting for a herd of zombies to come along. “Works for me,” he said.
    “Good,” Matt replied. “Get your shit and let’s get a move on.”
    The four of them went around to the back of the van. Ted opened it up and they began to select their guns. Luke preferred a shotgun and picked up his favorite, a police issue automatic that fired 12-gauge rounds from 10-round detachable magazine. They had taken it from a police cruiser about a month before. The thing kicked like a mule and made a crap-ton of noise, but it was a zombie mauling machine. He also stuck an aluminum baseball bat and a fresh pack of cigarettes into his backpack and slung the whole thing over his shoulder with the handle of the bat sticking out of the top. Luke preferred to not use the bat, but there had been a couple times it had saved his life when ammo ran out. Plus, he used it for silent kills when he had to. Nothing like the rattle of gunfire to bring zombies on the run, he thought.
    Matt selected a .44 magnum pistol, what he liked to call his “Dirty Harry” gun, and tucked it into his belt. He also picked up a sledgehammer and carried it on his shoulder. Ted’s choice of weapon was an UZI he had used since before Luke had met him. Luke thought it was a typical crackhead choice, but he could not argue with its effectiveness against a horde. Luckily, the 9mm ammunition was relatively easy to find because the hillbilly was all about spray and pray with the thing. Pete had an MP5. Another find from a police cruiser. To Luke it looked like one of the guns the elite police used on television and in the movies. He was always nervous when Pete had it out because the kid wasn’t big on safety, but it was still a good weapon.
    Finally, they were all armed and ready to move. “Let’s go, ladies,” Matt said and the four of them left from the