Read Online Season of Rot by Eric S. Brown, John Grover - Free Book Online Page B

under the small tarp Riley had set up for him. Hannah
rested against a tree, drenched to the bone. Her long red hair
clung heavily to her neck and shoulders. Riley leaned over and put
his arm around her. To him, she was beautiful no matter the
circumstances.
    “How far do you think we made it today?” she
whispered, trying not to wake Brandon.
    “A pretty good distance despite the weather,”
he assured her. “We’re safe here for the night, I think.”
    Hannah’s .30-.06 rested beside her, propped
against the same tree. “Riley, do you think there’s anyone else
left?”
    “Sure, honey. Sure. There’s got to be. If
we’ve made it this long, it just makes sense somebody else,
somewhere, has made it too.”
    “It’s not fair,” she muttered with a fresh
wetness sliding down her cheeks. “Brandon doesn’t deserve this. He
should be in school or playing video games. Think of all the things
we took for granted, Riley, things that Brandon will never know
except from our stories. If there are other people out there, we
have to find them for his sake and start over somehow.”
    Riley listened to the rain as it bounced off
the leaves of the trees around them. “Hannah,” he said softly, “I’m
sorry.”
    “Sorry, Riley? It’s not your fault that the
dead woke up or that we’re living through the end of the world. If
it weren’t for you, Brandon and I would be dead. I’m grateful for
the time we had in the cabin. How many other people even had a
chance like that? To pretend things were going to be okay? Those
months were like heaven. It’s just... it’s just Brandon.” She
nestled her face into Riley’s chest and sobbed hard against the
muscles she found there.
    Riley’s arms encircled her. “I swear, Hannah,
if there is a place to start again, we’ll find it or die trying.
We’ve just got to hold it together for a while longer. Rain or no
rain, we’ll start moving again in the morning.” Riley shut his eyes
and thought only of his wife’s body pressed against his until
dawn.
    The clouds broke as the sun rose. Riley
checked over their weapons to make sure the dampness hadn’t damaged
them as Hannah and Brandon made a game of packing up and preparing
to get on the move. The three shared stale granola bars for a quick
breakfast and drank water from their canteens, then set out in the
direction of the sun.
    7
    Scott didn’t like David’s plan. In fact he
loathed it, thought it was insane. He had no better ideas to offer,
however, so he went along with it. They’d carefully selected which
guard to make their offer to, and the chance to go through with it
had arrived. The guards were out in full force today, as it was
time for the prisoners to be rounded up for a breeding session.
Chief Hole in His Neck was in command, flanked by six more of the
dead, each carrying some type of fully-automatic military weapon.
His subordinates opened the gate to the pen and led the prisoners
out.
    Scott, having been a captive for weeks, knew
how things worked. He gave Hole in His Neck the sign that he wanted
to make a trade. Hole in His Neck studied him, then motioned for
his men to leave Scott behind.
    When the others were all outside of the pen,
Hole in His Neck stepped inside. Scott could swear he saw the
hunger burning in the dead man’s eyes.
    “Screw it,” Scott mumbled, hopefully too
quiet for Hole in His Neck to hear. He cleared his throat and said,
“David and I don’t want to go inside today.”
    A look of utter confusion settled on the
guard’s features. A human male who did not want to get laid was
beyond his understanding.
    Scott saw the look and misread it. “David’s
the new guy. The one you just brought in.”
    Hole in His Neck signed the question “Why?”
He wondered if Scott had lost his mind, and he toyed with the idea
of dispatching the human then and there. He needed more help
tending to the women’s needs anyway; a new dead body walking around
would help with his duty roster.
    Scott