Read Online Sunburn (Book 1, The Events Trilogy) by Samuel Gorvine - Free Book Online

appreciated. I put this up when we run out of food. I get some supplies from the people it knocks over and send them on their way. No one has ever been hurt before.”
    “They just give you their stuff?” Mary asked.
    “Well, I have a twelve gauge I threaten them with. They don’t know it’s only loaded with bird shot.”
    Will was smiling through the pain.
    “Let’s go then, but slowly.”
    They walked through the woods and over the hill to Mark’s house. Mark cut himself a stick to lean on.
                 
    When they got to Mark’s small brick colonial at the end of a long pipe stem driveway, they found his wife seated at the kitchen table looking out the window. She flashed a look of panic and looked away from them back out the window.
    “She’s been somewhat depressed,” Mark said. “Donna, these nice folks fell into our trap and Will hurt his back. They’ll stay here for a bit till he’s better.
    Donna continued looking out the window.
    In the back of the house was a small guest room with a double bed and other basic furniture.
    “Make yourselves comfortable. The bed has a board under the mattress which is good for your back, Will, and the bathroom is right up the hall first door on the right.”
    After Will had lain down with much fussing and groaning, Mark brought a hot water bottle. This seemed to help the pain a lot and Will became less cranky.
    “Water isn’t a problem for us as I hear it has been for some folks in towns and cities. We have our own well which we work by hand and the water is very good. But I have been asking the people passing to pay a sort of toll in crackers or canned goods, whatever they may have—“
    “After you’ve knocked them off their bikes and threatened them with a shotgun,” Will said, testily.
    “Well, yes,” replied Mark, “But just to get their attention.”
    Will threw back his head and laughed. Mary and Mark just smiled.
     
    In a few days Will was better. It was late morning and Mary was rubbing his lower back with oil to loosen up the muscles. As usual, the BAR was in a corner by the bed. Mark had taken his wife for a morning walk. They would go a few hundred yards up and down the road so she could get some sun.
    There was a shout from outside. Will sat up slowly.
    “Did you hear that?” he asked Mary.
    “Yes.”
    “Something is up—“
    He go t up and went to the front of the house with the BAR. Mark’s twelve gauge was leaning against the wall by the door. He must have decided it was too heavy to take.
    Will peered out of a lower corner of the front window. It was half open. It was hard to believe what he was seeing. There were five men, or five things that once might have been men. They were filthy and dressed in a hodge-podge of rags and borrowed clothing. Their hair was long and tangled.  The house was downwind of them and Will smelled something that reminded him of month-old garbage. Mark was down and two of the men were hacking at him with machetes. Mark was already showing several obviously fatal cuts. His wife had been badly cut also and was being raped by of the other men. The other two were looking at the house.
    Will signaled to Mary with his hand to lie prone. He took Mark ’s shotgun and broke it to make sure it was loaded. He pulled one of the cartridges to see what Mark had loaded. It was 0-0 buck, so he closed the gun with a click and moved back behind the living room sofa to wait. He laid the BAR next to him and propped the shotgun on the sofa arm.
    Mary was behind him now.
    “Did you bring your pistol?” he whispered.
    She show ed him.
    “Did you load a round?”
    She pulled the slide back and forth to put a round in the chamber.
    “Take the safety off, and keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot. Keep your eyes open for anyone coming in the back door. I’m hoping you won’t have to shoot. And try not to shoot me in the ass!”
    “I’ll try not to.”
    A minute passed. There was