Read Online Tails of the Apocalypse by David Adams, Nick Cole, Michael Bunker, David Bruns, E. E. Giorgi, Deirdre Gould, Jennifer Ellis, Stefan Bolz, Harlow C. Fallon, Hank Garner, Todd Barselow, Chris Pourteau - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: David Adams, Nick Cole, Michael Bunker, David Bruns, E. E. Giorgi, Deirdre Gould, Jennifer Ellis, Stefan Bolz, Harlow C. Fallon, Hank Garner, Todd Barselow, Chris Pourteau
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and headed for the hospital. After a few blocks, something scraped behind her. Raina whirled into a crouch. Knife growled, but the street was empty.
At the hospital, she unloaded the night’s catch and dumped beef stew over kibbles. She thought about punishing Smiles by withholding the stew, but he wouldn’t understand. After dinner, she bagged up the trash, which was full, and took it to the underground parking next door. She went to bed.
* * *
Hours later, Raina snapped awake. She’d heard an engine outside. There was no sound now. She got up and went to the door to the front office, standing on her tiptoes to peer through its small window.
A flashlight beamed through the front windows into the hospital’s reception area. Raina held perfectly still as the light swept through the front room, passing from the reception desk to the empty shelves that had once held bags of food. The woman outside wore a dark uniform and had a silver badge on her chest.
The officer tried the door. Finding it locked, she flipped her flashlight around, and cocked her arm to smash it into the door.
Raina flung open the door to the back room. “Stop! We’re in here!”
The woman drew a pistol, shining the flashlight in Raina’s eyes. “Show me your hands!”
Raina lifted them. The officer flicked the beam of the flashlight across the room, then back to Raina.
She lowered the gun, voice muffled by the glass. “Can you open the door?”
Raina hesitated. “How’d you know I was here?”
“Someone said a little girl was here. All alone except for a few dogs. Is that true?”
Was she there to help? Like Raina’s dad had said someone would be? Raina nodded to the officer and unlocked the door. “Who saw me?”
The woman walked inside, casting her light past the front counter. “Another survivor. He thought it would be better if I came by. What’s your name?”
“Raina.”
“Hi, Raina. I’m Officer Morgan. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“My friend said you had dogs here. Are they okay?”
“Some of them bark too much. And one likes to sniff too far.”
The officer smiled. “Can I see them?”
Raina brought her to the back room. The dogs swarmed around Officer Morgan’s legs. Smiles and Eggplant jumped up on her. Tough and Tooth barked. The Chihuahuas backed away, hackles standing straight up. The officer bent to scratch their ears and thump their backs.
After they calmed down, Officer Morgan straightened, rubbing her hand over her mouth. “You can’t care for all these animals.”
“Yeah I can. I have food for them.”
“What’ve you got?”
“Kibbles,” she said. “And the meat they like.”
“Dog food. Right.” Officer Morgan folded her arms, looking down at Raina just like her teachers used to do. “What about water?”
“I filled lots of jugs,” Raina replied proudly. “And I have more on the roof for the rain.”
“It’s almost summer. You’ll be lucky if it rains an inch between now and November.”
Raina frowned. She tried to think of a place nearby where water flowed, but the only place she could remember was the ocean. “Then we’ll have to find more.”
Officer Morgan turned toward the front of the building. After a long moment, she smiled at Raina. “Tell you what. I have a place in the hills. It’s near a reservoir. I’ve got food. Water. And all kinds of room for dogs. If you’ll help me farm it, you can come stay there.”
“But this is my home.”
“It isn’t safe here. There are bad men out in the streets. This place is away from that.”
Raina thought for a moment. “Is it just you at the farm?”
“Sure.” Officer Morgan smiled deeper, eyes crinkling. “And a whole bunch of dogs.”
Raina lowered her eyes to the animals. She’d worked so hard to build their home here. They had food and medicine; she didn’t know which pills did what, but there were books that would tell her so. They knew the streets and homes around them.
But the animal hospital
At the hospital, she unloaded the night’s catch and dumped beef stew over kibbles. She thought about punishing Smiles by withholding the stew, but he wouldn’t understand. After dinner, she bagged up the trash, which was full, and took it to the underground parking next door. She went to bed.
* * *
Hours later, Raina snapped awake. She’d heard an engine outside. There was no sound now. She got up and went to the door to the front office, standing on her tiptoes to peer through its small window.
A flashlight beamed through the front windows into the hospital’s reception area. Raina held perfectly still as the light swept through the front room, passing from the reception desk to the empty shelves that had once held bags of food. The woman outside wore a dark uniform and had a silver badge on her chest.
The officer tried the door. Finding it locked, she flipped her flashlight around, and cocked her arm to smash it into the door.
Raina flung open the door to the back room. “Stop! We’re in here!”
The woman drew a pistol, shining the flashlight in Raina’s eyes. “Show me your hands!”
Raina lifted them. The officer flicked the beam of the flashlight across the room, then back to Raina.
She lowered the gun, voice muffled by the glass. “Can you open the door?”
Raina hesitated. “How’d you know I was here?”
“Someone said a little girl was here. All alone except for a few dogs. Is that true?”
Was she there to help? Like Raina’s dad had said someone would be? Raina nodded to the officer and unlocked the door. “Who saw me?”
The woman walked inside, casting her light past the front counter. “Another survivor. He thought it would be better if I came by. What’s your name?”
“Raina.”
“Hi, Raina. I’m Officer Morgan. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“My friend said you had dogs here. Are they okay?”
“Some of them bark too much. And one likes to sniff too far.”
The officer smiled. “Can I see them?”
Raina brought her to the back room. The dogs swarmed around Officer Morgan’s legs. Smiles and Eggplant jumped up on her. Tough and Tooth barked. The Chihuahuas backed away, hackles standing straight up. The officer bent to scratch their ears and thump their backs.
After they calmed down, Officer Morgan straightened, rubbing her hand over her mouth. “You can’t care for all these animals.”
“Yeah I can. I have food for them.”
“What’ve you got?”
“Kibbles,” she said. “And the meat they like.”
“Dog food. Right.” Officer Morgan folded her arms, looking down at Raina just like her teachers used to do. “What about water?”
“I filled lots of jugs,” Raina replied proudly. “And I have more on the roof for the rain.”
“It’s almost summer. You’ll be lucky if it rains an inch between now and November.”
Raina frowned. She tried to think of a place nearby where water flowed, but the only place she could remember was the ocean. “Then we’ll have to find more.”
Officer Morgan turned toward the front of the building. After a long moment, she smiled at Raina. “Tell you what. I have a place in the hills. It’s near a reservoir. I’ve got food. Water. And all kinds of room for dogs. If you’ll help me farm it, you can come stay there.”
“But this is my home.”
“It isn’t safe here. There are bad men out in the streets. This place is away from that.”
Raina thought for a moment. “Is it just you at the farm?”
“Sure.” Officer Morgan smiled deeper, eyes crinkling. “And a whole bunch of dogs.”
Raina lowered her eyes to the animals. She’d worked so hard to build their home here. They had food and medicine; she didn’t know which pills did what, but there were books that would tell her so. They knew the streets and homes around them.
But the animal hospital
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