Read Online Tales of the Forgotten by W. J. Lundy - Free Book Online Page B

fire.
      Brad felt the
sting on his cheek and the hand closed over his mouth. “You’re making too much
noise, buddy. You okay man?” Sean whispered. Brad woke from the dream and
looked into the eyes of his friend; he nodded his head and Sean let go.
    “It
was just another bad dream,” said Brad.
    “No
shame in that bro, we all got plenty of those coming to us,” Sean whispered
back before moving to his spot against the shelves.
    Brad
was covered in sweat. He opened his bottle and took a few quick swigs of the
warm water. He looked at his watch; it was only 2 p.m., and yes, it was going
to be another long day. As late afternoon came, a wind picked up and made the
steel shell of the building rattle. Even though it startled the team inside, it
didn’t affect the primals outside at all. In no way did they seem to care about
the slap of the steel roof or the snapping of tent flaps outside. They had a
very ‘in-tune’ filter that knew the difference between what was a natural sound
and what was prey.
    Brad
whispered to Sean and asked if it would be okay if he took a look out through
the roof skylight. When Sean nodded his approval, Brad silently rose and
stretched to relieve himself of the cramps in his body. He left his rifle next to
his duffle bag full of scavenged goods, walked through the cage door and to the
ladder. He stealthily climbed the rungs until he reached the small landing at
the top. Easing himself off the ladder, he took a seat next to the skylight,
slowly opened the window, and peered outside. As Brooks had said, there were
still six of them standing in that meditative state, motionless in the roadway
leading to the supply building. Brad looked around as far as he could. From his
position on the top of the building, he had a better vantage point of the camp
than he had the day before.
    He
scanned all around. Off in the distance, he could see the living area where his
tent had been. He wondered if his personal belongings were still there: his
pictures of family, the letters from home. Even if they are , he thought, I can’t risk my team to go after them .
    The
sun was starting to set in the sky and the things standing watch on the road
were starting to move again. The primals seemed oblivious to him high up on the
roof. Brad watched as others woke and walked out of the tents and bunkers that
covered the camp. Just as he had seen in the desert, they would stand and sniff
the air, then slowly gather. When they had formed a pack of about a dozen they
would wander off in search of prey. He observed them doing this all over the
camp. He realized with a sinking feeling that Bremmel must be home to over a
thousand of the primals by now.
    As
the sun went completely into the horizon and night fell, the howling started
and he could hear them moving about. Brad had left his goggles below with his
gear, so he could no longer see them clearly. He looked below where he knew the
six primals stood watch but he could no longer make out their forms. Brad
slowly closed the window and descended the ladder back into the warehouse.
Moving silently, he made his way back into the cage and locked it behind him.
He sat on his gear and stretched his legs out in front of him. Brad considered
eating as he saw his other teammates had begun to do, but he was certain he
wouldn’t be able to hold down his food tonight with the overwhelming stench
surrounding them. Instead, he again wrapped the scarf tightly around his head
and fell into a dreamless sleep.

9.
     
     
     
    He
was startled awake by the sound of Brooks closing the cage door. “All clear,”
he said. “There are a couple of them in that Zen state about a hundred meters
out, but we should be able to drop them with no problem,” Brooks finished.
    “Okay
fellas, I recommend you drain your bladders and take in as much water as you
can hold. Let’s be ready to move out in ten minutes,” Sean told the team.
“We’re going to make as direct a path as possible toward the