Read Online The Dragons of Men (The Sons of Liberty Book 2) by Jordan Ervin - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jordan Ervin
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justice to the man who had caused him so much pain was far from over.
Eric slowed as he approached the mall’s entrance, passing a handful of frantic individuals who ran away with stolen goods. He took a deep breath—thankful that the adrenaline injections were still coursing through his veins—and grabbed his handheld radio.
“I’m entering the mall now,” Eric said quietly. “Remember, you’ll be safe so long as you remain incognito. No one’s hiking ten stories without a reason, so don’t give them one. I’ll radio when I’m heading back.”
“You got it,” Rick replied, a hint of static on his voice. “Take care of yourself.”
Eric latched the radio to his vest without replying, hugging the shadows as he entered the mall with his pistol raised and his eyes alert.
They had been forced to flee south after Sarah cauterized his wound with a chem-pack, fleeing the battle while Jackson Hewitt’s army crumbled. Even without the threat of death, it wouldn’t have been an easy trek. Sarah had her daughters and Elizabeth had her aging joints and weary muscles—not to mention the fact that Judi had somehow left her shoes back at the barracks before their flight. It was the little things that Eric noticed as they ran. Of course, a battle-hardened soldier like Eric knew it was typically the little things that proved to be the deadliest.
They had traveled roughly four miles south on foot by the time they reached the southern border of the base. He had hoped they would find another vehicle to get them a couple hundred miles out of harm’s reach before the sun began to rise. When they had broken free of the base’s perimeter, they had found an old van, hotwired it, and began to move toward Interstate Ninety-Five. However, they only made it about half a mile before they realized the van had been siphoned of most of its gas and was running on fumes. They crawled to a stop near a large circle in the heart of Fayetteville and Eric decided they would need to take refuge for the night in one of the nearby buildings.
The streets had been mostly abandoned of life and void of any older cars that he might have been able to steal. Eric had broken into the tallest nearby building, leading everyone to the top floor, instructing Rick to guard over others until Eric returned from a supply run. Sarah and Rick had argued with Eric, pleading with him to rest after losing so much blood, but he had made it quite clear that it wasn’t a discussion.
War wouldn’t wait for him to catch his breath.
Though he believed he could sleep for an entire day, he also knew their battle was far from over. While safety was essential, knowledge was chief. Eric was a shepherd with no path and scared sheep. He needed answers, and that need now guided his feet.
He moved through the busy mall—busy for four in the morning. As it had been with most of the larger cities with a nearby military base, Fayetteville had remained relatively peaceful throughout the past few months as violence rolled across the nation. With the exception of a few installations, the military had taken it upon themselves to keep the order in their home cities as they protected their friends and neighbors. The food that had been available was evenly dispersed and any rise in crime had been dealt with swiftly and harshly by the local military and police. Cities such as Fayetteville, Colorado Springs, Virginia Beach, and San Diego had maintained order with the help of the armed forces. However, as Fort Bragg went up in fire and smoke, so did the last restraint of those left behind in Fayetteville. Months of delaying the panic that had swept much of the country had come to a jarring end, leaving Fayetteville with precious few hours to catch up on the madness.
Shouts and cries of anger and pain echoed through the mall’s wide corridors. Store windows had been broken and shattered as the looters took whatever they could find. Everything from the local rug importer to the cookie
Eric slowed as he approached the mall’s entrance, passing a handful of frantic individuals who ran away with stolen goods. He took a deep breath—thankful that the adrenaline injections were still coursing through his veins—and grabbed his handheld radio.
“I’m entering the mall now,” Eric said quietly. “Remember, you’ll be safe so long as you remain incognito. No one’s hiking ten stories without a reason, so don’t give them one. I’ll radio when I’m heading back.”
“You got it,” Rick replied, a hint of static on his voice. “Take care of yourself.”
Eric latched the radio to his vest without replying, hugging the shadows as he entered the mall with his pistol raised and his eyes alert.
They had been forced to flee south after Sarah cauterized his wound with a chem-pack, fleeing the battle while Jackson Hewitt’s army crumbled. Even without the threat of death, it wouldn’t have been an easy trek. Sarah had her daughters and Elizabeth had her aging joints and weary muscles—not to mention the fact that Judi had somehow left her shoes back at the barracks before their flight. It was the little things that Eric noticed as they ran. Of course, a battle-hardened soldier like Eric knew it was typically the little things that proved to be the deadliest.
They had traveled roughly four miles south on foot by the time they reached the southern border of the base. He had hoped they would find another vehicle to get them a couple hundred miles out of harm’s reach before the sun began to rise. When they had broken free of the base’s perimeter, they had found an old van, hotwired it, and began to move toward Interstate Ninety-Five. However, they only made it about half a mile before they realized the van had been siphoned of most of its gas and was running on fumes. They crawled to a stop near a large circle in the heart of Fayetteville and Eric decided they would need to take refuge for the night in one of the nearby buildings.
The streets had been mostly abandoned of life and void of any older cars that he might have been able to steal. Eric had broken into the tallest nearby building, leading everyone to the top floor, instructing Rick to guard over others until Eric returned from a supply run. Sarah and Rick had argued with Eric, pleading with him to rest after losing so much blood, but he had made it quite clear that it wasn’t a discussion.
War wouldn’t wait for him to catch his breath.
Though he believed he could sleep for an entire day, he also knew their battle was far from over. While safety was essential, knowledge was chief. Eric was a shepherd with no path and scared sheep. He needed answers, and that need now guided his feet.
He moved through the busy mall—busy for four in the morning. As it had been with most of the larger cities with a nearby military base, Fayetteville had remained relatively peaceful throughout the past few months as violence rolled across the nation. With the exception of a few installations, the military had taken it upon themselves to keep the order in their home cities as they protected their friends and neighbors. The food that had been available was evenly dispersed and any rise in crime had been dealt with swiftly and harshly by the local military and police. Cities such as Fayetteville, Colorado Springs, Virginia Beach, and San Diego had maintained order with the help of the armed forces. However, as Fort Bragg went up in fire and smoke, so did the last restraint of those left behind in Fayetteville. Months of delaying the panic that had swept much of the country had come to a jarring end, leaving Fayetteville with precious few hours to catch up on the madness.
Shouts and cries of anger and pain echoed through the mall’s wide corridors. Store windows had been broken and shattered as the looters took whatever they could find. Everything from the local rug importer to the cookie
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