Read Online The Fall (Book 2): Dead Will Rise by Joshua Guess - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Joshua Guess
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began to rise. “That's what I'm talking about.”
Gentle warmth against his hands felt like the fires of hell itself. He knew it was all in his head, just his nerves reacting to the sudden change in temperature. Kell's head twitched in the beginning of a turn to the right to mention that bit of physiological trivia, only to stop when he remembered Laura and Kate weren't there.
Carefully, he removed the armor on his chest. It was layered, and between the outer Kevlar vest and the tactical vest beneath it, he found another surprise, this one his own. In the rush of the day's events, he'd forgotten where he stored his camp plate. The thing was half-inch thick aluminum, deep enough to act as a bowl and grooved on the bottom to conduct heat.
A trip to the creek later, and Kell had a bit of fresh water on the fire to boil. It would only make a cup or so, but it was more than he had. How had he forgotten a canteen? How could he have been stupid enough to leave the RV without having a supply of clean water? His own canteen was rated to boil water itself, which would have been helpful.
He went over the day in his head several times. The only conclusion he could come to was tunnel vision. Too much focus on other things. Hadn't Kate said he was fixated on fighting? She was right; he'd let his drive to make sure everyone was ready for battle blind him to the basic preparations he drilled into others.
So here he was, lost in the woods in unknown territory.
Good job, Kelvin.
A shooting pain in his jaw made him realize he was clenching his teeth. Kell tried to relax, slowly forcing his muscles to unclench. Still wide awake despite his body's weariness, he sat up in the small space beneath the rocks.
His boots went close to the fire in an attempt to dry them out. Sitting barefoot, he tried to put his feet into lotus the way Kate showed him. When that didn't work he settled for the loose knot even first-graders could manage.
With an effort of will, Kell tried to block out everything. Meditation wasn't his style, normally, but Kate swore by it. She said it was something like what he did when he was working on a problem, an absolute focus on everything and nothing. He'd never managed to get much from the practice, but she still made him do it and, well, Kate could be scary. So he tried.
For more than two hours, he tried.
Time was passing, he knew it, but maybe the lack of anything else to do kept him from getting frustrated. Little by little he faced the horrific thoughts that chased him through each day and into his dreams. And, little by little, he pushed them away. It wasn't much, but just being able to calm his mind somewhat was like having part of a boulder on his chest lifted away. He had room to breathe.
That was how he fell asleep. Sitting with his legs crossed and for the first time in months not focused on the guilt haunting his every step.
A breaking twig woke him.
Kell came instantly awake and immediately wished he hadn't. His legs were still halfway under him, stuck there after he'd leaned back against the overhang in his sleep. Pins and needles climbed all the way to his thighs, only ending where sharp cramps in his hips began.
Flopping onto his side, he scrambled to his feet, leaning close to the remains of the fire to avoid smacking his head on the low rock ceiling. He scanned the area nearby for threats, eyes darting across every quarter.
A handful of steps away, a dead man stared at him. Its gray skin and thoughtful gaze made his stomach clench. The thing was watching, weighing. Kell's hand fell to the hilt of his larger knife, the one he used to fight with. The zombie's eyes twitched to follow the motion, then flitted to glance over Kell's shoulder.
It was all the warning he needed.
He leaped low to the side and came up in a roll, spinning on his knees in time to see the second zombie land right where he'd been. The tactical assessment went through his brain instantly; he was wearing armor everywhere
Gentle warmth against his hands felt like the fires of hell itself. He knew it was all in his head, just his nerves reacting to the sudden change in temperature. Kell's head twitched in the beginning of a turn to the right to mention that bit of physiological trivia, only to stop when he remembered Laura and Kate weren't there.
Carefully, he removed the armor on his chest. It was layered, and between the outer Kevlar vest and the tactical vest beneath it, he found another surprise, this one his own. In the rush of the day's events, he'd forgotten where he stored his camp plate. The thing was half-inch thick aluminum, deep enough to act as a bowl and grooved on the bottom to conduct heat.
A trip to the creek later, and Kell had a bit of fresh water on the fire to boil. It would only make a cup or so, but it was more than he had. How had he forgotten a canteen? How could he have been stupid enough to leave the RV without having a supply of clean water? His own canteen was rated to boil water itself, which would have been helpful.
He went over the day in his head several times. The only conclusion he could come to was tunnel vision. Too much focus on other things. Hadn't Kate said he was fixated on fighting? She was right; he'd let his drive to make sure everyone was ready for battle blind him to the basic preparations he drilled into others.
So here he was, lost in the woods in unknown territory.
Good job, Kelvin.
A shooting pain in his jaw made him realize he was clenching his teeth. Kell tried to relax, slowly forcing his muscles to unclench. Still wide awake despite his body's weariness, he sat up in the small space beneath the rocks.
His boots went close to the fire in an attempt to dry them out. Sitting barefoot, he tried to put his feet into lotus the way Kate showed him. When that didn't work he settled for the loose knot even first-graders could manage.
With an effort of will, Kell tried to block out everything. Meditation wasn't his style, normally, but Kate swore by it. She said it was something like what he did when he was working on a problem, an absolute focus on everything and nothing. He'd never managed to get much from the practice, but she still made him do it and, well, Kate could be scary. So he tried.
For more than two hours, he tried.
Time was passing, he knew it, but maybe the lack of anything else to do kept him from getting frustrated. Little by little he faced the horrific thoughts that chased him through each day and into his dreams. And, little by little, he pushed them away. It wasn't much, but just being able to calm his mind somewhat was like having part of a boulder on his chest lifted away. He had room to breathe.
That was how he fell asleep. Sitting with his legs crossed and for the first time in months not focused on the guilt haunting his every step.
A breaking twig woke him.
Kell came instantly awake and immediately wished he hadn't. His legs were still halfway under him, stuck there after he'd leaned back against the overhang in his sleep. Pins and needles climbed all the way to his thighs, only ending where sharp cramps in his hips began.
Flopping onto his side, he scrambled to his feet, leaning close to the remains of the fire to avoid smacking his head on the low rock ceiling. He scanned the area nearby for threats, eyes darting across every quarter.
A handful of steps away, a dead man stared at him. Its gray skin and thoughtful gaze made his stomach clench. The thing was watching, weighing. Kell's hand fell to the hilt of his larger knife, the one he used to fight with. The zombie's eyes twitched to follow the motion, then flitted to glance over Kell's shoulder.
It was all the warning he needed.
He leaped low to the side and came up in a roll, spinning on his knees in time to see the second zombie land right where he'd been. The tactical assessment went through his brain instantly; he was wearing armor everywhere
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