Read Online The Junkie Quatrain by Peter Clines - Free Book Online

against his side. ‘Jesus,’ he whispered.
    The rest of them moved to the window. ‘Ah, hell,’ muttered Barney.
    There had been almost a dozen junkies wandering around the restaurant when they went to sleep. Now there were almost a dozen corpses. Monica spotted the trio she’d been watching. Dad and the little girl were face-down on the pavement. Mom looked up at the night sky.
    ‘Maybe they just died,’ said Big Jay. ‘That’s what happens at the end, right? They just fall over and die.’
    Sarah smacked him in the arm. ‘You think they all just fell over and died at the same time?’
    He shrugged. ‘Maybe.’
    Chit looked at Barney. ‘You think it’s a sniper?’
    He shook his head and his beard scratched against his collar. ‘I sure hope so,’ he said.
    Monica blinked. ‘You do?’
    He nodded. ‘If not, it means there’s someone out there doing all this with their bare hands.’
     
    * * *
     
    They sat in the darkened restaurant and watched the dead junkies in the road all night through the big panes of glass. A little after midnight a pair of junkies wandered through the street and settled down to rip chunks out of the bodies of the family. They ate until they were gorged, then ate some more, and finally passed out in the street next to the corpses.
    Nobody in the Jack in the Box slept well.
    The sun peered through the tall buildings, not quite over them, and the outsiders had a gritty breakfast of energy bars, vitamins, and bottled water. More than a few of them stared up at the ceiling or out at the bodies in the street. Sarah went out back to unlock the bikes with Epi covering her. He had one of the M4s they’d nicked from the office. It was a solid weapon with lots of stopping power. At the very least it’d slow something down long enough for everyone else to get out there.
    ‘We’re going to be fine,’ said Barney. ‘We ride hard, we can be at the Federal Building in maybe three hours. Play our cards right with Bradbury, we can relax all afternoon and spend the night there.’
    ‘We’re making a run for it,’ said Chit with a nod.
    ‘That’s what the plan always was,’ Barney said. ‘Let’s not get stupid and change it now. ‘
    Big Jay raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s it? None of you guys are worried about all that?’ He tilted his head to the corpse-dotted street.
    ‘Yeah, we’re worried,’ said Barney. ‘That’s why we’re getting out of here fast and early. I’ll take one of the cargo packs. Monica, Chit, so do each of you. The rest of you will be wingmen and keep the junkies away from the cargo.’
    Charlie glanced around at the packs and weapons scattered through the Jack in the Box. ‘What do you want to do with everyone else’s gear?’
    Barney rubbed the bridge of his nose. ‘Grab food, ammo, and any medical supplies. Pile the rest out of sight on the other side of the counter. If we can come back for it later we will.’
    Monica looked up at the ceiling. ‘What about them? We just going to leave them on the roof?’
    He nodded. ‘Junkies can’t get to them up there. It’s still not super-hot during the day. They’ll be safe there until we can come back in a day or two. We can bury them in one of the lawns up the street or something.’
    Charlie looked up from one of the packs and grinned. ‘That’d suck. World ends and you come back to find a buncha dead people buried in your front yard.’
    Chit swatted the back of his head. ‘Show a little respect,’ she said.
    Monica frowned at them, then shot a glance at the back wall.
    Barney saw the look. ‘Something bugging you?’
    Monica looked at the back door again. She wrapped her arm around the P90 and let it settle into the crook of her elbow. ‘How long’s it take them to unlock the bikes?’
    Big Jay leaped up. Chit and Charlie grabbed their rifles. Barney stopped them with a gesture and nodded to Monica to follow him. They eased open the back door, weapons ready, and peered into the back parking