Read Online Toward the Brink (Book 3) by Craig A. McDonough - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Craig A. McDonough
Tags: Zombies
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smile.
“Cheers!” the two said, pulled the tops, and drank.
“I share your concern about Chess and the men who accompanied him, I can assure you, but it’ll be a long drive to the coast, and the more trained personnel we have, the better we’ll be. There are many rogue military and police out there who, like us, are fighting to survive. They rely on their training, and that means no questions—they shoot first.”
“What do you propose?”
“Sun Tzu.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t—”
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
“Did he say that?”
“Not sure, but it sounds like something he would have said. In any case, it applies here. I would like to think they’ll work out, because we need the extra firepower,” the Tall Man said.
They agreed to keep Chess and his team in the loop and give them just enough rope to play with. If they could gain the confidence of some, they might create a division among Chess’s men. Divide and conquer. Another stratagem the Tall Man was fond of.
5
W ithin half an hour of leaving Kath’s farmhouse, Chess, three of his men, Mulhaven, and David Grigsby drove the Hummer into Prince George. The Tall Man and Bob Charles had decided to give Chess a chance to prove himself early on. Whatever subterfuge was on his mind, it wouldn’t be to his advantage to act now. His men might follow him, but they might not. While he seemed to be the natural spokesman for the group, each appeared to be his own man. The Tall Man knew when faced with a life or death situation, followers would leach onto whatever offered the most promise, while decision makers would weigh the options and stick with the most logical. Now that Etheridge’s money and plans of a secret base were no longer so attractive, Chess might turn out to be a schemer, and he might not, but the Tall Man knew it would be a mistake not to pay particular attention to this man. Chess might go along with whatever was presented to him with the eagerness of Elliot or Allan, just waiting for the time to strike, or he might do his part to help achieve the goals of the group. The Tall Man hoped it would be the latter.
After his discussion with Bob, the Tall Man had put their plans into action and had picked out the team to venture into Prince George for a bus and to gather supplies. A team that included Chess. The Tall Man had approached him to see if he was interested, so he could judge Chess’s reaction. Then the Tall Man had watched Chess select men from the original ten who flew in with him. This would tell the Tall Man who he was closest with and who he trusted the most. Chess had picked two men about his own age. Probably served together—that’s how it worked in the U.S. military. The Tall Man had never served in the U.S. military, but the militaries of all countries acted pretty much the same. Look after the ones you served with. That left seven behind. Good. He would start to work on their loyalty.
“So, any idea where to find a bus?” Chess had been specifically assigned the task of driving the Hummer by the Tall Man. Mulhaven was surprised by this, but hadn’t questioned it.
“Yeah, once we get into town, I’ll tell you. Kath wrote down some directions for us.” Mulhaven wasn’t sure of Chess either, but liked the extra firepower the man brought with him.
“What other supplies do we need, Riley?” David called from the back seat. He wasn’t comfortable sitting with the camouflaged soldiers. To an outsider, he looked very much like a part of the team, save for the length of his hair and the fact he carried a civilian version of a military-issue weapon.
“Food for the journey, and of course, enough gas for the vehicles. Chuck said not to worry if we’re not able to get much—we’ll stock up when we make it to the coast.”
“So Chuck is your leader, then?”
“We don’t have a leader.” Mulhaven stared at Chess. “Why do you ask?”
“You seem to place a lot of faith in his
“Cheers!” the two said, pulled the tops, and drank.
“I share your concern about Chess and the men who accompanied him, I can assure you, but it’ll be a long drive to the coast, and the more trained personnel we have, the better we’ll be. There are many rogue military and police out there who, like us, are fighting to survive. They rely on their training, and that means no questions—they shoot first.”
“What do you propose?”
“Sun Tzu.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t—”
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”
“Did he say that?”
“Not sure, but it sounds like something he would have said. In any case, it applies here. I would like to think they’ll work out, because we need the extra firepower,” the Tall Man said.
They agreed to keep Chess and his team in the loop and give them just enough rope to play with. If they could gain the confidence of some, they might create a division among Chess’s men. Divide and conquer. Another stratagem the Tall Man was fond of.
5
W ithin half an hour of leaving Kath’s farmhouse, Chess, three of his men, Mulhaven, and David Grigsby drove the Hummer into Prince George. The Tall Man and Bob Charles had decided to give Chess a chance to prove himself early on. Whatever subterfuge was on his mind, it wouldn’t be to his advantage to act now. His men might follow him, but they might not. While he seemed to be the natural spokesman for the group, each appeared to be his own man. The Tall Man knew when faced with a life or death situation, followers would leach onto whatever offered the most promise, while decision makers would weigh the options and stick with the most logical. Now that Etheridge’s money and plans of a secret base were no longer so attractive, Chess might turn out to be a schemer, and he might not, but the Tall Man knew it would be a mistake not to pay particular attention to this man. Chess might go along with whatever was presented to him with the eagerness of Elliot or Allan, just waiting for the time to strike, or he might do his part to help achieve the goals of the group. The Tall Man hoped it would be the latter.
After his discussion with Bob, the Tall Man had put their plans into action and had picked out the team to venture into Prince George for a bus and to gather supplies. A team that included Chess. The Tall Man had approached him to see if he was interested, so he could judge Chess’s reaction. Then the Tall Man had watched Chess select men from the original ten who flew in with him. This would tell the Tall Man who he was closest with and who he trusted the most. Chess had picked two men about his own age. Probably served together—that’s how it worked in the U.S. military. The Tall Man had never served in the U.S. military, but the militaries of all countries acted pretty much the same. Look after the ones you served with. That left seven behind. Good. He would start to work on their loyalty.
“So, any idea where to find a bus?” Chess had been specifically assigned the task of driving the Hummer by the Tall Man. Mulhaven was surprised by this, but hadn’t questioned it.
“Yeah, once we get into town, I’ll tell you. Kath wrote down some directions for us.” Mulhaven wasn’t sure of Chess either, but liked the extra firepower the man brought with him.
“What other supplies do we need, Riley?” David called from the back seat. He wasn’t comfortable sitting with the camouflaged soldiers. To an outsider, he looked very much like a part of the team, save for the length of his hair and the fact he carried a civilian version of a military-issue weapon.
“Food for the journey, and of course, enough gas for the vehicles. Chuck said not to worry if we’re not able to get much—we’ll stock up when we make it to the coast.”
“So Chuck is your leader, then?”
“We don’t have a leader.” Mulhaven stared at Chess. “Why do you ask?”
“You seem to place a lot of faith in his
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