Read Online United States Of Apocalypse by Mark Tufo, Armand Rosamilia - Free Book Online Page B

Sawyer brothers. They sounded dangerous but they were also charming. She was sure they weren’t going to give up easily, especially if they really had torched the gas station.
    Darlene left her clothes on since she had nothing clean. Her sneakers, placed near the bed, were tied but loose so she could slip them on easily.
    The Desert Eagle was loaded and within reach.
    She sighed and plopped down onto the bed. It was warm in the home, so she didn’t need to get under the covers and lose precious seconds in the event something happened.
    Darlene didn’t think she’d fall asleep. Her mind was racing with thoughts of her dad. She missed Maine and saw what a stupid, selfish mistake it had been to run away from her life and what she thought were her problems. She had problems now, real ones.
    While she liked Herbert and Pheebz, she really didn’t know them. Sure, they were a cute older couple, but a few minor things about Herbert were starting to gnaw at her. His reluctance to share the gasoline with people in need weighed on her mind.
    Herbert seemed to be quick to the trigger, another thing she was worried about. And with his wild card sister and nephews on the way, what would happen tomorrow? Darlene didn’t want to think of the change in the house once they arrived. It was already tense with the thought of looters entering the property, but adding to the conflict right in his face might set Herbert off the deep end.
    Darlene, deep in thought, must’ve finally dozed off, because at first, the sound of gunfire felt like it was in her dream.
    When Pheebz swung open the bedroom door and screamed for Darlene to hurry and help Herbert on the porch, Darlene was immediately awake and glad she’d prepared.
    Now she hoped she wouldn’t have to test her resolve to kill or be killed.

Chapter Ten
Day 2 I-70
    D arlene heard another gunshot as she ran through the house and neared the front door, which was wide open. She tried to relax her breathing and crouched, gun drawn, waiting for more shots.
    “Tell your family to stay off my property,” Herbert yelled from the front porch.
    Darlene peeked across the threshold and saw headlights down the driveway.
    Herbert, ducking behind the makeshift blockade on the porch, was aiming his rifle. He shot, and Darlene saw the front left headlight explode on the pickup truck before it turned and drove away, kicking up dust in the moonlight.
    “Next time we might not be so lucky,” Herbert said. He stood slowly but kept the rifle pointed at where the truck had been. “They didn’t come to do anything tonight. Just trying to scare us old folks into giving them our farm and supplies. But the Sawyers will be back and with more kin than I can muster. We’ll need more help than my sister and her brats, too. This is going to get ugly, and fast.”
    “Let me know what I need to do,” Darlene said. She didn’t know how much help she could possibly be, but she knew she had to try. She also knew she was on the verge of panic. Instead of being safe until everything blew over, she was now in the middle of a clan war. She needed to keep her cool.
    “Right now, I think you just need to get some sleep. I’ll wake you early, and we can ride the property. Maybe you’ll see a few things I missed and offer suggestions that will help save us,” Herbert said.
    “I’ll see what I can do.” Darlene looked down the now-dark driveway. “What if they come back tonight?”
    “They won’t. I didn’t shoot any of them, but I did do some damage. They’ll spend the next few hours getting all fired up and try to rope in a few distant cousins and tell them I tried to kill one of the boys. It’s happened before, although now with the law and the rules out the window, they’ll do more than bitch about me while they get drunk and smoke drugs,” Herbert said.
    “Call me if you need my help,” Darlene said. She went back inside. She was worried, and as she passed Pheebz, she could see the older woman felt the