Read Online Winter Apocalypse: Zombie Crusade V by J.W. Vohs, Sandra Vohs - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: J.W. Vohs, Sandra Vohs
Ads: Link
picking up; anybody who gets wet will probably die.”
“Listen, Deb,” Hiram explained evenly, “most, if not all of you, will die when those hunters force the wall. You’re gonna have to do this. You CAN do this; I know you can.”
“I hope you’re right, but I need to talk to Carter right away. Jack needs to know what’s going on too, and I can’t stay here by the radio much longer.”
“I’ll find Carter,” Hiram promised, “and you go check on the progress of the evacuation. We’ll talk again in twenty minutes.”
Hiram jogged straight to Luke’s cabin. He figured Jack would be there, and he needed to inform the leader of the Fort Wayne settlement about the unfolding disaster. He also knew that if Carter wasn’t by Jack’s side, his best friend would know where to find him. Aware of Luke’s condition, Hiram knocked lightly as he let himself in. “Sorry to bother you,” he apologized as he scanned the room. David and Gracie were sitting by Luke’s bedside while he slept; Jack and Carter were at opposite sides of the kitchen table. Hiram swallowed and tried to sound nonchalant. “Jack, Carter, can I talk to you outside for a moment?”
Both men sensed trouble. Jack stood up first. “Sure thing,” he replied. “David’s gonna hang around here for a while,” he made eye contact with his brother, “right?”
“I’ll be here,” David assured him. “I still want to talk to Luke when he wakes up.”
Jack and Carter exchanged a quick glance that begged the same silent question, What would David do if Luke asked for his help to live on as one of the flesh-eaters, far away from other people? Carter walked over and put one hand on Gracie’s shoulder and the other on David’s. “We’ll be in David’s tent if ya need us; let us know if he wakes up.”
Hiram considered mentioning that they needed to get to the radio asap, but he didn’t want to alarm Gracie and David. “Gracie, I hope you know that you can count on me if you need anything. Any of our Utah boys will tell you that Luke is a part of us—the best part of us.” Gracie nodded, and silent tears slid down her cheeks. Hiram didn’t wait for any other response; he held open the door and motioned for Jack and Carter to follow him outside.
Carter was about to say something, but Hiram held up his hand. “Just listen. I’ve been talking to Deb; Fort Wayne is under attack and evacuating. Someone on the inside blew a hole in the wall, and choppers have been leading the infected—“
“They need to blow the bridge!” Jack nearly shouted.
“The detonator isn’t working,” Hiram quickly explained. “It was probably sabotaged.”
Carter’s heart was already racing when he broke into a sprint. “I gotta talk to Deb . . .”
Jack was ready to run off after him, but Hiram grabbed him by the arm. “There’s more.”
“Could it really get any worse?” Jack groaned. “This is all my fault; how could I have left them so vulnerable?”
“If it’s your fault then it’s my fault too, and everybody else who didn’t see this coming. We can lay blame later, but right now we need to figure out how to get some help up there. Deb says they’re in the middle of an all-out blizzard. They’ve been evacuating to the river, but the weather is just about as dangerous as the invasion.”
“Barnes must have been plotting to hit Fort Wayne at the same time he moved on Vicksburg, or maybe it was just a knee-jerk reaction to his defeat here. At least his Blackhawks won’t be much use when they start icing up.” Jack couldn’t believe he’d been so blind; he should have known that Barnes would have more than one plan for an attack on Indiana. “We need to get our asses back up there.”
“Agreed,” Hiram cautioned, “but we have to be smart about it. We can’t let Barnes draw us in to a trap.”
“I’m not so sure he hasn’t done that already,” Jack replied bitterly.
Inside the radio room in Fort Wayne,
“Listen, Deb,” Hiram explained evenly, “most, if not all of you, will die when those hunters force the wall. You’re gonna have to do this. You CAN do this; I know you can.”
“I hope you’re right, but I need to talk to Carter right away. Jack needs to know what’s going on too, and I can’t stay here by the radio much longer.”
“I’ll find Carter,” Hiram promised, “and you go check on the progress of the evacuation. We’ll talk again in twenty minutes.”
Hiram jogged straight to Luke’s cabin. He figured Jack would be there, and he needed to inform the leader of the Fort Wayne settlement about the unfolding disaster. He also knew that if Carter wasn’t by Jack’s side, his best friend would know where to find him. Aware of Luke’s condition, Hiram knocked lightly as he let himself in. “Sorry to bother you,” he apologized as he scanned the room. David and Gracie were sitting by Luke’s bedside while he slept; Jack and Carter were at opposite sides of the kitchen table. Hiram swallowed and tried to sound nonchalant. “Jack, Carter, can I talk to you outside for a moment?”
Both men sensed trouble. Jack stood up first. “Sure thing,” he replied. “David’s gonna hang around here for a while,” he made eye contact with his brother, “right?”
“I’ll be here,” David assured him. “I still want to talk to Luke when he wakes up.”
Jack and Carter exchanged a quick glance that begged the same silent question, What would David do if Luke asked for his help to live on as one of the flesh-eaters, far away from other people? Carter walked over and put one hand on Gracie’s shoulder and the other on David’s. “We’ll be in David’s tent if ya need us; let us know if he wakes up.”
Hiram considered mentioning that they needed to get to the radio asap, but he didn’t want to alarm Gracie and David. “Gracie, I hope you know that you can count on me if you need anything. Any of our Utah boys will tell you that Luke is a part of us—the best part of us.” Gracie nodded, and silent tears slid down her cheeks. Hiram didn’t wait for any other response; he held open the door and motioned for Jack and Carter to follow him outside.
Carter was about to say something, but Hiram held up his hand. “Just listen. I’ve been talking to Deb; Fort Wayne is under attack and evacuating. Someone on the inside blew a hole in the wall, and choppers have been leading the infected—“
“They need to blow the bridge!” Jack nearly shouted.
“The detonator isn’t working,” Hiram quickly explained. “It was probably sabotaged.”
Carter’s heart was already racing when he broke into a sprint. “I gotta talk to Deb . . .”
Jack was ready to run off after him, but Hiram grabbed him by the arm. “There’s more.”
“Could it really get any worse?” Jack groaned. “This is all my fault; how could I have left them so vulnerable?”
“If it’s your fault then it’s my fault too, and everybody else who didn’t see this coming. We can lay blame later, but right now we need to figure out how to get some help up there. Deb says they’re in the middle of an all-out blizzard. They’ve been evacuating to the river, but the weather is just about as dangerous as the invasion.”
“Barnes must have been plotting to hit Fort Wayne at the same time he moved on Vicksburg, or maybe it was just a knee-jerk reaction to his defeat here. At least his Blackhawks won’t be much use when they start icing up.” Jack couldn’t believe he’d been so blind; he should have known that Barnes would have more than one plan for an attack on Indiana. “We need to get our asses back up there.”
“Agreed,” Hiram cautioned, “but we have to be smart about it. We can’t let Barnes draw us in to a trap.”
“I’m not so sure he hasn’t done that already,” Jack replied bitterly.
Inside the radio room in Fort Wayne,
Similar Books
