Devoured by - (ebook reader browser .txt) 📖

“I had two protein bars this morning. That’s been it for a few days.” Lance caught a whiff of eggs and had to fight the urge to run to the tents and steal someone’s food. “You bossed those soldiers around pretty well. How are you in charge?”

“When everyone is dead or dying, doctors become commodities I suppose.” He shrugged. “Those are just young, scared boys.”

“Why haven’t you hightailed it out of here?” They started up the shore, stepping across large rocks and walking on trampled grass.

“I’m needed here. When the camp is empty, or close to it, I’ll leave.” Brown nodded at Cass, who walked in front of them. “Who is she? And why does she dress like that?”

“She’s an artist.”

“Well, I guess that explains the ludicrous style. Where’d you find her?”

“Actually, she saved my ass. Some militant assholes were about to kill me. I escaped, but damn near became a late breakfast for some of the daywalkers. She helped me out.”

“Daywalkers? That’s interesting.”

Lance shrugged. “It fits.”

“Keep her close, Mr. York. Bad things are happening to the women in this camp. It disgusts me to say it. This is a time when everyone should band together. Instead, we’re dealing with rapes and murders on a daily basis.”

“Lance.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Call me Lance. Doc, this place is nirvana compared to what’s happening out there. The world is gone. Just gone. Barbarism is the new norm. Get yourself a gun and watch your ass.”

“I don’t believe in guns, Mr.—” He cleared his throat. “Sorry, Lance. I’ve never used a gun, and I never will.”

“You need to reconsider that. Those things out there don’t give a shit about your political beliefs. Hell, politics are a thing of the past anyway.” Lance pointed at the road beyond the barbed fence. “Half a mile down that road is a whole camp of lunatics. They’ve tried to kill me twice now. They’re taking anything, and anyone, that they want. We’re up shit creek without a paddle, Doc.”

“I can appreciate—”

Cass spun around, hands on her hips. “How do you survive the night? What’s stopping the Vladdies from coming in here and wiping you out? These tents are sitting in the open.”

“The Vladdies?”

“It’s a long story,” Lance said. “She’s talking about the mutated people that come out at night.”

“Oh. Well, the military has a network of large generators setup around the stadium and the grounds. They start them at night and turn all the lights on out here. They’ve also setup some enormous, battery-operated spotlights that they weave around. They attack us every night, but between the bullets and the lights, we’ve held them off.”

A family of four, huddled around a tiny fire, stared at Cass, the mother frowning. The father appeared to be mesmerized by the shortness of Cass’s skirt. That earned him a shot to the ribs from his wife. A little boy, no more than eight, grabbed a book from a pile behind him and tore a few pages free, putting them in the fire.

There goes our literature and history.

“And how long do you think they can keep this up?” Cass asked. “Are there enough bullets and gasoline to do this for a week? A month?”

“I don’t know.” Brown stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. “I’ve heard rumors from a few of the soldiers that they’re running low on everything. A few days ago, we had supplies coming in from three different military bases. We’re down to one now.”

Cass looked at Lance and shook her head. “We should leave.”

“No, you should eat and rest,” Brown said. “Both of you are nearing exhaustion.”

Someone screamed nearby, startling Lance and Brown. Cass continued staring at Lance, hands still attached to her waist.

“I have to see what’s going on,” Doc Brown said. “Please get some sleep. Your bodies can only take so much.”

He took a step in the direction of the scream when Lance caught his upper arm.

“Just one more question. The people that I left the hospital with, what happened to them?”

“Hmm? Oh, the mother with the newborn? She was on the first chopper out of here.”

“So Ashlee is safe? Do you know where they took her?”

“I believe she is. There are camps set up all over the countryside. She specifically asked to go to one near Greensburg, if I’m recalling correctly.”

Lance let out a sigh. At least she’d gotten away before everything went to shit.

“And my wife and her… boyfriend?” He almost choked on the last word.

Brown shuffled his feet, as if he felt uncomfortable talking about it. “They went with her in the same chopper. They were fine the last time I saw them. Now, I really must be going.”

He disappeared amongst the plethora of tents.

Lance stared off into space, feeling a little better. The three of them had gotten away. No matter what issues he had with Liz, he truly wanted her to escape the city. Perhaps she was already near Philadelphia, in search of her parents. Hopefully, Ashlee was tucked away in her uncle’s cabin, taking care of her little boy.

“Earth to dumbass. Are you there, dumbass?” Cass snapped her fingers by his face.

“Yeah, just giving myself a mental pat on the back.”

“What?”

“I helped three people get the hell out of here just when everything went down. Feels good.”

“Oh. Good for you then. Ignore my snark. Was one of them your wife?”

“And her boyfriend.”

“That must have been difficult.”

“Well, if I’m being honest, her boyfriend beat my ass and they left me on the sidewalk.”

“I really need to teach you how to fight. But first, we need to get out of here. Look around. This place is going to burn. Soon.”

The father of the family sitting by the fire looked up from his book burning.

“Hey lady, do you mind not scaring my kids?”

“They should be scared, and so should you.” Cass stepped directly in front of Lance. He could feel her breath on his cheek. “I saved your ass again in the river. You owe me. If we get out of here now, I’ll call it even.”

Lance locked his eyes on hers. “OK. We’ll go. But I have to get some food and water. Let’s grab two of those MREs and then we’re out of here. Deal?”

“Deal.”

She grinned at him, a small sparkle in her left eye. For a moment, he thought she might kiss him. He could have used that just then.

Instead, Cass stalked off, heading in the direction the soldier said the military tents were. Lance followed, wishing he’d kissed her rather than waiting for her to make the move.

They walked through the maze of tents. Lance was shocked at the squalor people lived in. He expected people to have little, but some of them didn’t even have shirts or shoes. Children played in the dirt, making car engine sounds as they swirled their fingers in circles.

A few women, their eyes blackened and cheeks yellowed, cowered in the corners of tents. Lance gritted his teeth at the sight of them, wishing he could get his hands on the men that assaulted them. What kind of monster would do that at a time like this?

Cass stalked onward as if she didn’t see them, eyes scanning ahead. She ignored catcalls as she moved by a group of men that looked at her like a piece of meat. Lance considered punching the nearest in the face, but he intended on keeping his promise to Cass—they would leave as soon as he got his hands on some food.

Navigating the maze of hovels and people took much longer than Lance liked, daylight burning too quickly.

They broke through the abundance of tents into a short clearing with police tape cutting off certain areas. Larger tents, each the size of a bus, ran in a line along the road leading to the front of the stadium. Soldiers hustled about, carrying supplies or helping the wounded.

A hand-painted sign leaning against the opening of a white tent read ‘FOOD’. Cass ducked under the yellow tape and went straight for it, ignoring the designated routes. She passed through the opening without waiting for Lance to catch up.

He followed her inside, having to walk around the stakes and ropes that held the structure up.

MREs and bottles of water filled the inside. Boxes and crates stacked atop one another, blocking the view of the back of the tent.

“Running out of supplies my ass,” Lance said.

Cass grunted. “It’s not much when you figure there are at least a thousand people in tents out there.”

“Lance?”

“What?” Lance turned around, looking for the person who said his name.

“Holy shit! You made it!”

Eifort stood behind a folding table covered in stacks of MREs.

“Eifort!” Lance walked over and proffered his hand. “Glad to see you’re still kicking.”

“It took you long enough to get here. I thought you died.”

“Not yet. I’ve had a couple of close calls though. Fortunately, I’ve got my guardian angel with me.” He cocked a thumb over his shoulder at Cass.

Eifort’s eyes widened as she took in Cass. “Where did you find her? She looks, uh, interesting.”