The Extinction Series | Book 4 | Spread of Extinction Ellis, Tara (top 10 ebook reader .TXT) 📖

to forced evacuations. Or, maybe the government decided to try and round up everyone who was sick. There’re two uniformed bodies, and they’re both wearing gas masks. They’ve been here for at least two, maybe three days.”

“Could have been a futile attempt at creating forced internment camps,” Eddy agreed, nodding at Jason. “Which, for a less aggressive disease might have actually worked, if implemented fast enough.”

Peta sucked in a disgustingly foul breath and scowled at Eddy. That the man had no problem with the idea of mass extermination as a way to curb The Kuru shouldn’t have been surprising, but it was still shocking.

“What about the truck?” Tyler asked, choosing to skip over all of the unpleasantries and focus on what they still needed.

Jason pointed at the tires. “One, we could have dealt with. But all four are flat, and it looks like there was some damage to the engine compartment.”

Devon was already walking again. “If you all want to hang around and enjoy the aroma, go ahead. I’m ready to find some shade and a glass of water.”

After the next bend in the road, a small wooden sign announced the town of Wagen, population one-thousand one-hundred and four. Peta didn’t know why she found the sign so fascinating. That in the middle of the Amazonian rainforest, a tiny village thought it important to add the four on the end. She wondered how many of them remained. If the numbers held steady in South America, that extra four might be all that was left.

“There,” Jason was saying, as he pointed off to the left of the sign.

Peta could see the first stucco building set back into the trees. It was a small, square structure and definitely looked abandoned, but not recently. The jungle had already partially reclaimed it, and it was missing a door.

As they got closer, the road widened and the jungle receded, revealing several more buildings and what finally looked like recently occupied homes. A goat wandered down a dirt side road, and several chickens were gathered on the porch of the nearest house. A bike lay in the grass of the front yard and there was a heavy, eerie silence that filled the space.

Peta sighed in relief when she saw a more formidable storefront up ahead, and what looked like a gas station. A scattering of vehicles dotted what amounted to the town’s main street.

“Looks like the fight started here,” Jason said, gesturing to the signs of a gunfight, and another burned-out car.

Peta didn’t see any bodies right away, and for some reason that made the empty street even more disturbing. There should have been some bodies.

Eddy was headed for a jeep parked in what looked like a driveway a short distance up the road. Devon jogged after him, with Tyler and Marty trailing behind.

Jason turned to look back the way they’d come, his rifle held at the ready, across his chest. He glanced over and grinned when he saw Peta watching him. “I’ll keep an eye out in this direction, if you want to focus on the other end?” When she hesitated, he squinted at her. “You do know how to use that, don’t you?”

Peta swallowed, and decided honesty was the best course of action. “If you’d briefly go over the safety mechanism and how to fire it, I’ll be good to go. I’ve done it before, but it’s, uh…been a few years.”

Scratching at his jaw, his hand hid his initial reaction, so Peta wasn’t sure if he was angry or amused. Regardless, he grunted and then took the weapon from her hands. “Here,” he said, pointing. “It’s on safety, so flip it up to fire. It’s already loaded, so all you have to do is pull this charging handle back—right here,” he said, touching the handle. “To lock it in. You do know how to aim?”

Okay, so he was amused. Peta smirked at him and took the rifle back. “Thanks. Yeah, I know the rest.”

“Safety,” Jason said casually.

Peta stared at him; eyebrow raised. “Huh?”

He pointed at the rifle. “Put the safety back on.”

Blushing, she fumbled with the switch, fully aware that her whole internal conversation and plotting from earlier about pleading her case to be his back-up was not going well. When he suddenly stiffened and raised his rifle, her initial reaction was further confusion, thinking she’d done something else wrong.

“Hey!” Jason shouted.

When he called out, Peta finally reacted appropriately and used her thumb to toggle the safety switch off again, as she turned to see whoever had caught his attention.

A woman was leaning casually in the open doorway of the house with the chickens and bike in the yard. She was across the street from them, but close enough so that Peta could see her face. She didn’t look scared, but like someone who had accepted their fate.

“Hello! Hola!” Jason tried again, lowering the rifle part-way.

The woman responded by stepping out and to the side, making room for a man to come out. His hands were empty, and he was also moving in a relaxed, non-threatening manner. “Hola,” he called back, but without vigor.

A child no older than five ran out between them, and was closely followed by another man and woman. Once all of them were stationed on the porch and in the yard, an old man finally emerged. He walked down the sidewalk until he had reached the road, twenty feet away from where Peta and Jason stood.

“Dejanos,” he whispered, pointing down main street.

“He says to leave,” Devon said, walking rapidly toward them. “There’s a couple more people in another house by us, too,” he added, sounding concerned.

Jason waved him off, and Peta turned to see Eddy and Tyler were still beside the jeep, holding Marty back. Two other men were standing opposite them, next to the gas station. They didn’t appear