900 Miles (Book 2): 900 Minutes Read Free

keeping his lungs moving in those first months of his life, and the daily medication regimen we had him on, I thought we had everything covered. After all, we had enough supplies to last quite a whil e …
    Looking over toward the mirror, I saw the reflection of the two of us staring back. Taking a deep breath in and letting it out with another sigh, my eyes landed on the razor sitting on the sink. I still needed to shave.
    With Tyler in the crib, I stepped back over to the faucet and slid some white lather across my cheek. Just then, a knock came to the steel door at the entrance to our room. Rolling my eyes, I dropped the razor and wiped my face clean. Shaving would have to wait a bit longer. Dignity would have to take a rain check. 
    Gently removing the mask from around Tyle r’ s face, I lifted him up from the crib on my way to the door while tickling him in the soft spot under his ar m– savoring every moment. I grinned as a smile burst across his face, accompanied by a raw but genuine giggle. He stretched over my shoulder, trying to escape. Afraid there was no such luck for the little guy.
    It did n’ t matter that there was no peephole in the door. I already knew who patiently waited on the other side. Reaching down to the handle with a sigh, I noticed the ring resting on my finger before I turned it to the left.  
    If I had known what was already unfolding on the other side of the complex, I would have been far more cautiou s …
    Opening the door with an audible metal on metal squeak, I flashed a friendly but unconvincing smile.
    “ Oh, you do n’ t have to fake it ,” she said as she reached out to pull Tyler into her arms .“ I know you did n’ t get any sleep last night. Now give me that little man . ”
    Lazily nodding, I reached up to a small bit of cream that I’ d missed and wiped it away with my hand .“ Well, good morning to you too, Deanna . ”
    Deanna had been watching Tyler almost every day. She was a mother once, long ago, but never spoke of it. Luckily, the wrinkles on her face told me that her children were grown by the time the world went to shit. I knew that they were n’ t here in Avalon, which by all accounts meant they were likely not of the living. She probably knew it too.
    In this world, deep down, we all feared the worst. 
    Placing a hand on the doorframe, I noticed the slight limp that came with age as she stepped into the room. Her gray hair was pulled up into a bun, and she wore a multi-colored dress that fell loosely over her body.
    Deanna loved Tyler, and I always felt comfortable leaving him with her. She was that perfect grandmother type, and I’ d often wondered how sh e’ d even managed to survive the initial days. In the end, I just figured she was determined to live because she was too afraid to di e… just like the rest of us.
    Picking up the bottle that I’ d made earlier to find that it was empty, she shot me a“ Thanks for the help, dick !” kinda look.
    Holding my hand out in front of me, I pointed at my face .“ I ca n’ t even find time to shave . ”
    Shaking her head while walking over to replace the bottle, she looked out of the corner of her eye and asked ,“ What are you boys up to today ? ” 
    She was always looking for little nuggets of dirt on the inner workings of Avalon.
    “ Exterior defenses . ”
    She looked blankly out into the room, thinking through it for a moment before responding .“ Outside the wall ? ”
    “ Tha t’ s what they tell me. Guess w e’ re gonna herd the Zs into the Dead Shed . ”
    “ I hate that place. Seems so dangerou s… What if those things get loose ? ”
    Months ago, w e’ d made a conscious decision to construct a small compound outside the concrete walls of Avalon. The compound, made of mostly sturdy wooden planks, gave the appearance of an old oversized shed. Little would any would-be attackers know that it was filled to the brim with Zs that w e’ d been collecting in there for months. If anybody we