Reavers (Z-Risen Series Book 4) Read Free Page B

antibiotic cream.
    “Use it sparingly, but use it. A cut like that wasn’t a big deal a few months ago. Now it can turn real bad real fast, and I don’t think you want to experience amputation without anesthesia.”
    I shuddered and applied it to the cut, then folded over the top and stuck it in a pocket.
    We stayed at a checkpoint for a few more minutes. Diane took us back to the SUV and told us to chill out in the back. Someone brought me a sandwich made out of a huge roll that was crusty and yeasty.
    Egg salad wasn’t my favorite, but I consumed it in a few bites before realizing it was probably made out of powdered eggs. At least there was a generous amount of mayo to help the glob slide down. How long had it been since I’d tasted actual baked bread?
    A small jug of water was passed around, and I drank heartily. The real treat was a brown bag. Diane gave it to me and Christy to share. Inside were a couple of freeze-dried apricots, and cranberries.
    “Holy shit,” I sighed.
    "Enjoy that. We had a huge stockpile, but it’s all going to go bad soon,” Diane said.
    “Thank you,” Christy and I echoed.
    “Where did you get the food? The bread tastes fresh,” I asked.
    “It’s a few days old, but it’s not bad. Best we can do under the circumstances.”
    “Best damn bread I’ve had in my life,” I smiled.
    “Is she hungry?” Diane nodded at Frosty.
    “Yeah. The mutt eats more than me and Christy if she can.”
    “I know. We have a few dogs back at base, but none like her. They come from the outside world, if we can get them to trust us, and the good ones make excellent guards.”
    Diane dug around, found some scraps from a previous meal and passed them back. I opened the crumpled brown paper bag and took out bread crust and some kind of jerky that was covered in dirt and carpet debris. My guess was it had been dropped, and found later. Yesterday I would have brushed it off and devoured it.
    Frosty didn’t care, and ate every bit I gave her. But the dog was big and needed more. Diane dug out another bag and handed me a hunk of the same crusty bread I’d eaten. It was stale, but I managed to nip a few crumbs before Frosty inhaled the rest.
    “There’s a large cache of dog food. We’ll give her some more protein when we’re back,” Diane said.
    Diane had pale skin and dark hair. She wore it in a bun, but when we got into an SUV she let it down and left it to float around her shoulders. She bore a freshly-healing scar over her left eye that looked like a frown. It split over her right eye, and one branch faded to her hairline. She was kind of cute, but it was hidden behind how tired she looked. She wasn’t exactly slight of build, and was probably five foot ten.
    “I guess eggs are easy. Just need water,” I said.
    “If we could have chickens we would. The problem is that chickens make a hell of a lot of noise, so we make do with what we have. Add in a bunch of ranch dressing, some seasoning and you can hardly tell.”
    “Diane,” Douglas said from the front seat said.
    “Sorry, I ramble a lot,” she said.
    “It’s okay. I’m interested in how you all have survived like this,” I said. “Besides, anyone who puts ranch dressing in instant eggs is a fucking genius. I used to drown them in tabasco, but I always knew I was eating instant eggs.”
    “That’s the problem: until we get to know each other I shouldn’t be talking. It is unwise, as I have been assured many times, to trust easily.”
    “Oh,” I said. “I get it. Had a few scrapes myself.”
    I tried to keep it light, but I had the feeling no one was buying my act.
    She had a point, though. Girl didn’t know the first thing about us, except we’d been on the run, we looked exhausted, and we were both splattered with blood from our escape through the overrun apartment building a couple of days ago.
    “We need to collect any weapons. No offense,” the other guy said.
    Douglas was in his fifties and wore his hair in a halo that