Regeneration (Mad Swine Book 3) Read Free Page B

biting cold that drove us
indoors seeking warmth and safety.
    I took a drag from a homemade
cigarette—once again thankful that Old Man Finnegan had grown his
own in the garden—and from the corner of my eye spotted movement on
the porch of the main house. I watched for a moment as Maureen and
Stanley stood together, looking out at the stars. They held hands,
and Maureen laid her head against his left shoulder; on his right
slung a Remington 700 rifle. The two were an item now; it was not
really a surprise considering the immediate attraction between them
when they first met. However, those of us that knew Stanley thought
him incapable of a relationship as he only cared about himself, and
put his needs above all else. Nevertheless, Maureen was a strong
woman and she was good for him; with her firm but gentle nudging,
Stanley was slowly becoming less self-involved and supportive of
our group efforts.
    “That’s so sweet,” Lara said, having
snuck up on me.
    I offered her the cigarette, but she
shook her head wrinkled her freckled nose.
    “Stanley’s a different man now,” I
said.
    Lara nodded her head. She huddled
against me, wriggling her way under my arm. “Less creepy and
more…attractive…in a middle-aged, balding man sort of way.”
    I looked at her from the corner of my
eye and she laughed and snuggled her head against my shoulder. In
her plush white coat with faux fur around the hood, she reminded me
of Princess Leia on the Hoth planet.
    “Don’t worry, I’m all yours, Romeo,”
she said.
    “I was never worried.”
    Behind us, the kitchen sounds ceased
and we were left with just night sounds and the wind. After a few
moments, Maureen and Stanley traded the cold view of the stars for
the warmth of the fire in the main house.
    “It’s Karaoke night,” Lara said.
“Tonight is Billy Joel night, aren’t you excited?”
    “Sure.”
    She looked up at me now and gripped
my arm, giving me a light shake. “What’s up, bub? You seem a bit
distant.”
    After taking a last drag on the
cigarette, I flicked it into the snow. “I’m fine. Just thinking
about who is out on patrol tonight.”
    “Well it’s not you or me, so let’s
enjoy our night off.”
    “Yeah, you’re right,” I said after a
long pause.
    “Good. And I promise you, later
tonight I’ll give you something really pleasant to think
about.”
    “Can’t wait,” I said and slapped her
on her behind. “I’ll meet you inside. I’m just going to get
something from the bunk house.”
    She kissed me on the cheek and
started toward the main house. After only twenty or so paces she
turned around and said, “Go check on whomever is on duty, then get
your butt back here. I mean it, mister.”
    I couldn’t help but chuckle. We’d
been together for a short time, less than a month, but she seemed
to know me so well already. She was a hell of a woman and I didn’t
know what I’d do if I lost her. I never thought I could love
another woman as much as I loved my wife. At times I felt like I
betrayed Alyssa, or that I was dishonoring her memory, and that of
my children.
    Lara was a smart woman; she must have
known what I was going through. She never tried to pry it out of me
or forced me to share my feelings with her. Instead, she would give
me my space or try subtly to drag me out of my funk by offering me
distractions, like the pure, unadulterated fun of Billy Joel
Karaoke night.
    During the day, the work was long and
hard, and I relished the activity because it kept my mind focused
on the task. But at night, when all was quiet and everyone was
winding down from the busy day, I started thinking about the past.
Not just about my wife and kids, but about Charlie, Bob and the
other friends that we lost to Providence. I thought about Kat and
Sam, Ravi and Paul and the others we left behind at Randall Oaks. I
thought about Bruce and Anne Marie who died during our first attack
on the road.
    When I closed my eyes at night I saw
Chandra, her dark skin