The Darkest Days (Death & Decay Book 0.5) Read Free

as hell can’t be good.”

Day 1
6:37 pm
    The sun had drifted down below the buildings to
leave the crowd in shadow. As the minutes turned into hours, the
crowd had become more agitated. The officers moved amongst the
ever-growing crowd with bottles of water and small bags of trail
mix that were kept at the station.
    As the officers walked through the crowd, they
offered the small treats to any who would take them. They promised
that they were moving as quickly as they could. Many of the folks
accepted the small offering and information with gracious smiles.
Others returned the hospitality with glares or sneers.
    Wyatt had heard whispers. Talk of loved ones who
had suddenly started acting erratic and aggressive. Fighting in the
streets. People being chased through their neighborhoods by gangs.
It was hard to tell how much were firsthand accounts and how much
was repeated chatter. Even more difficult was deciding how much of
what was said was fact and how much was exaggeration.
    “Please.” A woman grabbed Wyatt’s arm as he
turned to move to the next part of the crowd. “What’s happening?”
Two children clung closely to her. The older child was a gangly,
fair-haired boy who looked to be barely into his teens. A sloppy
handprint stood out against his white shirt. A wide-eyed
three-year-old with matching golden blonde curls nestled against
his chest. The little girl clutched a small, lavender unicorn
tightly in her chubby fingers. “Our neighbor, he…he…”
    Wyatt put a hand on the woman’s shoulder as she
burst into tears. “I don’t know. I’ve heard all kinds of things,
but I couldn’t tell you how much of it is truth and how much is
rumor. Don’t worry.” He smiled and gave her shoulder a soft
squeeze. “You’re safe here. We’ll get this sorted out.” The woman
nodded as she pulled her children a bit closer and tried to collect
herself. With that, he moved on and distributed more snacks to the
endless sea of hungry mouths.
    An ear-piercing shriek cut through the air. The
box of snacks fell to the ground as Wyatt’s hand flew to his gun.
An unnatural hush fell of the large crowd for the briefest second
before a chorus of shrieks joined the first. Suddenly, the mob
erupted into a turbulent sea of screams as people rushed towards
the police station all at once.
    Wyatt’s heart galloped as he maneuvered his way
through the crowd towards the cries. He could still hear the
shrieks over the screams and the thunderous sound of feet from the
crowd around him. Along either side, he could see other officers as
they fought their way in the same direction.
    As the mass of people began to thin out, Wyatt’s
eyes fell upon a potential source of the hysteria. A woman lay in a
disheveled heap on the ground, her face obscured by her long, dark
hair. A man, his back to Wyatt, knelt over her and moved ever so
slightly as his hands roved across her torso. A pool of blood
pouring from a large gash in the woman’s neck gathered beneath
them.
    As he approached, Wyatt slowed almost
imperceptibly to give himself an extra second to assess the
situation. Was this man a Good Samaritan trying to help the woman?
Was he her assailant? The man never turned around. Never called for
help.
    The gap between them closed quickly, and Wyatt
had to make a decision. He held his weapon at the ready so he only
had to raise it a hair to fire. Instead of directly approaching the
man, Wyatt took a slight sidestep in an attempt to see what the man
was doing.
    Wyatt could only stand with his gun pointed at
the man when he finally got a glimpse of what was happening. His
training had not prepared him for what his eyes were seeing. It was
unlike anything he had ever seen. Like nothing he had ever wanted
to see.
    The woman’s stomach had been ripped open and her
entrails had fallen haphazardly from their place. The man lifted a
giant fistful of the shiny, ropey flesh from the hole on the
woman’s abdomen. Wyatt stared as he tried to understand