The Dust: Book Three - Sanctum Read Free

the girls loved teasing him. ‘Okay you two, quit it.’ He threw the bags of tampons over to Angel, who caught them both. ‘I found some tins of ham, too. Only two, but it’s a meal.’ He closed the truck door. ‘You know we are going to have to think about moving soon?’ He hadn’t wanted to bring up this subject, but their provisions where running seriously low. ‘And that’s not all the bad news.’
    ‘What else?’ Angel looked concerned.
    ‘I have enough diesel for one more scout. That’s it then, we are on Shank’s pony.’
    ‘Shank’s pony?’ Naomi didn’t understand.
    ‘On foot, we will be walking.’
    ‘That’s not an option.’ Angel looked across to check on Harry James. ‘There are too many of us, to many things to carry.
    ‘Well there’s no fuel out there.’ Roger opened his hands. ‘Nothing. The Pure Bloods stripped the place. As they swept up the country they took everything. Food, vehicles, fuel. Anything of use.’
    ‘There’s another way.’ Angel said.
    ‘What?’
    ‘Yanto’s way.’
    ‘Explain?’ Roger asked.
    ‘Horseback. We must go backwards before we can go forwards. Think past before we can make a future. Horses were the only way to get around a hundred odd years ago.’
    Roger slowly nodded. ‘Yes, that’s a good plan.’ He looked skyward. ‘I can’t ride though.’
    ‘Or me.’ Naomi said. ‘Don’t like them too much either.
    ‘Well I can teach you, it’s easy.’
    ‘What about him?’ Roger pointed to Harry James. ‘We need to discuss what we are going to do with him.’
    ‘And Jake.’ Angel walked slowly towards Roger.
    ‘Jake?’
    ‘We need to think that he will make his way to Old Mill. We need to set up some signs, so he knows we are alive.’
    Roger took Angel’s softer, colder hand. ‘Of course. He will find us, I don’t doubt that.’
    ‘He’d better.’ Angel again swallowed hard, her voice nearly cracking. ‘I have invested a lot of heartache over the last few days, so that bastard better still be alive.’
    Roger smiled and squeezed her hand. ‘He will be, I promise you that.’
    ***
    ‘Vehicles closing in. At twelve o clock.’ A man with a polished, shaven head pointed in the direction of the long, straight road ahead. His white boiler suit undone to his chest, the temperature in the transit van was getting unbearable.
    ‘Yes, I have a visual.’ The woman with close cropped, dark hair and in a matching boiler suit, confirmed what the driver had seen,
    ‘It’s a hot one today.’ The man pulled at his collar to let some air in. ‘Can’t see why we shouldn’t have the windows down.’
    ‘It’s direct orders from the Doyen.’ The woman shifted in her seat, she wasn’t one for small talk.
    ‘Well it’s a stupid order.’ His comment made the woman raise her eyebrows. ‘We have the only van with no air con. Fucking stupid rule if you ask me.’
    ‘Well I’m not hot, so shut up and drive.’ Emma Davis shook her head. Her associate had been chipping away since they had left Bristol, more than three hours ago. She wasn’t use to dealing with idiots. Not before the dust had settled, or after.
    She had been picked up by a scouting party, just outside Bude, more than four weeks ago, and she had enjoyed her work immensely. The Doyen and his movement appealed to her. She liked the thought of a new start, a clean slate. The country had been going to the dogs for some time, so this was as better time as any to separate the curds from the whey.
    Collecting small pockets of survivors and initiating them had been the best bit. If they didn’t conform, well they were no use to the Purebloods.
    She had got her hands dirty too. Firing an automatic rifle had given her a thrill, a sexual thrill. More than any man had ever given her in her thirty one years on this miserable planet. Not now though, things were on the up. Okay, she had lost her business; there wouldn’t be much call for professional catering and events planning in this