The Renegades 2 Aftermath (A Post Apocalyptic Zombie Thriller) Read Free Page B

if he was recalling everything that had taken place.
    “I had two sisters, one brother. All of them died. I saw him kill them all. I can still hear their screams.” He paused and looked down. “I couldn’t take it. My sister was calling out my name, screaming for me to come and help. I could have saved her and I didn’t. I ran. I just ran. I couldn’t take hearing her call for me.”
    “Man…” I trailed off.
    “I know, I’m a coward, you don’t need to say it.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t think you’re a coward. We’ve all lost people. None of us were prepared for this.”
    “Did you run? I mean. Leave anyone behind?” he asked.
    I thought of Matt. There was nothing I could do for him. I didn’t see him get bit and I know it wasn’t him that I shot. But I could still see his face. Still hear the sound of his cry in my ears. The fear that had overtaken me. The impulse to survive was overwhelming.
    I didn’t answer his question.
    “Is the place overrun with Z’s?”
    “No.” He wiped his nose of a tear that had fallen. “There are others there. Vile fuckers.”
    “Like?”
    He shook his head. “I don’t want talk about. Just trust me. You don’t want to drive through there.”
    I studied his face, trying to gauge if he was lying or not. I didn’t get a sense that he was being deceitful. He had experienced something that had shaken him to the core. Perhaps it was just the shock of seeing his family die or maybe it was something far worse.
    I slipped back into the truck and for a few seconds I didn’t say anything.
    “So?” Dax asked.
    “Well. We are nearly out of gas. Even if we wanted to go around the town we couldn’t. It’s the closest town from here.”
    Izzy leaned over and squinted at the gas gauge.
    “We’ll be lucky if we even make it there,” she said.
    “What did he say?” Dax asked inquisitively.
    “It doesn’t matter, Dax. We just need to be ready. Get in, get some gas, and get out.”
    Everyone stared at me then looked at Ralphie who was now huddled into a ball on the back of the truck bed.
    “Maybe I’ll take a turn out there,” Specs said. With that he jumped out, Ralphie glanced up, Specs thumbed for him to get in the truck. As we rolled out of Halleck our minds were no longer on gas. We were preoccupied by what was to be found in Wells, Nevada.

TOWN OF THE RISING IDIOTS
    W e arrived in Wells , Nevada, about an hour after midday. Prior to that we constantly had to swerve our way around more abandoned vehicles. It was like a mass exodus had occurred and no one had made it. By the time we arrived the truck must have been coasting on gas fumes as the needle was in the red.
    Wells, like many other small towns in Nevada, looked as if someone had built a wide road through the middle. All the buildings and homes were either side. Ralphie looked nervous as we rolled in.
    “Keep your eyes peeled,” Dax said.
    I checked how much ammo I had left. It wasn’t much.
    “Ralphie, are there any gun stores in Wells?” Jess asked.
    “One, but there’s nothing left. They took it.”
    “Who took it?”
    “Never mind.”
    He returned to gazing out. Ralphie had crunched down in his seat. The windows were tinted but he still looked worried. I pushed open the back window.
    “How you doing back there, Specs?”
    “Fucking freezing.”
    “We’ll soon get you warmed up.”
    As we drove down the main street, we all noticed something peculiar. There were no Z’s or bodies anywhere.
    “I thought you said this place was overrun,” Dax piped up.
    “It was.”
    “Why aren’t there any Z’s?”
    “Maybe they wandered off into the desert,” Izzy added.
    “And took all the dead with them? No, there should be bodies. At least a few.”
    “Take a left here. The gas station is on the right.” Ralphie pointed.
    It was beyond strange. We passed by several pristine-looking vans with blacked-out windows as we pulled into the gas station. Not getting out of the truck for a few