Evade the Ruthless: A Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival Thriller (Reign of Darkness Series, Book 3) by T. L. Payne

Author:T. L. Payne [Payne, T. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shaky Rock Publishing
Published: 2024-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-THREE

Serenity

The Pizzeria

Whitaker, Pennsylvania

Day 11

“Mom! Get off me! I can’t breathe!” Serenity shouted.

“Are you hit?” she heard her father ask, and then the weight lifted, allowing her to roll over.

Sadie got up on her knees and began feverishly running her hand over Serenity’s torso, checking for injuries.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Serenity said a bit breathlessly. “I just tripped.”

“Thank God!” Keith said, extending his hand to her. “I got the guy who shot at us, but I can’t be sure he’s out for good.”

Serenity grabbed her father’s outstretched hand, and with a strong pull, he helped her to her feet. She gasped as pain shot through her ribs. She sucked in a breath, and without wasting another moment, she fell in behind her father as the trio sprinted toward the back of the tire shop, their shoes pounding against the pavement and the sound echoing off the buildings. They reached a small barrier of shrubs at the rear of the restaurant. With no time to find an easier path, they clambered over the foliage, the branches scratching at Serenity’s clothes and skin as they made their desperate escape to safety.

“In here!” an older female voice called out. “Hurry!”

Keith grabbed Serenity’s hand and led her and Sadie through a back door. They had to step over pots and pans, large cans of olives, and on top of pizza boxes strewn down a long, dark hallway to reach the dining room of the pizza restaurant. Serenity heard the door slam shut, and then the elderly woman appeared from a side room.

“Anyone hurt?” she asked, placing a baseball bat on the counter.

“We’re fine! Thank you for letting us in,” Keith said.

“Of course.” She made her way around the counter and pointed to Serenity and Sadie. “You rescue more survivors?”

Keith’s lips curled into a huge smile. “Geneva, this is my daughter, Serenity, and her mother, Sadie.”

Serenity nodded a greeting.

“Thank you for opening your restaurant to us,” Sadie said.

“Was that you guys shooting up the streets?” a man asked, appearing from a dark corner near the front.

Serenity spun around and raised her dad’s pipe over her head. Her father stepped in front of her as the man approached. Keith grabbed her hand. “It’s okay. It’s just Joe.”

Serenity lowered the makeshift weapon.

“I shot one of them, but I don’t know if he’s dead. He dropped and rolled under that silver Mazda down from the tire shop,” Keith said.

“Let’s hope he is,” another woman said, entering from a small room to the left of the hallway. With her was the girl Keith had mentioned; the one he’d rescued. She looked to be a year or two older than Serenity.

“I need to go back and check,” Keith said, pointing to the boarded-up front door. “Renny. Sadie. This is Cheryl and her daughter, Mallory.”

Cheryl nodded a greeting, and Mallory gave them a slight wave.

“There have been fewer of them out there since you took off earlier. I think they must have been searching for you,” the man said.

Keith moved to the larger

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