Fire From The Sky | Book 12 | Embers by Reed N.C

Author:Reed, N.C. [Reed, N.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic
Publisher: Creative Texts Publishers, LLC
Published: 2021-10-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jose and the others were arriving when Clay pulled in at the Troy farm. Dismounting, he looked at his friend questioningly.

“I think we’re good,” Jose nodded. “We found their flank, including an attack angling for the Hill. Put paid to them all and walked our way down their line. No prisoners,” he added.

“Good,” Clay nodded. “Get a crew of civies together, with a strong escort. We need to glean the field and then start getting those bodies in the ground. They’ll draw predators in this kind of weather where food is scarce.”

“On it,” Jose agreed. “I thought I’d take this same bunch back as security, though I hadn’t started thinking on who would clean up.”

“Use as many healthy civies as you can for the gathering, I guess,” Clay mused, frowning. “If I can get caught up, I’ll help, too. Try to leave the security troops in place for now. We may or may not have gotten them all. According to Flores, this is happening everywhere.”

“Flores?” Jose frowned. “You’ve heard from the outside?”

“In a manner,” Clay chuckled. He took the next few minutes to explain the events of the past hour. By the time Jose was caught up, a convoy of heavy vehicles was slowly moving up the road toward the farms.

“Well,” Jose made a slightly sour face. “Wonders never cease, I guess. We’ll get on with the business. I will pull Gordy for the backhoe, assuming you don’t mind?”

“Do it,” Clay agreed at once. “He needs a distraction after Corey died and Heath was wounded.”

“What I was thinking,” Jose sighed. “Damn shame about Straight Edge,” he added, his voice going mournful for just a second.

“Yeah,” Clay agreed. “Empty chairs, brother.”

“Empty chairs,” Jose agreed. “We’re on the move.”

-

The rest of the day was a beehive of activity that kept most of the farm from thinking over much about how many people were in the clinic in serious condition, not to mention how many tarp-covered mounds were behind Building Two. Some of those names caught a few people by surprise.

In a spare minute alone, Clay walked down the row, stopping briefly at each one to look at their faces. He knew them all, but two he knew much better than the rest.

“Good journey, brother,” he murmured to Stacey Pryor’s calm features. “Our travels together are at an end. You go on alone from here. The rest of us will see you soon enough.” Returning the shroud to its place, he continued until he found the body of Corey Reynard.

“Corey, I am so sorry,” Clay whispered. “If I could go back and not have that training mission, I would in a second, and yet without you four out there, we would have been hurting. Probably overrun. Thank you for defending us, kiddo. A trooper to the end,” he patted the boy’s still shoulder gently. “We’ll miss you, Rey. We’ll miss you and we won’t forget.” Replacing the shroud, he stood and examined the row. The names echoed in his head as he stood there, lost in thought.

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