Komodo by John Lee Schneider

Author:John Lee Schneider [Schneider, John Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severed Press
Published: 2020-03-16T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Colin had been serious about the light of day, and was ready to make an issue over it, but when Colin appeared downstairs, Burroughs was already up on his morning rounds. He met Colin at the stairs, carrying a cup of coffee.

He also had two bolt-action 30.06s and handed one to Colin.

“Aim for the head,” Burroughs said. “And don't expect the others to stop once you start shooting.”

He eyed Colin seriously. “It's best not to have to.”

Marcus was still out, sleeping deep with painkillers, but Colin had roused Mona, knocking on her door.

The door had opened a crack, and a bleary eye peered out.

“We're going out to find her,” Colin said.

Mona pulled the door open.

“There's still no contact? There's still no one coming for us?”

Colin nodded to Burroughs who shrugged, shaking his head.

“We'll find her,” Colin said. “You check in on Marcus.”

Mona nodded, frightened all over again.

Truth to tell, Colin wasn't sure what to make of it. Yes, contact broke up in this part of the world – all the time. He also understood the psychological proclivity, when something happens just so perfectly wrong, to attribute deliberate intent.

Colin took a moment to evaluate his own faculties. There was no deliberate intent in the wave that had sent them adrift for two days – or that big shark that had taken Rodger Vaughn.

It was frustrating to recognize your own weakness, but Colin knew he was as susceptible to trauma and physical exhaustion as anyone. He might not be operating on his best judgment right now – which was why he was still ceding to Burroughs.

Even though something felt wrong.

It felt that way when Burroughs led him down to the garage, waiting for the chugging door to slowly open, only to have the Jeep itself die right there in front of the bridge.

Colin felt his temper tick by degrees as Burroughs puttered on repairs. First light was already becoming mid-morning.

In his steady, meticulous way, Burroughs traded spark plugs, removed the battery and hooked it to a charger – very efficiently – Colin couldn't have done it any faster.

It was just the perfect wrongness of it that set his teeth grinding.

Next, they were going to find the damn bridge-gate was stuck.

Colin found himself irritated at Burroughs’ ambling manner – efficiency or no efficiency, he wanted to see a little damned urgency.

That was where he reminded himself he was strung-out.

Burroughs tightened the last bolt, and was about to test the ignition, when there was a sudden clanging alarm.

“Security,” Burroughs said, “is set to detect motion over four-feet high.”

“Detecting people instead of dragons,” Colin said, understanding.

“We may have a stroke of luck, Captain Braddock.”

Burroughs tapped the nearest console and brought up the security cameras.

“Is this your lady friend, Captain?”

The motion-detectors had been activated along the same path Colin had followed, and he realized now he had been on camera all along.

The figure on-screen was a stumbling scarecrow in a bikini. She was trying to run, but barely managed a lurching half-trot.

Colin remembered the shape Anna had been in on the beach, and knew he was seeing a heroic last-ditch effort to survive.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.