Last Stand in a Dead Land by Eric S. Brown

Author:Eric S. Brown [Brown, Eric S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Lang:en
Publisher: Grand Mal Press
Published: 2012-03-23T13:16:27+00:00

***

Lori felt better. No, that was a lie, she admitted to herself. She felt like an eighteen wheeler ran over her and smeared the mangled mess of her body along the interstate as it kept going. But she was alive, whatever that was worth. She didn’t remember burying Michael. The memory of her pulling her pistol on Elijah and demanding that they do it was, however, very clear in her mind. Elijah sat in the driver’s seat with the same cold, hard expression he always wore. A drizzle of rain splashed on the windshield of the Outback as it worked its way through the mess of other abandoned cars that littered the road. When folks had fled the town, when the plague started, they must have all headed in this direction.

It was eerie how dark it was. The Outback’s headlights were the only source of light on the road. She craned her neck to look into the backseat. Jacob and Helena were asleep. The young girl was cuddled close to Jacob with her head resting on his chest. So much of this day and the night before were lost to a fog of tears, heartbreak, and pain. She wondered when the two of them had gotten so cozy. A pang of jealousy she couldn’t explain stung her.

“You hungry?” Elijah asked.

Lori jerked her gaze around to him, feeling guilty. “How long have I. . .?”

“There’s a candy bar and bottle of water in the glove box for you,” Elijah said.

“Thank you.” Lori ripped the wrapper from the candy bar and tore into it, wolfing it down in only a couple of bites.

“Easy,” Elijah warned. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“We all have,” Lori agreed. She sipped at her water. “Helena seems to be doing better,” she said before she could stop herself, hoping Elijah didn’t catch the bitterness in her tone.

“She is,” he nodded.

Lori was at a loss as to what else to say but she wanted to talk. She couldn’t handle the silence right now. “Where are we?” she asked.

“There’s a farm not far from here. I stayed there for a while many, many years ago. It should be safe.”

“That’s not exactly what I asked?”

Elijah shrugged.

“We there yet?” Lori heard Jacob ask from the backseat. She saw his eyes go wide as she turned to look at him.

“Lori,” he grinned, “welcome back to the land of the living.”

Helena stared at her too. The girl was on the verge of tears as she said, “I’m so sorry, Lori.”

Lori shook her head. “Don’t go there.” She knew Michael’s death wasn’t Helena’s fault but she didn’t trust her emotions yet. The girl had lived through enough already without her losing control and adding to the mess.

“We’re going to a farm,” Jacob told her. Lori caught the frustration and sarcasm in the words.

“So I’ve heard,” she shifted in her seat. “Elijah how do you even know the place you remember is still there?”

“Call it a hunch.”

“We’re risking a lot on your hunch.”

“No more than you’ve risked before.

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