Last City: A Post Apocalyptic Survival Thriller by Kevin Partner

Author:Kevin Partner [Partner, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scribbleit
Published: 2025-01-14T00:00:00+00:00

Judas

As the convoy rolled back into Hope, it seemed little had changed. Paul Hickman glanced at Martha Bowie as she stood outside her store, arms crossed. Her wimp of a husband stood in the doorway, a cloth in his hand—no doubt from wiping down the empty shelves. Hick smiled at her as they approached the intersection and thought about the two trucks full of supplies he was returning with. She scowled in response and went on brushing the sidewalk. She knew when she was outmaneuvered.

"Head down to the community center," he said to Ned Birkett. "Let's show the good old mayor what we've come back with."

Birkett gave a grunt and turned off Main Street and onto Avenue K.

Hickman had made a mental note to watch his driver. Birkett had been almost entirely silent since they'd left the Walmart. He'd gone as white as a sheet when Hickman had gunned down that idiot old man. He'd said nothing when it happened and nothing since, but Hickman knew he'd been stewing like a racoon in a trashcan on a hot day. He was, after all, a cop. Just not a very good one. It seemed that Hick had finally found the level of illegality that would trip Birkett's conscience. Interesting.

He glanced in the sideview mirror to see Marlin's boyish face in the truck behind. Cook had also said nothing since the killing, but he'd clearly had no problem with what Hickman had done. He'd simply gone about the business of disposing of the body—and he'd done it with decency and apparent compassion, as if it had been an unfortunate accident—and then helped search for untainted supplies.

Brain, who was out of sight in the mirror as the truck, was now too close behind them, but Hickman knew he'd be wearing the dumb expression he thought made him look intelligent and that, despite this, his tongue would occasionally poke out the side of his mouth as he concentrated on driving.

As for Hickman himself, he'd had no reaction to the killing. He didn't think of himself as a murderer—he'd given the old man plenty of chances to do the right thing. It was the law of the jungle now. Dog eat dog. He intended to be alpha male around here, and that began with showing his followers how far he was prepared to go. Soon, the whole town would know. Still, he wasn’t looking forward to going to bed tonight—if the past was any guide to the future, he'd be seeing Sergeant Cribbins in his dreams.

Gil Summers was walking out of the community center to see what was causing the noise. Hickman could see the relief on his face as the trucks rolled to a halt and Summers recognized them.

"Mr. Mayor, I'm glad to report mission successful. We have returned with supplies, including insulin for Rudi Vandyke and anyone else who needs it."

Summers looked up at him as he got out of the cab and rubbed his numb backside.

"I'm glad to see you back, Paul. We need to talk.

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