Shadows of Ruins: Horizon's End Book 5: (A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller) by Justin Bell & Mike Kraus

Author:Justin Bell & Mike Kraus [Bell, Justin & Kraus, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2024-12-27T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Harbor’s End, Massachusetts

Day 16

1:45 p.m. Eastern

Rick stood in the station, waiting for Yates and Plemmons to return from depositing the two would-be cops into their prison cell. His balance shifted as he stood there, scanning his surroundings, the station’s interior simultaneously familiar, yet foreign.

“It’s not the same, huh?”

“What’s not?” Rick looked over at Gregory.

“This place. Without Grayson. He was a fixture, right? Being inside of here without him— it doesn’t feel right.”

“Dwelling on Chief Grayson isn’t going to do any of us any good.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Rick. I know you blame yourself, but you shouldn’t. There was no way you could have known what that psycho was capable of.”

“That’s the problem, Gregory. I did know. I just thought he’d focus his attention on Becker. I misjudged the situation. Drastically. And now we’re stuck with the consequences.”

Gregory looked toward the door leading to the holding cell for a moment, assessing it before turning back to Rick.

“You have regrets?”

“I don’t know what I have, Gregory. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this is all.”

“What wasn’t?”

“Any of it. This stuff with the town— the stuff with Plemmons. My life in general.” He looked away from Gregory, both hands closing into tight fists. “I keep trying to figure out how I got here.”

“You experienced some bad stuff, Rick. In the war and back home. Stuff no man should be expected to face. Honestly, I think you did pretty well for yourself to get as far as you did, all things considered.”

“And then this happened.” Rick waved a hand vaguely in the air, his absent gesture needing no clarification.

“Then this happened.” Gregory nodded and sighed, his gaze drifting throughout the station’s interior. “What happens next, do you think? Is this what life is now? Breaking and entering? Stealing? Setting stuff on fire? Killing if we have to?”

“That’s why we’re going out to the lake,” Rick replied. “To get away from all that. We need to separate ourselves. Put some distance between us and the rest of this town. I don’t want any more violence. I’m done with it.”

“It may not be done with you.”

“Never seems to be. No matter how I try, it follows me everywhere.”

The door pushed open, and Yates stepped through, scowling at the two men.

“You just going to chew the cud there or are we going to actually grab this stuff?”

Rick stepped away from Gregory and walked directly toward the wall-mounted weapons lockers near Grayson’s desk. He punched in the familiar combination he’d already memorized, and the lockers opened, revealing their contents. A few gas masks hung on hooks within the cabinets, some pistols and ammunition standing there as well. A Remington shotgun and boxes of shells were pegged in place and Plemmons rushed to remove it, examining it with a smile as he clutched it in both hands.

“Guess we’re lucky old Sammy McAllister didn’t know that combination, huh?” Yates smiled broadly. Stepping forward, he yanked out a couple of black duffel bags which were bunched into the bottom of the locker, then began stuffing the gear inside.

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