Stolen Refuge - Dead Sea Book 3: (A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller) by D.F. Brook & Mike Kraus

Author:D.F. Brook & Mike Kraus [Brook, D.F.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2022-11-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Senator Greg Paulson. Arrey, New Mexico

“Who’s there?” Greg pulled his legs close as his heart raced laps around his chest. He was tied to a willow tree, shaking and chilled in the middle of the night, and someone watched him from the shadows. If he could bribe whoever it was to let him loose, then all good. As soon as he got free, he would leave for Silver City without delay. Enough with the wretched town. He’d been trapped there long enough. But given his helpless state, the stalker could slit his throat.

A compact figure emerged from behind the tree where the rope tire hung. Jane walked toward him. She still wore her pink nightgown and had thrown on a hoodie jacket. Shuffling toward him, she carried a load in her arms that was far too big for her. She tripped on an exposed tree root as she neared Greg, and her haul went tumbling onto the ground. “Oh—”

“Careful.” Greg checked the house for any flashlights or other signs of Naomi.

Jane scrambled to her knees and raised her finger to her lips. “Shush... can’t wake Sissy.” She picked a thick blanket up from the dirt and tossed it onto Greg, covering his chest and shoulders. Then she grabbed a knit ski cap and pushed it onto his head. Up close, she smelled of lavender. Her hair was damp. Other random articles lay where she’d dropped them, hidden under the dark of night.

“Why are you here, Jane?”

She came to him with a water bottle, twisted off the cap, and raised it to his lips. “I knew you’d be cold and thirsty.”

He drank the clean water, a sip at a time, recalling Helen’s advice to go slow. He’d give anything to be in Silver City with her.

“And I didn’t want you to be lonely.” Jane set the bottle down and retrieved a blobby toy animal. She set it on Greg’s lap. A ratty stuffed elephant with a missing eye. “That’s Anthony. You can borrow him, but just for tonight.”

“I...” Why the girl was helping him, he had no clue, but the blanket and hat retained more of his body heat. His uncontrollable shivers grew less frequent. “Thank you. Water?”

She brought the bottle up to his lips, tilted it. “Daddy had blue eyes like yours.” She bounced on her toes as he drank his fill. “What’s your name, Mister?”

“Greg.” After another long swig, he grunted and pulled back. “Enough for now. I need to leave. Can you help me?”

Jane backed away a step, frowning. “Why d’you wanna leave? I brought you a blanket... and Anthony.” She reached for the stuffed elephant and held it up to Greg’s face. “He’s a friendly little guy.” Clutching him to her chest, she hopped a step and twirled, spinning Anthony by his long trunk. “Naomi says I’m too old to play with toys, but he’s been with me a long time. Once I was real sick and had to spend a long time in the hospital.

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