The Day After Never - Retribution (Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller - Book 4) by Russell Blake

Author:Russell Blake [Blake, Russell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Reprobatio, Litd.
Published: 2016-09-29T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 27

The following morning Lucas and Sierra packed their things before joining Arnold and John in a subdued breakfast of leftovers from the prior night’s feast, now available for the discounted price of a bullet per plate, presumably as a concession to the lack of refrigeration. They opted for only corn bread, preferring to avoid botulism from stew or beans that had turned.

“How’s the arm?” Sierra asked John as she finished her portion.

“Better every day. Thanks for patching me up.”

“No problem. Just keep it clean and keep taking the pills until your course is through.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Arnold popped the last chunk of the dense bread in his mouth and chewed with gusto. He swallowed from his canteen and turned to Lucas. “So how many days you figure it’ll take you to get to Vicksburg?”

“Reckon about ten.”

“Crew territory really starts for real in Arkansas?”

Sierra nodded. “Yes, but from what I heard, there isn’t much in northern Arkansas for them to police. Their main hub is Little Rock, which we’ll avoid – obviously.”

“And once you make it to Vicksburg?”

Lucas shrugged. “See what we can learn.”

“That’s on the east side of the Mississippi River, right? The virus side,” John said.

“Right. But we’ve had the vaccine. We should be fine,” Sierra said.

“That’s one way to test it,” Arnold observed.

“Yeah, well, we aren’t planning on staying there long,” Lucas said. “How about you? Back to Colorado?”

“Yep. Assuming we can make it and it’s not snowed in by the time we get there.”

“What if it is?” Sierra asked.

“Then we’ll sit it out somewhere like Santa Fe.”

“Ah.”

Lucas ate his last bite of bread and stood. “Time to hit the road, fellas. Best of luck making it back in one piece.”

Arnold also stood and shook Lucas’s hand. “Thanks for the help. We did it.”

“Seems that way,” Lucas agreed.

“You two be careful. I wouldn’t want to be heading into the belly of the beast like you.”

Lucas lowered his voice. “Makes two of us.”

Sierra frowned as she rose. “I heard that.”

They carried their saddlebags to the corral and retrieved their horses and tack, tipping the boys before mounting up. Sierra waved at Arnold and John while Lucas scoped out the area, looking for his admirer from the night before. He didn’t see anyone watching them, so he led Sierra down the dirt path toward the highway, aware of his surroundings as they rode.

“You seem tense,” Sierra noted when they turned south.

He told her about the prior night. She shook her head.

“Probably was staring at me,” she said. “Not that you’re not worth a second look.”

“No, he was eyeing me.”

“Maybe he was interested.”

That drew a tight smile from Lucas. “Takes all kinds to make a stew.”

“Well, I don’t see anyone following us, so we’re in the clear.”

“Still got all the usual suspects to watch for.”

“Their bad luck if they try to get the jump on you.”

“It’s the trying that can get you killed. We’ll stay off the roads, same as ever.” He looked to his right. “And here’s a trail. Time to put that into practice.

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