The Day After Never Bundle (First 4 novels) by Russell Blake

Author:Russell Blake [Blake, Russell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-04-03T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Duke finished his breakfast and sat back against the tree that was providing welcome shade. He’d caught a plump bass that morning and cooked it over a low fire, and he and Aaron had eaten their fill, along with some rice boiled in brook water. Aaron burped from his position across from Duke, his AR-15 on his lap.

“That was great,” Aaron said.

“Nothing like fresh fish,” Duke agreed. “Nice enough day. Too bad we have to move. Body could get used to this for a while.”

“I hear you.” Aaron paused. “So when are we going to ride?”

Duke sighed. “I’m tempted to hang out another day, but that wouldn’t be smart. Let’s get a few miles under our belts and see what we find.”

“Anything around here in particular?”

“Lucas’s place is up by Loving. He said it got looted, but it may be okay to spend the night there. If it’s still got a decent wall standing and good lines of sight, couldn’t hurt.”

“Won’t the bad guys be looking for him?”

Duke shrugged. “Sure. But they’ve probably been over Loving and his ranch a dozen times by now. He’s long gone, which even a bunch as dim as the Locos will figure out. Besides, it’s a long way from Pecos. I don’t see them parking a bunch of gunmen there on the off chance he shows up.”

They mounted up and set their horses north, sticking to the ridgeline. From their vantage point they could see everything on the plains below them, and Duke spent much of the ride searching the horizon for threats.

They made better time than Duke had hoped, and it was late afternoon when they came across the remnants of Lucas’s ranch. They rode through the entry, greeted by a dust devil twisting across the interior field that served as the courtyard.

Duke pointed at the iron gate. “Think we can wedge that into position for the night?”

Aaron regarded the metal slab, which had been knocked off its tracks. “Maybe. Might as well try.”

They dismounted and put their backs into it, but couldn’t budge the heavy barrier. Duke rigged up a rope to his horse, and Aaron did the same, and then together they were able to drag it upright and across the gap.

Duke inspected the result and nodded. “That should hold.”

“Not if there’s more than a couple of attackers.”

“No reason for anyone to try. Look around – the place has been gutted. I’d bet word’s spread among the scavengers there’s nothing left.”

“Hope you’re right,” Aaron said doubtfully.

“Me too.”

The main ranch house had been ransacked, and not a stick of furniture remained unbroken or a window intact. Duke walked grimly through the house, leading with his rifle, and when he reached the master bedroom, stiffened at the doorway. Someone had defecated in the center of the mattress, and the room was thick with flies.

“Jesus God…” he exclaimed, and backed away.

Aaron glanced into the bedroom and shook his head. “Looks like the animals have been through this pretty good.”

“Least the roof’s in one piece.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.