Devoured, - [chapter books to read to 5 year olds TXT] 📗

“It was the other way around—I found him.” Cass stepped over to the table. “I’m starting to think that you know entirely too many people in this camp.” She nudged Lance in the ribs.

“Sergeant Eifort helped me—”

“Staff Sergeant, actually.”

“Staff Sergeant Eifort helped me get the people away from the hospital.”

Eifort stared at Cass’ butchered hair. “What happened to your head?”

“I’m a blonde, as you can see. I leaned too close to the garbage disposal.” Cass shrugged.

Lance rolled his eyes. “Ignore her—she’s a pain in the ass. So the doc told me that Ashlee got away with her boy. Thanks for helping.”

“I’m still ashamed that I almost didn’t,” Eifort said. “Anyway, you guys look hungry. Want some grub?”

She pulled two MREs off a stack on the table and handed them over. “Sorry I couldn’t give you more, but we’re on tight rations. We’re losing more contact with the outside every day.”

“So we hear. That’s why we’re leaving, actually. Cassie Sassy here doesn’t feel safe.”

Cass gave him a harder shot in the ribs. The elbow knocked some of the wind out of him, though he tried to play it off as if nothing happened.

Eifort gave them a confused grin. She leaned over the table, whispered, “It isn’t safe here. We’re running out of everything. We had to stop sending out patrols in the helicopter because our fuel is so low. I expect them to pull us out of here soon.”

“See? I was right all along. Dumbass.”

“We ran into one of those patrols. A couple of Special Forces guys blowing shit up. Are they here?”

“We lost contact with them.” Eifort looked at the table before her. “We’re losing people by the hour.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Lance decided to change the subject. “We’re going for the mountains outside of Greensburg,” Lance said. “Do you know if it’s still safe there?”

“That’s the only place we still have radio communication with, as far as I know.”

Cass jerked her head toward the opening of the tent.

“Ok, Ok. Thanks for the food, Eifort. And for everything else. Keep your head down, you hear? Maybe we’ll see you in Greensburg.”

Eifort waved as they went back outside, the lowering sun bright against the light colored fabric of the tents.

Cass stopped at the police tape, her head swiveling from side to side.

“What is it?” Lance asked.

“I don’t particularly want to go back through there. Seeing all of those people is upsetting me.”

Lance understood. Watching the cowering women and starving children saddened him more than he could have expected.

“Let’s go around.” She pointed to the edge of the camping area on their left. The parking lot ended by a small roadway by the side of the stadium. “It might be faster anyway.”

It took a tremendous amount of willpower for Lance to keep himself from tearing open his MRE. Knowing that he had sustenance in his hand made him salivate. Cass kept her head straight, not looking at the mass of people in and around the tents.

A gray trailer on their left had large antennas and an array of satellite dishes atop it. Lance figured it to be the operations center, but he didn’t care enough to investigate it any further.

They approached the edge of the tents when someone shouted from behind them.

“Well, well, well, look who it is. Little miss smart mouth and her pussy boyfriend.”

Cass spun around, hand going to her holstered pistol.

“Don’t even think about it. Toss it.”

Lance sighed and turned around.

Two of the three soldiers they’d encountered on the shore stood behind them, rifles aimed at Lance and Cass once again. The older, wiser, and nicer of the three was nowhere around.

The men before them couldn’t have been more than twenty. Their baby faces betrayed their ages.

“I won’t tell you again, bitch.”

Cass lifted the gun from its holster and dropped it to the ground.

“Guys, let’s be smart about this. We’re leaving—there’s no reason to start any shit with us.” Lance doubted he could reason with these men. Seeing the way they glared at Cass, a combination of lust and hate in their expressions, answered Lance’s question as to who might be harming the women in the camp.

Shouts came from somewhere in the tents. Dozens of people screamed for help. The men ignored the sounds as if they weren’t happening.

Lance let his eyes roam the area around them, trying to see someone who could help. All of the other military members they’d seen were helping the people here—all of them except these two. He spotted a few service men, but they were too far away. Most ran into the tents, checking on what the shouting was about.

“You think we were just going to let Xena Princess Warrior’s attitude slide? We’re in charge now and we don’t appreciate taking shit from the peons.” The taller and tanner of the two kept his gaze on Cass, though he spoke to Lance.

Lance saw the man’s eye twitch every few seconds. That had happened to Lance a few years ago when he’d been fired from a job and they struggled to make ends meet. His doctor said it was stress and that he needed to take it easy. Clearly, the young soldier wasn’t handling things well.

“Everyone up front! Now!”

Fifty yards behind the soldiers, Major Reynolds burst from the command trailer. He spotted Lance and Cass and his two subordinates with their weapons pointed at them.

“Rodgers! What the hell are you doing?” He strode over to them, a glint of recognition on his face when he got a closer look at Lance. “York, right?”

“Is there anyone here that you don’t know?” Cass asked.

“Sir, these two were trying to… steal from the weapons cache.” Rodgers lowered his gun, saluting the major.

“Doesn’t matter. Get to the North Shore, now! We’ve been breached. If we don’t clear those bastards out, right now, there won’t be anyone left to use the goddamn weapons.”

Rodgers and his partner hesitated, casting glares at Cass again. “But—”

“Now!”

“Sir!” They turned and ran into the tents, disappearing.

Reynolds pointed his finger at Lance. “You and I are going to have a discussion later on. Everywhere I see you, problems follow.” With that, he followed his soldiers into the fray.

Cass picked her gun out of the dirt and stuffed it back in her holster.

“Can we not run into anyone else who doesn’t like you?” she asked.

“Hey, those two nitwits have a problem with you, not me.”

“Looks like they have a problem with a lot of women.”

The shouting in the tents intensified, frightened cries churning to pained.

“Now what?” Lance looked up at the sun, which was closer to the horizon than he would have liked. Where had the day gone?

“I told you—this place isn’t safe. We need to leave, now. I’m not even sure we can make to the shore before dark.”

People streamed from the tent line, dragging their loved ones behind them. Some had blood running from bites and scratches. Soldiers tried to maintain order, direct them toward the stadium, but panic pulled everyone’s strings now.

The fleeing crowd filled the street in front of the stadium, cutting off Cass and Lance’s escape route.

Knowing that Cass was right, they had to leave, Lance stepped in front of her.

He cupped the back of her head in his hand and pulled her face to his. He breathed her in as he kissed her surprised, stiff lips. They loosened after a moment and she kissed him back with vigor.

Lance pulled away after a few seconds, breathing heavily.

“What was that for?” Cass asked.

“Just in case.”

“Don’t say stupid shit like that. Just stay close to me so I can protect your out-of-shape ass.” She reached over her shoulder and pulled her battle-axe free. “Let’s do this.”

Lance took his Rambo knife from its sheath, gripping the handle so hard that veins bulged in his forearm. They tossed their MREs in the dirt, their hunger forgotten.

Together, they plunged into the tents.