Isolation , Jones, Nathan [top 20 books to read TXT] 📗

simply grabbed his wife's shoulder and began ushering her back towards the truck's cab, looking around warily. “Come on, let's get out of here!” he snapped.

Feeling numb, Ellie slung her rifle across her back again and climbed over the tailgate into the truck bed. Hal vaulted the side of the truck to join her just as the engine roared to life, and they held onto the sides as Bruce peeled out getting them back on the street and barreling back towards the barricade.

Ellie clutched her husband's knee, swallowing a bitter sinking in her stomach.

They could survive without the supplies from the shed if they had to, although it meant the group would need to find some other source of food within a month and a half or so, instead of the three they'd planned.

Had it been Jay's people, sneaking around in the night looting the houses outside the barricades? Or some neighbor taking advantage of their absence to score some free goodies? Maybe even someone from the survivor patrols, snooping around on their route and helping themselves to whatever they found?

She recalled Nick mentioning that Chase had an avaricious attitude towards scavenging, one her ex-husband strongly disapproved of. Although apparently the man was more interested in valuables than food, and anyway he seemed to have become a solid member of the scavenger group. Ellie didn't want to believe he'd rob his own friends of desperately needed supplies he himself would be benefiting from, at least not without proof.

It didn't matter. Those supplies were gone, so they'd just have to account for that in their plans moving forward.

Assuming Jay didn't burn down the entire town before then.

Chapter Eleven

Revenge

Cooperativeness had earned the prisoners as many concessions as could be managed, considering they were still in the chain-link cage.

First off, it had been draped with cloth to provide more shelter, including a privacy screen across the side facing the camp at large so they could look out if they wanted. Nick had also scrounged cots, sleeping pads, a lantern, and a few paperback books for the two former Wensbrook antagonists. He also visited regularly to chat with them, and brought them generous portions of the same food his own group ate.

That's what he was doing now, delivering breakfast and shooting the breeze with Larry and Liza while they ate. He'd even opened the door so they could get out and stretch their legs. Closely watched by Val and Charlie, of course, who stood a wary distance away and didn't look in the mood for socializing.

Well, even after several days there was more than a little resentment for the prisoners, in spite of the fact that they'd been nothing but contrite and cooperative. Nick had needed to chase off more than a few people who'd been harassing the two by rattling the chain-link fences or shouting insults and threats.

Late one night a small group of drunken belligerents had even tried to break into the cage to get at Larry and Liza. Nick wasn't sure what they'd planned, and they'd scattered before any could be identified, but it had been an eye opener about just how angry some people were at the Wensbrook defectors.

Denny had been furious when he found out the next day, and had even gone so far as to move the cage with its prisoners next to the survivor patrol headquarters, where a dozen reserve fighters waited ready at all times. Then he'd chewed out the survivor camp's residents about being better than a bloodthirsty mob in the night, including an actually fairly stirring speech about justice and fair trials.

That had been a couple days ago, and since then things had settled down. In fact, as far as Nick was concerned things were too calm.

Six days since the attack on Jay's camp, and so far there'd been no sign of the Wensbrook fighters. Denny had sent scouts farther and farther out from town, especially around the burned camp, but they hadn't seen so much as a silhouette on a distant hillside.

Which meant, going by Jay's previous pattern, an attack from him was due any time now. Even accounting for his need to scrounge new vehicles, weapons, and supplies after losing everything from the camps, it felt like he'd been inactive too long. Which was why Denny, Starr, and leaders from Stanberry had practically been pulling their hair out, trying to figure out how to counter whatever Jay had planned.

None of them were so optimistic as to hope that Wensbrook had given up and left; Larry and Liza had warned there was almost no chance of that.

As Nick stepped back from the cage door after opening it, Larry stretched and gratefully stepped outside, knuckling his back. “Any news?” he asked, apparently thinking similar lines.

Nick shook his head as he handed the two bowls, full to the brim with oatmeal, honey, and raisins, to Larry and Liza. “All quiet as far as we can see.”

The big man grunted. “Jay was a hunter,” he said, shoving a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth and speaking around it as he continued. “The deer always thinks it's quiet before the killing shot rings out.”

Liza, busily eating her oatmeal, nodded in agreement.

Nick shared uncomfortable looks with Val and Charlie. That comparison was an unpleasant reminder of Jay's sniper attack on Darrel and Darby. The idea of that bald maniac somewhere out there, staring down the scope of his rifle ready to deal out remorseless death, was a chilling one.

Especially since the man had specifically threatened to kill Nick.

“Any new thoughts on what he might be planning?” he asked.

Liza just shrugged, still focused on her food, but Larry paused to think it over. “Well, to keep going with the hunter metaphor,” he said slowly, “I think he's in his element out on his own, rifle in hand, getting things done. Same as he did with your town's leaders. He might have something big planned, but I think now that he's really trying to hurt you guys you're