Live Another Day by Baileigh Higgins (reading in the dark .txt) 📗

“Yes, yes, I will call you. Now shoo.” She waved him off without further ado.

Feeling more than a little indignant, Max stalked off in the direction of their rooms. Once inside, he stripped down and stepped into the shower. The water was ice cold, and there was only a sliver of soap left, but none of that mattered as the dirt sloughed off his body. The water around his feet turned brown and swirled down the drain in a mini whirlpool of foamy scum.

Afterward, he felt like a new man and stepped out to discover fresh clothes on the bed. On the dresser stood a plate of biscuits and dried fruit with a glass of water. “Kirstin, you wonderful woman.“

With brisk movements, he towel dried his body and got dressed. Still barefooted, he sat on the bed to wolf down the food. Exhaustion tugged at his eyelids, and his mouth chewed mechanically. He was beyond tired.

It had been a tough month since Ke Tau attacked for the first time. A month during which almost every single member of the camp had trained, kept watch, patrolled, and worked to repair and improve their defenses. All while food and water rations were cut to the minimum.

The other worry he had was Michael. The man had promised to try and win Ke Tau's trust. He'd incite the others inside Ke Tau's compound to rebel, while also providing information to Max and Breytenbach by leaving messages in a designated place. This hadn't happened. Despite twice risking life and limb to check, Ronnie had returned home empty-handed. Nor had he seen any signs of Michael. I hope he isn't dead.

Before he even realized it, Max was slumped over onto the bed. The plate slid to the side while one hand clutched a half-eaten dried apple slice. His eyes drifted shut, and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

What felt like several hours later, he awoke to darkness and the sound of pouring rain. It drummed on the roof in one continuous beat, and thunder rumbled through the air causing the very walls to shake and shiver.

He cleared his throat and blinked with lazy somnolence, then jumped when a crash sounded right beside the bungalow. A brilliant flash of light lit the room, and his heart skipped like a frightened hare.

A fist hammered on the door. “Max, come quick!”

“What's wrong?” he asked, jumping to his feet. He had to shout to make himself heard as he struggled to pull on his boots.

“Trouble by the game farm,” the voice replied through the haze of falling water and rumbling skies.

He opened the door to reveal a wide-eyed Ronnie, his ruddy skin pale and his shock of rusty hair plastered to his skull. Another clash of white light forked across the sky. It revealed banks of roiling clouds across their heads and trees bent double under the onslaught of the wind and rain.

“What trouble?” Max asked as he shrugged on a jacket.

“A tree fell over onto the fence,” Ronnie replied. “Breytenbach's already there.”

The wind snatched the next words from his lips, and Max leaned closer to hear. “What did you say?”

“Infected. They're inside. They're everywhere!”

Chapter 5 - Lisa

Lisa picked at the dry rice and bean mixture on her plate without enthusiasm. There was no meat in the dish and minimal salt. Only a smattering of tomatoes and onions provided relief from the starchy mess. With the whole camp on short rations, it was the best Elise, and the kitchen staff could offer at the moment.

Not that Kabelo appeared to agree. He shoveled the bland stuff into his mouth at the speed of light. Rice kernels littered the tabletop where he sat, and he chewed with admirable dedication. At least he's using a spoon this time.

She sighed and looked away from the sight. Her eyes wandered toward the windows. The rain fell in sheets, sloughing off the glass in a downpour of water the likes of which none of them had seen all year. Thunder rumbled in the background and rolled across the empty veldt in a wave of sound while lighting lit the roiling clouds with brilliant flashes of light.

She flinched when one hit particularly close, the sharp crack eliciting a squeak from Kabelo who stopped eating for a moment to stare outside with her.

Lisa shifted in her seat and pushed her half-empty plate aside. She wasn't hungry anyway. Instead, she brooded on the past few weeks spent babysitting Kabelo, her prisoner. At first, she'd hated him. Hated him more than anything in this world. She'd watched him like a hawk, following his every move with brooding distrust. She'd even hoped he'd give her a reason to kill him.

But the boy behaved with complete innocence. He shied away from her harsh words and treatment, acting like a skittish horse. When she scowled at him, he cowered. When she commanded him to do something, he obeyed. All with a quiet fearfulness better suited to a terrified child than a ruthless gang member out to murder and plunder.

This put her in a quandary. Not only was she beginning to feel sorry for him, but she even thought that maybe Elise was right. Perhaps he was just a kid and innocent in all of this. This despite all her efforts to keep her heart hardened against him. Even Julianne was beginning to warm up to him.

“Kabelo, please clean up your mess,” she asked. He did as she asked, scooping up bits of food with his fingers before popping it into his mouth. She sighed and shook her head. There was no help for it.

She leaned back and looked around. The common room was almost empty. The only other people there were Elise, Joanna, David, and Hannah. They sat at a corner table and talked quietly among themselves. The lights above their heads flickered, and she wondered how long the power would hold. It had been an overcast day, so she doubted there was