Blood Moon by Gwendolyn Harper (best sales books of all time .TXT) 📗

at one another in horrified silence.

“Get back in the Jeep,” Booker ordered. “Now.”

Scrambling to gather the map, Caitlin and Nicole ran to the passenger side.

Rustling in the dry grass brought everyone to a halt.

Silently, Caitlin withdrew her revolver and held it, ready to lift and aim at any second.

A short whistle sounded from behind her.

I’m moving closer. Stay put.

Caitlin whistled back.

Be careful.

The stalks shook and bent just as Booker got to the edge of the pavement.

Aiming the revolver, Caitlin pulled back the safety with a heavy metallic click.

She wasn’t going to take any chances.

Through a break in the grass, a figure darted out, leaping towards them.

Her finger was on the trigger just as her brain registered the full shape of what was coming for them.

And then it barked.

“Jesus Christ,” she breathed, lowering the gun.

Happily wagging its tail, the shepherd mix circled Booker’s legs, licking his hands.

“Whoa, hey there Rin Tin Tin,” he said, squatting down to pet their scruff. “Easy fella, hey… You nearly gave us a heart attack.”

“Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you.”

Everyone spun around, facing the man standing in the middle of the road.

Caitlin’s revolver was up once more, aiming straight for his chest.

“Sorry, sorry,” he exclaimed, hands raised in surrender. “I’ve been told I’m quiet to a detriment. I always think people can hear me but—”

“The hell are you doin’ sneakin’ up on us,” Booker growled, striding forward with his knife in hand.

Nearly tripping over himself, the man backed away, hands never dropping.

“I’m sorry, really,” he cried. “I didn’t mean to. I was looking for my dog, and she found you first.”

“That’s your dog?”

He nodded. “Yes. See, she has a collar and everything.”

Booker looked him over slowly. “Call her t’ya then.”

The man cleared his throat. “Fancy. C’mere girl.”

Immediately, the shepherd bounded over, sitting in front of her owner expectantly.

“Can… Can I pet her?” He asked, looking to Caitlin. “She really responds to positive reinforcement when she does what she’s asked.”

“Don’t we all,” Booker sneered.

Caitlin still nodded once, and the man gave Fancy a quick but loving scratch behind the ears before lifting his hand again.

“Your name?” Caitlin asked, adjusting her grip on the revolver.

“Max,” he answered. “And I really didn’t mean to startle you.”

He felt out of place on the road.

His clothes were clean, he was shaven and well groomed, and guessing by how his pack hung on his shoulders, he wasn’t carrying a lot of provisions.

Max had a camp, and it was probably close.

“Are you out here by yourself?” Caitlin asked, leveling her stare on him.

He shifted his weight. “Technically.”

“Technically?” Booker repeated. “Don’t get smart with us, Max, it’s been a long day.”

Max inhaled deeply. “Yes, I am here on this stretch of road by myself. With Fancy. But I have people who will come looking for me if you take me or kill me, so—”

“We ain’t really the highway robbin’ kind,” Booker told him. “But we ain’t afraid to defend what’s ours either.”

“Oh, I don’t want anything from you,” Max urged. “And, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m not exactly a stone-cold criminal.”

“Ted Bundy looked like a normal guy too,” Caitlin said flatly.

Max huffed out a laugh. “Point taken. Um, look, I’m sure you all can take care of yourselves, but I feel like I should tell you it isn’t safe around here.”

“Oh, you mean because of the giant mother-herd of Geeks about five miles away?” Caitlin smirked when he gaped at her. “Yeah, we saw.”

“You got close?” Max’s gaze darted over her shoulder.

“Close-ish,” Nicole admitted.

“How long ago?”

Booker took two long strides forward. “Why you askin’?”

“Because the area is surrounded by motion sensors,” Max said. “If they’re tripped by anything bigger than a rotter—”

“Goon squad?” Caitlin asked.

Max titled his head. “Sort of. Military drones. Didn’t you see the sign?”

Booker cursed under his breath. “That was you?”

“Well, my group.” Max held Caitlin’s stare for a beat longer. “If you got close to that herd, a drone would have been dispatched to find you. Once they lock in, they don’t go away until they find out where you’re going and then…”

Nicole sighed, crossing her arms. “You’d think with the dead roaming the earth the military would have better things to do than hunt regular people down and slaughter them.”

“Scorched earth tactics become pretty popular when resources are limited,” Max said. After a moment of deliberation, he added, “Look, I normally wouldn’t do this, but if you all want, you can come back with me to our camp.”

Booker sheathed his knife, taking a step back from Max. “We’re alright on our own.”

“Clearly you can handle yourselves,” Max said. “I just meant, it looks like you’ve been on the road a while, and we’ve got plenty of food and water. Comfortable places to sleep.”

“That’s an awfully kind gesture to make for three strangers,” Caitlin said, narrowing her gaze on him. “Seems a little too easy.”

Max shook his head. “You could’ve killed me and taken what I have. I saw you clock my gear earlier. If you were truly bad people, you’d have shot me and taken what you wanted.”

“And what makes you think we won’t shoot you the second you turn around?” Caitlin asked.

Max flashed a lopsided smile. “’Cause you just said that out loud. Most people who are planning on doing nefarious things, don’t tell you they’re planning said nefarious things. You don’t look like wolves in sheep’s clothing to me.”

Booker smirked. “Oh yeah? Then what do we look like?”

“Wolves.” Max shrugged. “But predators aren’t dangerous unless provoked or starved. And since I don’t plan on doing either of those things…”

The low hum of a