Zombie Road: The Second Omnibus by Simpson, A. (e ink manga reader .txt) 📗

be out of the swamps and away from the biting insects. A retriever had seen his boat tied up and poked around, looking for a fellow survivor. He woke up with a man standing over him, prodding him awake. The retriever was from up north somewhere, he hadn’t fought against the radicals and really didn’t know much about them. He had told him about Lakota and how they welcomed strangers. Bobby played ignorant, said he was all alone and it was the first he’d heard of it. He accepted a ride to the city; the man had found what he came for and was headed back anyway. When he was clean shaven, Bobby didn’t look anything like he had before and he was tired of swatting mosquitoes and using an outhouse. Lakota sounded like heaven after roughing it for months in the swamps. Besides, he told himself, he would gather information that could be used if they ever grew strong enough to attack again, Allah willing. They were halfway back to Lakota when the retriever mentioned Sheriff Collins and it was too late to back out. He’d stick to his story of being trapped for months on end in a mall ever since the beginning. It was feasible. He could fool them and get back to civilization again. He wasn’t accustomed to living rough without running water and electricity. He hated it.

The friendly looks he usually got from the people were now questioning and some of the soldiers were already judging. They were remembering the wiliness of an enemy they thought they’d annihilated. He’d screwed up, he’d acted guilty. He should have laughed it off or acted concerned about the poor kids who had been through so much. He could have pulled it off, but he’d panicked. He’d lashed out. He’d lost his cool. He’d hit the girl and spoke in Farsi. Now he was about to lose everything else. His cold-hearted wife would be happy to put a noose around his neck.

121

Lakota

Takeo, Mizuki and the other Hell Drivers were gathered in the parking lot outside of Up Jumped the Devil with the other retrievers and convoy truckers. They were talking cars and routes, hordes on the move and storms that may have left debris on the roads. Sleek road burners, low to the ground and built for speed were parked next to jacked up muscle cars with roll bars and off-road suspension and both were dwarfed by the big rigs with their plows and machine gun turrets. Three different kinds of purpose-built machines for three different jobs. They poked fun at each other’s rides like all car people do but there was an underlying respect and honor among them. They all braved the wastelands beyond the walls where the simplest things, a flat tire or bad gas, could get you killed. They all lived on the edge, they all liked their adrenaline in large doses, they all took risks and they all reaped the rewards. Whether it was the money, the fame or just the thrill of the road that drove them, they were a different breed of men and women. The ribbing and talk died down and they all turned to watch as a crowd of people walked past them and they sensed the mood.

Tense.

Angry.

Something was happening and not something good, either.

There was a sudden flash of movement from a man in front, a kid was snatched and held close, a gun shoved against her head.

A dozen other guns came up instantly from the crowd and as one, the drivers grabbed their own hardware.

“Don’t anybody move!” Bobby shouted. “I don’t care how many bullets you put in me, she’s still dead!”

He had his little pocket .32 jammed in Lizzies ear, his finger putting pressure on the trigger.

“Stand down!” Collins yelled. “Everybody stand down!”

Guns slowly lowered and she holstered her Python and raised her hands to him. Bobby was staring around wildly, a cornered animal. She cursed herself for letting this happen. If it had been anyone else, she would have been more careful. She knew him so well though, or thought she did, she’d let her guard down. Hell, she was married to him, he’d never been so irrational but she’d seen his mask slip just a little. She should have searched him, trusted her gut instinct instead of letting him brow beat her. Make her feel small.

“I’m getting out of here.” Bobby said. “I didn’t do anything but I can see where this is going. You’re going to believe a bunch of lying kids. She’s going with me and if anyone tries anything, I’ll put a bullet in her head.”

“It doesn’t have to be like this.” Collins said. “If you didn’t do anything then you don’t have anything to worry about. This isn’t a banana republic, Bobby. We can get to the bottom of this.”

“Shut up!” he said and backed into the parking lot, jerking Lizzie with him, trying to see everywhere at once but the gun never left her ear. “I see how all of you are!”

“I’m taking one of these cars.” he said “and one of you is driving me. I’ll let her go once we’re out of town. I won’t hurt her unless you try something funny. You got it?”

The Hell Drivers backed away as he came closer, all of them showing their hands and all of them looking for an opening. A chance to take him down. He kept the gun tight against her head.

Takeo stepped forward, thumbed the remote and the doors on his Lambo slip upward.

“I have the fastest car.” he said. “I can take you. No one can catch us.”

Bobby jerked around, painfully digging the gun into Lizzies ear and she cried out. His eyes were wide in panic, looking for a trap. A spikey haired Asian kid stood by his car, the one with the rocket engine. He was wearing leather with battered plastic armor; a pair of goggles was pushed up on his