doctors run off at the mouth about creating chemical warfare, but I knew. My dad should have known that I was better at picking locks than he ever gave me credit for.
He may have been a real dick when I was growing up, but the one good thing I can say about him is that he placed enough skilled men in my life to teach me how to take care of myself.
“I know only what I see,” I say and look away from Tyrel. “Never believe what you’re told because you can bank on the fact that it’s only a partial truth. Especially when it’s coming from an adult. They don’t think we can handle the truth. Screw that. How as we supposed to survive without it?”
“So you’re saying you think there’s a genuine threat out there?”
I have to restrain myself from laughing in Tyrel’s face. “Of course, there is. You don’t think those AK-47’s out there are water guns, do you? Maybe it will be raiders that get us first. Maybe something else. Either way, we are on our own.”
“They brought us here for a reason, didn’t they? How can you be so sure that they are out to get us?” Vaughn eyes up my partially eaten MRE but I push it against from him, just in case he decides to unwisely make a dive for it.
Holding up one hand, I begin to count my fingers. “First off because they are military and that means they inherently lie for the good of the many. Haven’t you ever watched a post-apocalyptic movie before? It doesn’t end well for the little guys, aka us. Secondly, they refuse to tell us what the other two vials of blood are for that they take each day. I know enough to know that you can get a lot of stuff from a single vial so where is the extra going?
Thirdly you all must have noticed the spur of the moment improvements to fortify this building. I don’t know about all of you but I had a cute little ammunitions gift under my sit this morning. Surely you must have noticed the additional supply runs the soldiers have been doing all week, not to mention the new hardware on the windows and the Do Not Enter signs on the storage room. I had a little look during class and found an arsenal. Do you really think all of this is being done just as a “what if?” These guys run a war like playing chess. The pawns go first while the big boys hunker down and protect their king. We are sitting directly above that bunker.”
“So you’re saying that they have some sort of secret lab sitting directly beneath us?” Flynn asks, lifting his head to glance all around, but Ember and Tyrel never look away.
“It’s not a lab. It’s a fallout bunker or rather a last resort.”
Vaughn scrunches up his nose. “So you’re saying it’s like a bomb shelter.”
“No.” I lean forward and stare him down. “It’s a zombie shelter.”
Ember rolls her eyes. “Oh come on. Now you’re overreacting like Coleman. Did you too hook up in some online gaming room prior to the outbreak because you two are spinning the same wild tales.”
“Am I?” I turn to look over my shoulder at the twitchy kid who is currently bargaining chore duty for an extra two bites of Paislee’s turnover. The dude may be desperate for a sugar fix but at least he’s onto something. “Then maybe you should listen.
I stand up and shove my chair back. “Or don’t. It’s no skin off my back.”
“Wait!” Ember grabs onto my hand. I clench into a fist but don’t pull back. “You can’t just leave like that.”
“Why?” I grin down at her. “You going to miss me?”
“Hardly.”
Vaughn snickers but instantly straightens when I glare at him.
“Any other reasons,” she presses.
With a heavy sigh, I sink back into my seat. To walk out now would only mean that I’d be followed by an entourage and there’s no way people wouldn’t take notice of that.
“There have been two extractions this week alone and it’s only Tuesday. Last week there were three homes vacated. The week before that was two. Doesn’t that seem like a fairly high
He may have been a real dick when I was growing up, but the one good thing I can say about him is that he placed enough skilled men in my life to teach me how to take care of myself.
“I know only what I see,” I say and look away from Tyrel. “Never believe what you’re told because you can bank on the fact that it’s only a partial truth. Especially when it’s coming from an adult. They don’t think we can handle the truth. Screw that. How as we supposed to survive without it?”
“So you’re saying you think there’s a genuine threat out there?”
I have to restrain myself from laughing in Tyrel’s face. “Of course, there is. You don’t think those AK-47’s out there are water guns, do you? Maybe it will be raiders that get us first. Maybe something else. Either way, we are on our own.”
“They brought us here for a reason, didn’t they? How can you be so sure that they are out to get us?” Vaughn eyes up my partially eaten MRE but I push it against from him, just in case he decides to unwisely make a dive for it.
Holding up one hand, I begin to count my fingers. “First off because they are military and that means they inherently lie for the good of the many. Haven’t you ever watched a post-apocalyptic movie before? It doesn’t end well for the little guys, aka us. Secondly, they refuse to tell us what the other two vials of blood are for that they take each day. I know enough to know that you can get a lot of stuff from a single vial so where is the extra going?
Thirdly you all must have noticed the spur of the moment improvements to fortify this building. I don’t know about all of you but I had a cute little ammunitions gift under my sit this morning. Surely you must have noticed the additional supply runs the soldiers have been doing all week, not to mention the new hardware on the windows and the Do Not Enter signs on the storage room. I had a little look during class and found an arsenal. Do you really think all of this is being done just as a “what if?” These guys run a war like playing chess. The pawns go first while the big boys hunker down and protect their king. We are sitting directly above that bunker.”
“So you’re saying that they have some sort of secret lab sitting directly beneath us?” Flynn asks, lifting his head to glance all around, but Ember and Tyrel never look away.
“It’s not a lab. It’s a fallout bunker or rather a last resort.”
Vaughn scrunches up his nose. “So you’re saying it’s like a bomb shelter.”
“No.” I lean forward and stare him down. “It’s a zombie shelter.”
Ember rolls her eyes. “Oh come on. Now you’re overreacting like Coleman. Did you too hook up in some online gaming room prior to the outbreak because you two are spinning the same wild tales.”
“Am I?” I turn to look over my shoulder at the twitchy kid who is currently bargaining chore duty for an extra two bites of Paislee’s turnover. The dude may be desperate for a sugar fix but at least he’s onto something. “Then maybe you should listen.
I stand up and shove my chair back. “Or don’t. It’s no skin off my back.”
“Wait!” Ember grabs onto my hand. I clench into a fist but don’t pull back. “You can’t just leave like that.”
“Why?” I grin down at her. “You going to miss me?”
“Hardly.”
Vaughn snickers but instantly straightens when I glare at him.
“Any other reasons,” she presses.
With a heavy sigh, I sink back into my seat. To walk out now would only mean that I’d be followed by an entourage and there’s no way people wouldn’t take notice of that.
“There have been two extractions this week alone and it’s only Tuesday. Last week there were three homes vacated. The week before that was two. Doesn’t that seem like a fairly high
Similar Books
