Canyon: A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Adventure (The Traveler Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

around your back. I can hold my rifle. If we take fire, I can let go of you quickly and defend us.”
    “I don’t know if—”
    “You don’t have a choice. It’s what we’re doing. I want you to take my sidearm. That’ll give us two weapons ready to return fire.”
    Buck cursed and gritted his teeth. “Fine. Let’s do this.”
     

CHAPTER 6
    OCTOBER 15, 2037, 5:57 AM
    SCOURGE + 5 YEARS
    ABILENE, TEXAS
     
    Battle stood in the back of the Humvee, his legs working to keep balance while Pico drove toward the center of town. He had his Prairie Panther rifle at his shoulder. After considering the Browning as an option, he’d thought better of it. The Inspector, as he called the twenty-two-caliber semiautomatic, was a far superior weapon at long range.
    He adjusted his hat when Pico picked up speed out of a turn. The hat, Battle hoped, would give any hostiles pause. They’d think he was a posse boss until they realized he wasn’t. That was more than enough time for Battle to set, aim, and fire.
    Pico was rolling dark. The Humvee’s light array was off. They were as stealthy as they could be in a large armored vehicle.
    Battle scanned the road ahead of them and swiveled from side to side, sweeping the streets with his eyes and the rifle. They still had about ninety minutes until sunrise. The streets were empty. Most of the houses and buildings were dark.
    The air was cold and the wind swept past Battle as the Humvee pressed forward. His ears stung; his nose ran. He ignored both.
    The Humvee turned off of Fourth Street and rolled onto Walnut Street. For the first time, he recognized where they were. He remembered the wide street, the old buildings, and the green awning that hung from Bible Hardware.
    It wasn’t Bible Hardware anymore, though. It was the Cartel’s Abilene headquarters.
    Pico slowed to a stop in front of the awning. Battle looked across the street to a large fenced lot that surrounded the old post office. There was concertina wire wrapped around the top of the fence. He didn’t remember that. He rubbed his chin and looked back at the awning. A lone streetlight strobed above them.
    “Battle.” Pico was standing outside the idling Humvee. “We’re here. What next?”
    Battle looked down at Pico and handed him his rifle. He pulled a backpack from the supplies littering the vehicle’s open bed and slung it over both shoulders. He climbed from the Humvee and took the rifle back from Pico.
    Battle pointed to the post office. “What’s that over there?”
    Pico shrugged. “I think they keep a lot of weapons and such inside that building. It was a post office.”
    “It was.” Battle took a step toward the middle of the road. “You’re saying it’s an armory now?”
    “I think so,” Pico said. “I ain’t never been in there, so I can’t be sure. I heard talk about that, though.”
    “Anybody in the HQ?” Battle adjusted the pack on his back and walked back to the curb in front of the old hardware store.
    “Shouldn’t be,” Pico said.
    Lola rounded the bed of the Humvee. “Sawyer could be in there.” Her hands were stuffed into her pants pockets, her shoulders raised to her ears. Her teeth chattered. “They could be holding my son in there, right?”
    “I don’t know. Guess I need to find out.” Battle stepped to the front glass doors. He took the butt of his rifle and jammed it into the door. Glass shattered and Battle used the rifle stock to clean out the remaining shards hanging to the frame.
    “That was kinda loud,” said Pico. “I thought you were trying to surprise ’em.”
    Battle looked back at Pico and shrugged. He stepped across the threshold and disappeared into the darkness.
    He flipped on the night-vision scope mounted onto his rifle and pulled it to his eye, carefully working his way around the main space of the building. He bumped into a table on one side of the room and then crossed the room to a bar. On the far side of the room past the bar, he found a locked