Devil’s Wake Read Online Free PDF Page A

sixty-five wounded in Portland. “And reports continue to pour in from other major cities: in Los Angeles—”
    Piranha snapped off the TV. Terry hadn’t seen the big guy sidle up beside him.
    “ Hey, man,” Terry said, and turned the ancient set back on, anger flaring. “My sister’s down there!” But by the time the channel was clear again, the newscaster had moved on to a list of instructions for anyone who had been bitten.
    Piranha shrugged. “Got sick of it. L.A.’s a helluva big place, right?”
    Terry turned up the volume, which gave the newscaster’s voice a sudden urgency: “… extreme drowsiness. If you were bitten during the attack, you should report to a hospital immediately for treatment. Bites from human beings carry more germs than dog bites, so seek out a public health facility or police station immediately.”
    Police station. Yeah, right.
    Darius Phillips tossed Hipshot a chunk of meat from the stewpot, and the dog wolfed it up. “Hear that, boy? People are dirtier than dogs. Dogs have better taste in food too.”
    Dean Kitsap sucked his teeth. “Vern shouldn’t wait ’til morning. I wouldn’t.”
    “That’s ’cuz you’re a mama’s boy,” Darius said.
    “Least I got one,” Dean said.
    “One?” Darius smirked. “Your mom’s big enough for two.”
    Terry would have split someone’s lip for half the things those guys said to each other, but their words bounced off like Ping-Pong balls.
    “Vern’s a grown-ass man,” Piranha said, grabbing the cards, since Vern was the one they were really thinking about. Piranha gave Terry’s shoulder a pat, a silent apology for turning off the TV. “Blackjack.I’m dealing straight. Who’s in?”
    They were all in. When Piranha said “dealing straight” he could be trusted not to engage in bottom-dealing, palming, or peeking. Nobody wanted to say how nervous they were, and playing cards was easier than doing nothing. Terry hoped whatever was happening in the cities would be over in the morning, but he didn’t think so.
    Terry’s first card was the king of hearts, followed by an ace. Blackjack.
    “Look at this lucky suckhole,” Darius said.
    “The white devil wins again,” Dean said.
    “Got that right,” Piranha said, throwing down his cards.
    Hipshot sniffed at Darius’s hand, hoping for a snack.
    “What’s Hippy doing here?” Piranha said. He said it mildly, but with that calm clarity Terry had come to expect from a guy who didn’t waste words.
    “Where should he be?” Terry said.
    “Vern’s,” Piranha said. “He hangs out here, begs for food, then he bunks with Vern for the night. So I ask again: What’s he doing here?”
    Piranha’s eyes rested on Terry; the question was for him alone. Only the two of them had seen Vern get bitten and, later, how Hipshot shied away from him. When no one answered, Piranha gathered up the cards.
    Hipshot paced around the table before he sat. Then he stood up and whined, pacing some more. His big brown eyes seemed to be asking Terry a question.
    If Terry had been a dog whisperer or some such crap, he would have said Hipshot looked scared.
    Terry woke up when he thought he heard a sound. A woman’s scream seemed to have followed him from the Pike Place Market. He looked at his watch. It was 3:33 in the morning. Just a dream, man, he decided, until he heard the scream again. Terry’s heart slammed his chest.
    Damn! Terry pushed himself up on one elbow, listening into the wind.
    The bunkhouse was two rows of three bunk beds on either side of the room. Since there were only four of them, they had bunks to themselves. Even the Twins didn’t share an upper and lower bunk. The room was thick with the slow breathing of sleep.
    If Vern was sick and Molly was scared, she would come running down and wake them up. Maybe they should have taken Vern to the doctor. Terry hated the idea of navigating the forest roads in the dark again, but he would if he had to.
    But the sound, whatever it had been,