Dominant Species Read Online Free PDF

Trent. ‘We should talk with Eddy. His group has always been the most open to the idea of working with us. We’ve even shared food supplies in the past, maybe they’ll see the sense in creating a larger community, if they can see the benefits in better security.’
    ‘Okay,’ said Nathan cautiously, ‘I’ll set up a meet. Although I still think we need to be careful to ensure the communities don’t grow too large in size. If they do, it will be more difficult to hide, and ensuring sufficient food will become an even bigger issue, even if we pool resources initially, speaking of which I’ve been checking our stocks.’
    Nathan’s eyes scanned the other faces, as he spoke he tried not to show the tension and concern he felt inside. ‘To be honest things are looking pretty bleak. Even with the food production we’ve been trying to introduce and the stockpile we started following the war, we’re beginning to run dangerously low on food again. I reckon we’ve got enough for another six, maybe eight months, tops.’
    ‘ What the hell are we going to do after that?’ asked Lano quietly.
    ‘We’ve got rain water collection as well as bottled supplies from the stockpile, but its grain that we’re running low on. I think we need to cut the rations.’
    ‘That will only delay the inevitable,’ broke in Trent, stating the obvious. ‘After that we’ll need to either be in a position to produce enough food to be truly self-sufficient, or get supplies from somewhere else.’
    ‘ You’re suggesting another raid on the city?’ asked Lano.
    ‘See, this is what I don’t understand,’ cut in Max. ‘You’d be prepared to do that, prepared to…’ he waved his arms in the air ‘...provoke their wrath by stealing their supplies.’
    Lano looked down again, as Max continued his outburst with Nathan trying once again to diffuse his anger.
    ‘Max, we’re going to need food. People depend on us to feed them. So, as long as we’re careful and not too greedy, the vampires should let us be. It’s simply not worth their effort to...’
    ‘ …Well I think we should start looking after ourselves.’
    ‘Don’t you mean yourself? Jake muttered, coolly.
    Max glared at Jake; the look on his face full of hate. But before he could say anything more Nathan intervened, raising his voice and almost shouting.
    ‘That’ s enough, both of you. We’ll reconvene a full meeting tomorrow, where we can begin to plan how we’re going to deal with the shortage of food and how best to replenish our supplies. For now I’ll send a runner to confirm the meet with Eddy, we’ll make it at the usual place, day after tomorrow, who knows, maybe he’ll have some better ideas. ’
    ‘Still doesn’t feel like an existence to me,’ muttered Max, under his breath but loud enough to be clearly heard by all around the stone coffin.
    ‘Well, as I’ve said before, ’ retorted Jake, ‘if we really want to make a change to our lives we need to change our relationship with the Vampires. We know we can’t fight them, so perhaps we should find a way to work with them; you know try to broker some form of truce.’
    There was a short silence, where not only could a pin be heard to drop but probably the rise in the speed of Max’s heart rate as his face reddened. The explosion that followed still took all, but Jake, by surprise.
    ‘How the Hell can you even think of that, after what they did? You really are crazy. You make me sick to my core!’
    The silence returned, hanging in the air like a bad smell. Jake smiled, the muscles in Max’s neck tensed, his temples throbbed. Nathan looked at the two men and a great sadness filled his heart as he wondered where all the hatred had come from. He remembered them as young boys, how Max had looked up to Jake and he wondered when it had all gone wrong. Then, in an attempt to break the tension, he spoke quietly. ‘Let’s leave it there. We’ll reconvene tomorrow; perhaps we can look at other solutions