Fireside Read Online Free PDF

tangled up in bed with Veronica this morning.” The musclebound Nebraska native was easily recognizable in a crowd of people. Even with the heavy coat and large hat he wore, at six foot seven, with a big black eye patch covering the puckered scar where Justin had plucked out his right eye and a shock of unruly blonde hair, no one would mistake him for anyone except Tyler Nordgren.
    Aeric and Tyler had been roommates together at the University of Texas in Austin when the Vultures started the war that wiped out most of the big cities in America and, presumably, the rest of the world. The two of them had been through a lot together since then. Chief among their experiences was the trip to Missouri to find Aeric’s parents and then their subsequent capture and torture at the hands of the Vultures’ leader, Justin Rustwood.
    “You just want the juicy details of something like that so you can spread the gossip,” Aeric quipped as he grasped his friend’s enormous hand. Aeric was larger than most of San Angelo’s residents, but he was still dwarfed by his friend.
    “You know it! That would be some good gossip that nobody could resist.” Tyler held up his hands, imitating an old movie theater marquee and said, “The mayor’s daughter and the Chief Gatherer entwined in a forbidden romance. That would sell, bro.”
    “Keep that shit up and Katie will kick you out of the house.”
    Tyler waved his hand dismissively. “Eh, I can handle her. She’s a pushover.”
    Aeric snorted. “Maybe to you. She doesn’t let me get away with anything.” He smiled as his friend. Much like Kate and Veronica’s relationship, Tyler had hated Kate when he first met her. He’d been convinced that she was using Aeric and would have ditched him at the first opportunity. When she’d killed Justin and rescued them, he became her biggest supporter. The woman could do no wrong in his eyes.
    “She lets a lot of your puppy love with Veronica slide,” Tyler replied slyly. He was one of the biggest gossipers in town and apparently, there wasn’t a line that he wouldn’t cross. To top it all off, he had a way of ingratiating himself with everyone and before long, people told him their entire life story, giving him more ammunition. Aeric hated walking around with him when they weren’t busy because it took forever to get anywhere.
    “Alright, can we keep my private life…private?”
    “I’m just busting your chops, old buddy.”
    “So, are we ready to go?” Aeric asked, hoping to change the direction of the conversation.
    “Yup. We’ve got enough food and water for three days in case we get out there and it’s a bust, enough ammo to stop a herd of charging elephants and a total of twenty-six people. Fourteen from the Gathering Squad, two squads of Shooters with five people each, plus you and me.”
    “Alright, let’s make sure everyone’s ready to go, then we’ll leave in ten minutes.”
    Tyler made an exaggerated effort to check his empty wrist and said, “Okay, I’m synchronizing my watch now.”
    Aeric pushed him playfully in the shoulder. “You know what I mean, asshole.”
    The big man flipped him the bird over his shoulder as he walked towards the group of people standing around. “Alright, folks,” he shouted. “We’re leaving in about ten minutes. You know where the outhouses are, make sure you do your business before we get in the trucks. Meet back here for the final brief from Traxx.”
    Aeric watched the group spread out as they went to use the restrooms scattered around the parking lot perimeter. They’d taken various porta johns from around the city and cut out the back side where the holding reservoir used to be. Then, they inserted metal buckets that could be taken away and dumped or burned. Almost every aspect of their lives had to be reimagined without electricity or running water.
    When everyone had returned, Aeric cleared his throat and began, “Good morning, everyone. It’s about seventy-five miles to