RecruitZ (Afterworld Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

hurricanes, or blizzards to constantly deal with. Sure, we had the occasional earthquake, but that somehow seemed better than the other options…at least until the outbreak. The West and East coasts were hit first, and then the virus traveled inward to the rest of the country. It certainly burst my bubble of living safely in the Northwest.
    I tapped the steering wheel of my ’77 Ford truck to the beat of the music. It was as close to anti-autopilot driving as I could get. I would never get in one of those cars that drove themselves again. This thing didn’t even have power steering. It was perfection. Gavin and his dad lowered it, put in a plush bench seat and laid a dazzling cherry red paint job on it, along with a stereo that could make a person’s ears bleed. We used to take it camping, and there were a few times we got it stuck in the mud, but it was worth it. Between how much it cost to fill up the tank and the cost of parts to keep it running, we considered it our splurge. If only we’d been driving it that day. I shook the images from my head and focused on the rumble of the engine. I enjoyed hearing the roar that most cars lacked these days.
    I was listening to electronica to psyche myself up for what I was about to encounter. To say I wasn’t looking forward to watching zombies rip each other apart would be an understatement, but I might be able to find out how they were manipulating these creatures. And I had already gotten the name of one of the trainers—Marcus. That was a start.
    It was amazing how quickly some humans turned back to their greedy, power-hungry selves. Once the vaccines were administered, apparently this underground stuff started popping up readily. It was cowardly, but so typical of human nature to exploit one another even in times of tragedy.
    Feeling the adrenaline pumping a little too hard, I flipped my player to another song. One that was a little more soothing. In the distance I saw a large estate with a beautiful scrolled wrought-iron fence surrounding the pasture, but the closer I got, I realized it had also fallen victim to the world we now lived in.
    The sprawling home’s front door was busted in, and all the windows were shattered on the lower floor. There was a ladder propped up against the side of the house, beneath a bedroom window, with only shreds of clothing hanging from the steps. A shiver ran up my spine as the blood soaked fabric blew in the breeze. Apparently the owners would never be coming back.
    “Destination in 3 miles,” the woman’s electronic voice instructed. I silenced the GPS and kept alert for anything out of the ordinary. I doubted that they did the fights in the same area as the training, but one never knew.
    I saw a line of cars parked on the side of the road, and my pulse quickened as I drove up to the club’s acreage. There was a long driveway to the right with more cars parked up and down it. Wanting to always have an escape plan, I drove past the driveway and down the road, probably a quarter-mile or more away. I clunked the transmission into park and stepped on the emergency brake, taking in a deep breath.
    I flipped down my visor and adjusted the clip-on mirror that Gavin had bought just for me. I reached in my bag, grabbed the red lipstick and colored in my lips. I puckered my mouth around my index finger and pulled my finger out, allowing the excess red to bleed onto my finger. There! Now I’d avoid the dreaded lipstick on the teeth syndrome. One of the many reasons I wasn’t into wearing lots of makeup.
    I reached under my seat and grabbed my Betty holster holding the Beretta Tomcat .32 that seemed perfect for the occasion. I clipped the holster inside my jeans’ waistband, securing it in place. I didn’t want to take a chance on giving anyone a glimpse of my Beretta, so even though this holster was a little more uncomfortable than some, at least it was easy access and almost invisible.
    Remembering Preston’s words of wisdom, I wore tight