THE ALPHAS Box Set Read Online Free PDF Page B

interested in picking sides or starting fights.”
    “That just means you’ve picked his side.”
    “He hasn’t led us into trouble yet and Anne keeps leading us to water and food.”
    “Because that’s so difficult out here. If there’s a road it must lead to a house or a business, you don’t build roads to nowhere. It’s not like we’re out in the middle of the Sahara Desert. What happens when we get into the ranching regions? Miles upon miles of fields and no houses, or showers, or …”
    “Great. What is your plan Matt?”
    He spluttered.
    “Quit running your mouth and go do something useful.”
    They watched him storm off and Sean shook his head. “That boy has issues.”
    “Yeah. Nothing we can do about it though, except not trust him too far.”
    “I wouldn’t trust him at all, but then I’m not in charge and I don’t really want to be.”
    “Me either.”
     
    Around midday they spotted a house off to the east and stopped for their meal bread. Roxanne and the scheduled scavenging party took the empty wagons and the empty water jugs and started off down the road. Ryan brought up the rear, thinking more about the hot shower he was going to take than watching for trouble. There was no trouble but he nearly walked into the back of the man in front of him when the group stopped suddenly. He frowned and pushed through to Roxanne. “What is it?”
    “I don’t know. I don’t think this house is abandoned. Wait here with them.” She jogged up the driveway and shouted, “Hello! Is anyone in there?”
    For a moment it looked like she’d been wrong and then the door opened and an older man stepped out onto the stoop with a rifle in his hand.
    “Who are you people?”
    “We’re from Bismark. We’ve been walking ever since the city was bombed. There are three dozen of us, most of the group is just behind us a ways down the road. We came looking for water.”
    He eyed them for a long time. “The big guy there with the rifle, is he going to be a problem?”
    “No sir. Can I ask, why didn’t you go to the shelter? We haven’t come across anyone else.”
    “My wife is sick, bedridden. I couldn’t move her and I couldn’t leave her. There is a hose on the side of the house, you can fill up there.”
    They were nearly done when he came out again. “Take this,” he said, handing her the rifle. “I have a crate of ammunition on the step, and some other things you can take with you.”
    “I don’t want to leave you defenseless here,” Anne said.
    “My wife doesn’t have much longer and I’m only here because I can’t leave her alone and helpless like this. When she goes I won’t be far behind. Good luck.”
    “Thank-you. Ryan, can you bring around the supplies?”
    “Sure thing.”
    The crate was at least two-thirds full judging by the weight and there were two boxes of food and other miscellaneous supplies. Everything was loaded into the wagons and they started back to the camp.
    “What about our shower?” Matt said.
    “We won’t intrude on his privacy,” Anne said. “He gave us more than we asked for, more than he had to.”
    “You didn’t even ask.”
    Ryan grabbed Matt by the arm. “You get to bring up the rear with me.” He held Matt firm as the rest of the group went on and he waited until there was a fair gap before he started walking again. “What the hell is your problem?” Ryan growled.
    “It was our turn for a shower! Anne had no right …”
    “You want to talk about rights? What gives you the right to barge into that man’s home and interrupt his grieving for your personal comfort? How old are you Matt?”
    Matt’s chin jutted into the air. “I’m twenty-one, so you don’t get to treat me like I’m a kid”
    “I’ll treat you how you deserve to be treated and until you start acting like a man I’m going to treat you like a child and so will everyone else.”
    “You mean I need to be a fucking sheep and do whatever Damian and his whore tell me to