The Hungry 5: All Hell Breaks Loose (The Sheriff Penny Miller Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

side of the Hummer like machine gun fire and chunks of debris rained down on their roof. Miller yawned to clear her ears. An enormous black hole in the road would have swallowed the Hummer whole if they hadn’t turned.
    The pickup appeared from the smoke and dust and raced up beside the Hummer. Scratch and Rat had come back looking for them.
    “What the fuck are you two doing?” screamed Scratch. “Let’s drive!”
    Miller shouted in Sheppard’s ear, her voice loud enough to be heard in the pickup. “We’re heading for Abraham’s caves.”
    Rat raced off to the north, driving in the direction of the old Indian caves that crazy cannibal cult leader Father Abraham had once occupied. Perhaps the cannibal survivors were still there, filthy and hungry, squatting in the damp darkness. Maybe they were all dead by now. That part was anyone’s guess, but Miller saw no other option. At the moment, the caves were their only hope of finding sufficient cover. Sheppard swung the wheel around and followed Rat.
    The billowing smoke hid them from the eye in the sky and brought them a few precious seconds. The two vehicles sped up, weaving from side to side, racing steadily toward the low foothills ahead.
    Miller shouted. “How many missiles are those things deployed with?”
    “I have no idea.” Sheppard kept his eyes on the road. “I’m a medical technician in the Army, remember? Drones mostly come under the Air Force. Well, and Homeland Security by now I’d bet.”
    “Thanks, it’s always nice to work with an expert.” Miller immediately regretted the smartass remark. “Karl, I didn’t mean that.”
    “No worries. If that drone has more than two missiles, I expect we’ll both know in a moment.”
    “Or not.”
    The desert raced by their window. For a few seconds Miller thought they’d escaped, but then the ground beside them erupted and flew skyward in a hail of bullets. Sheppard yanked the wheel hard to the left, then back to the right, not giving the drone a chance to correct its aim.
    “Jesus on a jet ski, drones have fucking machine guns, too?”
    “This one does,” Sheppard shouted. He squinted through the dusty windshield, trying to get his bearings. “How far to the caves?”
    “Follow Rat,” Miller called. “I think she’s almost there.”
    The enemy closed in again. Even over the thumping diesel screech of their own engine, Miller could hear the faint whining sound of the approaching aircraft. Miller looked up just as the drone was passing overhead. It was perhaps 300 feet up, and the ball-mounted optics seemed pointed directly at them. Someone was watching their every move. Miller pictured herself on a TV screen, looking back at the camera. The idea made her queasy. The drone banked hard to the left, and Miller guessed that it would probably attempt another pass in a moment.
    “Come on, Karl! We’ve only got a few seconds before it turns around. Go, go!”
    “This big monster doesn’t go any faster, Penny. I’m doing the best I can.”
    “I know Karl. Just do it even quicker.”
    Ahead of them, Rat squealed across the highway and headed for safety. Sheppard followed Rat onto the off-ramp, and they all headed west toward the foothills of the Ruby Mountains. The drone changed direction and began to close the gap. Miller knew it would fire again, and this time probably at the more exposed pickup truck. If it found them, Scratch and Rat would be hamburger meat in seconds. Dust from the pickup provided them with a bit of cover. They headed for the safety of the rocks. Miller looked in the rear view mirror.
    The drone began to drop closer to the ground.
    “Left, and around that big boulder to the right,” Miller shouted.
    “I’m trying,” Sheppard said, as he fought the wheel. “But I don’t think we’re going to get that lucky again.”
    “Wait.” Miller turned her head for a second, an idea slapping her across the face. “Maybe it’s not luck, Karl. What if they’re driving