The Infected Dead (Book 3): Die For Now Read Online Free PDF Page A

when the Chief said he found something. He showed us an aerial picture of the entire Charleston harbor, and there was a shaded area colored into the sand dunes on Morris Island.
    “This must be the location of the hidden entrance to the shelter,” he said.
    Bus leaned in for a closer look and studied the picture.
    “That looks about right, Chief. It’s directly south of Fort Sumter and about one hundred yards long. I had been told the tunnel was about the length of a football field.”
    “What are the chances someone else has already found the entrance?” I asked.
    “That’s doubtful,” said Bus. “The entrance is buried under about four feet of sand, and even if you cleared the sand away, it wouldn’t look like a door. It’s disguised as a power junction with warnings on it that say to stay clear due to high voltage.”
    Kathy shook her head with wonder and said, “So, you say there are twenty-nine more shelters out there, Bus? Wouldn’t it be better to just give us a list of them and let us decide what to do with the information?”
    “How can I say this?” he said. “For the time being, I’m going to have to think about what I tell you. Some of the shelters would be nothing more than a death trap, and besides, between here and Green Cavern we have enough to survive on. The only reason we have to go to Fort Sumter is to be sure we can control the harbor. We can’t have anyone shooting at us from there.”
    I could tell it still wasn’t sitting too well with the Chief. He liked Bus a lot, but he didn’t like having someone tell him he was better off being left in the dark because he wasn’t capable of making decisions for himself.
    “Bus,” said the Chief, “one day you may wish you had told us where the other shelters are just because we might need to know in a hurry. This isn’t your grandfather’s USA anymore. You may feel like you’re keeping state secrets or something, but if you haven’t noticed, things didn’t go down the way the government thought they would.”
    The Chief was such an easy going man that it was tough to see him be upset. He walked away from the table, and Kathy followed him. If things weren’t bad enough Allison chose the same moment to come back into the room and announce that she wanted to go back to Green Cavern, and the way she put it to Tom, it didn’t sound like she was inviting the Mud Island group to come along. Things seemed to be unraveling from more than one loose string.
    Bus looked from where the Chief and Kathy were in the living room and then at Allison and Tom. I was just about to tell him it was time to make up his mind when he did it on his own.
    “Chief,” he called to the other room. “I was wrong. I don’t know why I haven’t realized that things aren’t ever going to be the same again, but it’s time for me to either throw in with you guys or go back to Green Cavern and hunker down forever. And it’s an easy choice if you’ll forgive me for treating you like adolescents. I’ll give you a list of the shelters. If we ever need to bug out from here in a hurry, I may not be able to tell you then.”
    The Chief visibly relaxed as he walked back into the room.
    “I’m glad you came around,” he said. “I didn’t know how we were going to be able to get along if you didn’t show us some trust.”
    “Tom, did you hear what I said?” Allison was oblivious to what was happening with the rest of us. She had her arms crossed and assumed a demanding stance squarely at Tom.
    Tom had heard what Allison had said, but he didn’t pay attention. It didn’t sink in until she squared off with him, and even then he wasn’t totally comprehending. He looked straight into her face and didn’t flinch.
    “We’re not going back,” he said in a tone that left no doubt that he was not going to debate the issue.
    Allison must have recognized the look because she turned on her heels and disappeared from the room without even looking at anyone else. I