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

expected her to at least say something, and I instinctively watched her leave the room. When I looked back at Tom I was surprised to see Tom and Kathy looking across the room at each other. I wondered if I had been missing something all along.
    While the relationship drama played out, the Chief and Bus had already gotten down to business. They had a map laid out in between them, and Bus was using a red pen to draw stars at different locations. He was also writing the security codes next to each star. I moved into a position where I could get a better look at the map, and I saw the stars were spread out across the country. There was even a star in Alaska.  
    Bus said, “You’ll notice that no one put a shelter anywhere near Washington, D.C., and there aren’t any located near nuclear power plants. The obvious reason for avoiding those places was the likelihood of a preemptive strike by a foreign power. Those would be targets, so it would be impossible for anyone to reach a shelter in time. It would be better to get out of the area to a place that wouldn't be a target."
    The Chief studied the map as Bus added the stars, and he let out a low whistle from time to time. One or two seemed to be more interesting to him than others. A couple of times he looked at the rest of us, and he eventually motioned for us to take a look. He pointed at one star and said he thought it was a stupid place to put a shelter. I didn’t disagree with him. It was in the Gulf of Mexico and was part of an oil platform.
    “If the whole world was wiped out, it might be a good idea,” said the Chief, “but it would be a tempting target for almost anyone with a boat.”
    “Wouldn’t that be the same thing as our houseboat or the village above Green Cavern?” asked Kathy. “People could live on an oil platform without ever getting into the shelter.”
    “Not exactly,” said the Chief. “If someone decides to blow up our houseboat, it won’t help them get to us. If someone tries to blow up an oil platform, the whole thing will sink.”
    Despite our loss of electrical power, we were all beginning to appreciate what Uncle Titus had done for us even more than we had before. Mud Island wasn’t perfect, but it had been well designed compared to some of the others.
    Kathy said, “Some of these have probably been breached already just because of their locations, but we need to find a way to communicate with them to see who made it and who didn’t.”
    “You’re right, Kathy, but first things first,” said the Chief. “We have to get that power line restored, and that means checking out Fort Sumter.”
    Tom asked, “When do we leave, Chief?”
    “We shouldn’t wait,” he answered. “I think we should make our move as soon as we can get ready.”
    As he answered, the Chief studied Tom closely for any hesitation. We weren’t sure how Tom was going to react to Allison’s demand that they leave, but we didn’t think it was going to be a pretty sight when both Tom and Bus told her they weren’t leaving for Green Cavern, and it wasn’t like Allison could do it on her own.
    We all shared a look as Tom went to talk with Allison, and there was no doubt in our minds there would be fireworks. What we got was not what we expected. Only a couple of minutes after Tom left the room, Allison stormed in and announced that she was going with us to Charleston harbor.
    Kathy looked like she was about to say something, which was the last thing she should do, but the Chief beat her to it.
    “Allison, there’s no need for you to risk your life just to prove you’re as tough as the rest of us.”
    “I am as tough as the rest of you,” she said it a loud voice. “I’m not staying behind while the rest of you go out there and fight those things…”  
    Her voice trailed off as she caught a glimpse of what was happening on the monitors. The mass of bloated bodies, arms and legs moving as the infected continued to reach and push against each other, began