The Last Five Days: The Complete Novel: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Read Online Free PDF

moment of relief comforted Winston. He ceased his search for a weapon. A spittle of blood dangled from Ticker's lips. He cleared his throat and spit.
    "Ticker?" Winston asked, stopping to wait for an answer.
    "Winston? Is that you? I can't see too well. Musta left my glasses at home."
    "It's me. What are you doing out here, Ticker?"
    Ticker looked over his left shoulder, then his right. "I don't know. Last thing I remember is watching The Price is Right . Watch it every morning." Ticker coughed again, more violent, more angry. Blood trickled out his nose. He wiped it on the sleeve of his flannel shirt. "I think I'm getting sick, Winston."
    "How long you been feeling bad?"
    "Started feeling a sour stomach the other night. It's weird. I feel hungry, but it's a taste for something I've never had. I don't know what it is."
    Keratin , Winston thought. He resumed search for a weapon. Ticker was infected. He had all the symptoms. If Byrd got her dying wish, Ticker would cease to exist on the dock. Until there was a cure, she was right. Winston knew what he had to do. Ticker wasn't poised to attack, but it could come at any time. He couldn't leave Ticker wandering on the dock. The only certainty was that Ticker would hurt someone.
    "Heard of anything going around, Winston?"
    He doesn't know , Winston thought. "How long's it been since you left your house, Ticker?"
    Ticker cocked his head as if he were counting the days in his mind. "Three. Maybe four days."
    How the hell did he get sick?
    A boat drew their attention away from the conversation. It slowed about thirty feet from the dock. Winston wasn't a boat expert, but it looked similar to a small response boat used by the US Coast Guard. It only resembled the Coast Guard in shape. This boat was shiny black with no markings.
    "Step away from the boats. Leave the dock immediately." The male voice had a hint of static as it echoed. "That was your only warning. We are under direct orders of the United States Military. If you do not vacate the dock immediately, we will use lethal force."
    Winston held up his hands and started backing away. Ticker faced the faceless voice and started toward his boat.
    "What are you doing?" Winston asked.
    "Doris is mine. I'll be damned if anyone's gonna tell me I can't be with her."
    Ticker had named his bay boat after his wife Doris. He bought the boat with money he had saved to travel cross country with Doris before she was diagnosed with lung cancer. After her death, Ticker chose to buy the boat and name it after the love of his life.
    Winston couldn't tell if Ticker referred to Doris the boat or his wife. It was possible the sickness made those infected hallucinate. Byrd didn't mention hallucinations, but maybe this virus affected people differently. The thought of watching Ticker murdered on the dock shook Winston. Watching someone die wasn't the same as taking someone's life who was trying to take yours. The moral rules brought upon by this infection were complicated. Just five minutes earlier, Winston was looking for anything he could use as a weapon to take Ticker out, and now he was going to try to save his life.
    "Ticker, they aren't playing. Come over here with me."
    Ticker ignored Winston.
    "Ticker. They are going to kill yo…"
    A loud bang caused Winston to stumble over his feet and fall backwards. The side of Ticker's head exploded in a way that looked like a volcano erupting. He crumbled to the dock. Winston turned his head away from the horror and scooted behind a row of trashcans. He waited for another shot. Anticipation mixed with silence made his stomach flutter. The trashcans wouldn't stop bullets. The only other cover was the boats and there was no way Winston was running for them. He would be dead before he got to the dock. No one is leaving here alive. Byrd's words poked Winston. As much as it pained him, he could only wait it out. If I'm quiet, they'll think I ran away, he thought. Winston peeked through a slight gap between the