Tech: Zombie Effect Chapter 10

Title: Tech: Zombie Effect Chapter 10
Characters: Logan/Carter; Robert
POV: Logan


“No guns, ok?” Logan said. “It’s dark. No one should be out and about. So just stay inside. We’ll be back soon.”


Carter glared at him. “Soon is relative. Soon could be sometime tomorrow.”


Logan reached out and pulled him in close. He leaned down. “Don’t be bitchy. It’s not a good look on you.” He softened the blow with a kiss. He hated leaving him behind, but the news had been full of riots and looting. Nothing close to them yet. Mostly in big cities like Los Angeles and Chicago. But he didn’t want to risk the supplies they’d already gathered getting stolen.


“Come on. The sooner we leave, the quicker we’ll be back,” Robert said.


“Lock the door,” Logan instructed as he and Robert went out the door. He waited until he heard the click of the locks before he went down the stairs.


Robert was standing by the truck when he got there. “He’ll be alright.”


“Yeah, that’s what I thought earlier today and yet he managed to shoot himself.” Logan climbed in the driver’s side and unlocked the side door. He heard Robert try to cover his laugh with a cough. Logan would have shot him a dirty look, but it was too dark and would just be wasted.


He took his time backing out of the driveway. He looked around but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. They lived far enough from town that they didn’t have street lights, he couldn’t be sure if anything had changed. “Had you heard if anyone’s gotten sick yet in town?”


“I hadn’t heard anyone getting sick in Oakfield. Some in Springmeadow and a shit-ton in Kansas City.”


Logan nodded. “Ok. Let’s not take too long though. Let’s just get what you want and head back. If people are getting sick in Springmeadow, then who knows how long the power would last.”


He slowed down as they neared the farm and feed store. It was still dark and appeared empty. Logan flipped his turn signal and drove onto the parking lot.


“Pull to the back, I’ll get my jeep and you can follow me. We’ll fill up both vehicles. I’m just west of Oakfield. Just past the city limit sign on highway 14.”


Again, Logan nodded. He knew the county highway Robert was talking about was just on the outskirts of town. It was all paved road so the ride was smooth. He was a little worried that they didn’t see any other cars. He remembered Robert telling him that there was a town meeting to talk about all that was going on.


Logan followed the jeep down the small highway. He turned on a dirt driveway. He bounced slightly as the truck rumbled over the gravel. He was thinking about his old little car traveling down the lane. He’d worry about damage to the undercarriage, but with the big truck, he knew nothing would get broken. After about a hundred yards a small ranch style house came into sight. He followed Robert as the man drove his jeep to the back of the house.


Rounding the house, Logan stopped. He saw Robert turn the jeep around and back up. Leaning forward, Logan saw the door of what had to be a storm cellar. He put the truck in reverse and pulled around so the bed of the truck as at the door of the cellar. Robert was waiting for him as he got out the truck.


Reaching into his pocket Robert pulled out a set of keys. “This is where I keep the inventory for the store and some other things that I’ve picked up here and there.” He bent down and inserted the key. There was a small creak as he opened the doors. “I’ll oil this again before we go. Come on. Careful, the stairs are steep.”


Logan squinted at the bright light when Robert flipped a switch two steps down. Once his eyes adjusted, he saw that the stairs were quite steep. Much steeper than a typical storm cellar. There were also more of them which had Logan thinking this was deeper than any storm cellar he’d been in before. Finally, the last step led into a large room. Looking around, Logan saw shelves filled with sleeping bags, tents, and so many things, his brain couldn’t process it all.


“Damn.” The word was drawn out as Logan looked around. “How? Where? Did you know this was going to happen?”


Robert shook his head. “Not the robot thing, but something. At sometimes. Too much has been happening. Tech going crazy. The population out of control. I was just collecting things in case something did happen. And it did. Grab a couple of these bags and we’ll load up.”


Logan walked over to where Robert had taken down a dark green bag. It was bigger than any backpack, maybe something from the military, he thought. He shook it out and unzipped it. It would carry quite a bit.


“Grab some of the stuff you don’t have,” Robert called out as he walked to the back walk.


Logan had thought he had gotten everything he and Carter would need, but seeing all the supplies, he knew he hadn’t gotten even close. He picked up a couple crank flashlights, a camp stove with the tinned fuel, and he grabbed a couple traps. He had thought about hunting but hadn’t thought about traps at all. They’d be safer and probably more efficient since neither he or Carter had ever been hunting before.


On the shelf above the traps were some boxes that looked like old radios. They had a tube-like thing connected to it with what looked like old telephone cords. “What are these? Do we need them?”


When he didn’t get an answer he turned around. He swallowed hard as Robert was nowhere to be found. Had he been wrong in trusting the older man? He shook his head. That didn’t make sense. Why would he have brought him here if he didn’t want to help? “Robert? Robert?” He called out.


Robert’s head poked out around a shelf by the back wall. “Back here.”


Logan picked up the device he was wondering about and walked back to where Robert had disappeared again. He found a door that had been hidden from view by the big shelf. Stepping inside he saw six shelves full of weapons. Guns of all kinds, bullets, hand grenades, Kevlar vests, and even a hand-held rocket launcher.


“Oh my god! Are these even legal to own?”


Robert didn’t stop filling a bag with bullets as he said, “What are you going to do? Report me to the police? I think they have other things to worry about. Go ahead and put a couple vests in this.”


Logan caught the bag that Robert tossed to him. He grabbed three of the vests and put them in. He held up the metal device he’d wanted to ask the other man about. “Hey, what is this? You have a couple of them out there. Do we need them?”


“They’re Geiger counters. And yeah, put a couple in. If everything goes to shit, any nuclear power plants could melt down.”


There were a couple of nuclear plants north and to the east of them. The way the jet stream flowed, they shouldn’t be bothered by them, but Logan wasn’t sure what plants were west of them. He walked back out the main room and put a couple of the radiation counters in his bag.


“I’ll put this in and pack some of the bandages and winter clothes around it to keep it safe.” Robert had followed him out of the back room and gone to the back of the other shelf. At Logan’s blank look, he explained, “It’s a bullet reloader. We’ll need it and I don’t want it to get broken. Go ahead and load up some of the bags.”


Logan picked up two of the bags by their handles. They were heavy. He didn’t know what all Robert had packed, and he didn’t want to break anything, he decided to only take two at a time. He twisted so that one bag was in front of him and the other bag was behind him, he carefully navigated the staircase.


He stepped out into the night. He half threw the bags in the bed of his trunk. He winced as they made a loud thud. Then he heard the crunch of a footstep on frozen ground. The light escaping from the storm cellar was enough to show five, bloody people shuffling toward him.


‘Shit. They are here already,’ Logan thought before he dashed inside. He closed the doors as quietly as he could and ran down the stairs.


“Shit, Robert. They’re here.” He’d said aloud what he’d thought just moments before.


Robert echoed him. “Well, shit.”


TBC

On to Chapter 11

Tech: Zombie Effect Chapter 9

Title: Tech: Zombie Effect Chapter 9
Characters: Logan/Carter
POV: Robert


Robert sat on a chair with colored folders spread out before him. These two boys had organized everything they thought they’d need. They were what Robert thought of as book-smart but lacking in common sense. They had printed out gardening tips, how to butcher a deer and other animals, and several survival prepper manuals, but he knew that in order to survive a community had to be built. Not too many people, but enough that certain skills would be included.


“You boys have got an excellent start here.” Robert set a red folder aside.


“Start? We’ve more than you!”


Robert sighed. Carter appeared to speak before thinking. Robert wondered if it was a personality trait or if a reaction from pain and shock.


“Carter!” Logan’s shocked reprimand convinced him that Carter’s words were not normal for the boy.


Robert held up a hand. “No. You’ve got different things than I do.” He knew he’d gotten their attention when they looked at him with their jaws hanging open.


“Like what?” The surliness was out of Carter’s voice.


“First, I have firepower.”


Logan’s brows furrowed. “We’ve guns. I bought the two from you.”


“Yes. And they are good guns for beginners. And for personal home protection. But they are shit for hunting. If things get as bad as I’m beginning to think, then this is a long-term issue. You’ll need to hunt for meat. The two little guns I sold you won’t get you too far.” He could all but see the two smart men’s wheels turning in their brains. “I have some other more unconventional weapons as well.”


He didn’t explain further, but he figured they understood what he was saying. Maybe they didn’t know exactly what he had. They’d think of grenades and assault rifles. And he did have those, but he also had a couple of rocket launchers and land mines. Deciding to sweeten the pot a little further, he told them of the communications he had.


“Besides firepower, I have a couple friends who are survivalist. They held unusual jobs after leaving the military. I have some intel that could come in right handy.” Robert didn’t explain what the intel was, he knew once he showed it to the two brainiacs, they understand how invaluable it was.


“So what are you thinking?”


“I’m thinking we team up. Help each other. Once we have everything together, we can help other survivors.” He didn’t use a lot of words. But what he did say made sense.


“What would it look like? Us teaming up?” Logan asked.


Robert was glad the two were starting to understand the benefit of working together. “Sharing with each other. Pooling our resources. Sticking together. Make a home base.”


“But not one person in charge,” Logan stated firmly. “Decisions made as a team. Not one person dictating to the others.”


Nodding, Robert was in full agreement. He didn’t want to take orders, but he sure as hell didn’t want to be put in a leadership role alone.


“That’ll work with the three of us. But if we help other survivors, then there does need to be strict leadership.”


Robert was a bit amazed that it was Carter who brought that up. The boy was right, they would need to set rules, but that could wait until they actually did bring others in. “I agree. But I think for now, with just us three, we make decisions as a team. That work for you?”


“Yes. So where is home base going to be?” Carter looked at him and then at Logan. Without waiting for them to answer, he gave his opinion. “I think here is where it should be. Not a lot of people around. I can get us back on well water so we have that. The river runs behind us so that’s a natural barrier. We are right by the forest, so we’ll have hunting grounds. And there’s a ton of building equipment just laying at the subdivision that was being built.”


Thinking of his small one bedroom house that sat on the edge of their little town, Robert agreed. This place had better potential for surviving. But he wanted to get his own cache of supplies here. “Yeah. I think you’re right. Here is better. We just need to get my stuff here.”


Logan turned to him. “Thinking we get a good night sleep and head out in the morning?”


Shaking his head, Robert argued. “I think we go tonight. Once it’s dark. Fewer people out and about seein’ what we’re up to.”


Carter gave him a look. “You don’t think they’ll see that big monstrosity of Logan's?”


“He means the truck. I just bought it,” Logan explained.


He shook his head again. “We’ll take your truck to the feed store, leave it there, and take my jeep.”


“It’s going to be damn cold. The clouds are clearing out so the temp is going to drop like a rock.”


Meeting Carter’s eyes, Robert said, “That’s why we’ll need you to stay here. Keep this place warm. I don’t know how long the power will stay up.”


“No! I’m going with you!”


Logan walked over and took Carter in his arms. “Car, listen. You’ve been shot-”


“It’s nothing. You even said so!”


“Shh. Let me finish. It’s nothing big, but your body still has had a shock. Your adrenaline is high, but once it starts to go back to normal, you’re going to crash. It’s safer for you to stay here.”


Robert watched as Logan pulled Carter closer. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he suspected Logan was trying to reason with the other man. He watched for a few minutes and then sighed in relief when he saw Carter’s nod of dejected acceptance.


“Alright. What do we need? We have a couple backpacks to carry supplies in.” Logan was ready to go.


“I’ve carrying cases that’ll be bigger than a backpack. I’ll have everything we need there. We need to dress in layers. That temp is going going to be colder than a witch’s teat. But nothing bulky, we need to be able to move.”


“I’ve some long-johns you can borrow.”


Knowing the thermal underwear Carter was offering would be too small, Robert still accepted them with a thank you. The kid was trying to be helpful, he wasn’t going to squash that. In the coming days, they needed to be on solid ground with each other.


“Ok, boys. Let’s get this mission going.” Robert saw both men’s shoulders square with determination. They were going to be alright, he thought. They just needed to work together.


On to chapter 10

Tech: Zombie Effect Chapter 8

NaNoWriMo has been a tremendous inspiration!


Title: Tech: Zombie Effect Ch. 8
Characters: Logan/Carter
Series: Tech: Zombie Effect
POV: Logan



“Is that your guy? Where’s he going?” Robert asked.


Logan leaned forward to get a better look at the minivan that had just pulled out of the driveway. In a tight, worried voice, he said, “No. Never seen it before.”


Pressing down harder on the gas pedal, Logan was anxious to get home. They never had visitors, why would anyone be there now? The only thing he could think of was to cause trouble.


He pulled hard on the steering wheel, fishtailing into the driveway. He threw the truck into park, jumped out, leaving it running. Robert jumped out of his side.


When they heard a shot followed by a pain-filled scream come from behind the house, they both took off. Rounding the house, they saw Carter standing in the middle of the yard.


“Carter! Are you ok?” Logan asked.


“No! I shot my fucking finger off!”


Logan and Robert reached him at the same time. Robert grabbed the injured hand, then started laughing.


“It’s just the tip. You just shot off the bit at the end. You’ll be fine.” Robert’s reassurance was laced with laughter.


“Fine? I shot myself! I can’t be fine. Who are you? Are you a doctor?” Carter turned to Logan. “Who is he?”


Looking at Carter’s hand, Logan replied, “Robert. He’s the guy who sold me the guns.”


“Take him in and clean out the wound. It’s nothing, but ya still don’t want an infection to set in. I’ll get the stuff from the truck.”


“Come on, let’s get this cleaned up.” Logan pulled Carter with him. “Hey, Robert, grab my keys, will you?”


“Who is he? Why is he here?”


Walking up the steps, Logan continued to pull him along. “I’ll explain in a bit. How the hell did you shoot your finger?” He stopped suddenly. “Who was that in the van?”


“A lady and her kid, Jimmy. They’re in one of the new houses back that way. He crossed the river by climbing some tree. He’s bored or something.”


Logan looked behind them as they went into the house. He hadn’t thought of the few people who lived near them. They’d have to be more careful. He had no way of knowing who’d been given the shot that held the nanotechnology and who hadn’t.


Shrugging off his jacket, he then helped Carter out of his. He tossed them on a kitchen chair. Grabbing Carter again, he pulled him to the kitchen sink. He turned on the faucet and let the water run over the finger.


“Crap that’s cold,” Carter complained.


“Yeah? Well being dead would be even colder! What the hell were you thinking? Why were you out there with a gun?” Logan felt his temper rising. “You were supposed to stay inside!”


“No, I was supposed to protect our home. How the hell can I do that if I can’t even shoot a fucking gun! Ouch. Will you stop touching it! It hurts!”


Pulling his hand closer, Logan snapped, “No. I have to make sure there’s nothing in it. You really do not want an infection. It’s not like we can just go to the doctor’s.”


They both jumped as the door slammed shut.


“Sorry about that. It just got away from me.” Robert looked sheepish as he placed the bags on the table. “How’s the pinky?”


“My pinky? You mean my finger! And it’s shot!” Carter’s indignation was more than evident.


“It’s fine,” Logan said. He grabbed the hand towel sitting by the sink and dried off the digit. “We’ll put a gauze over it until it heals, but you’ll live.”


“I’ve been shot and you just blow it off.”


Logan turned to face him. “I’m not blowing it off-”


“Nope. You blew it off all on your own, son.” Robert’s pragmatic voice was laced with humor.


Hiding his own laughter, Logan turned and glared at Robert. “I really don’t need your help. And Carter, this just proves how dangerous guns are. Do not ever take a gun out alone again.” Once he was sure everyone was going to calm down, he continued. “Let’s get some lunch and figure out our next step.”


“Maybe you could start by telling me what the hell is going.”


“First tell me who he is.”


Robert and Carter spoke at the same time. Logan could feel a headache coming on. “Let’s wrap up your finger first, then during lunch, I’ll try to explain everything.”


He left the two in the kitchen as he went into the bathroom. He didn’t want Robert to know about the medicines and supplies that were in their bedroom closet. There were gauze wraps and Neosporin in the cabinet in their bathroom. He grabbed the supplies and went back into the kitchen.


“Sit.” He knew his voice was terse but the day had been stressful. First heading into town, having Robert pop up out of nowhere, then breaking into the feed store, and finally coming home to Carter shooting off half of his finger. Not half, he admitted as he applied the disinfection gel to the wound. It really was just the tip. He could feel Carter tense as he wrapped the gauze around it.


“It should heal in a few days. Just don’t get it wet or dirty or anything. Here, put these away.” He handed Carter the medical supplies and turned to Robert. “We’ll have sandwiches and chips for lunch.”


After removing the bags of seeds from the table, Logan pulled out lunch meat from the fridge. He didn’t want Robert to know about all their supplies in the pantry, basement, and shed out back. He didn’t think the man would rob them, but he couldn’t be too careful. If things continued to escalate at the same rate, their supplies could be the difference between life and death.


“There’s some bread over in the breadbox. You wanna grab it?” Logan gave Robert something to do besides stare at him. He dropped the bologna and ham slices on the table and turned back to the fridge. He gathered up the condiments and put them on the table too. Reaching up to the cabinet next to the refrigerator, he brought out paper plates and napkins.


Carter was back by the time everything was on the table. All three men sat down and started to make their sandwiches.


“You boys going to tell me what’s going on or you gonna make me wait for-fucking-ever?” Robert’s words were direct.


Logan sighed while Carter tensed beside him. He put a hand over Carter’s to calm him. “What do you mean?”


Robert smile was pure sarcasm. “Oh, I don’t know. Like maybe, what the hell you know.”


Deciding the best bet was to see what the older man knew, Logan asked, “What do you know? What’s been on the news?”


Taking a bit of his sandwich, Robert started talking. “Well, I don’t know much. Just what the TV is saying. Which isn’t a hell of a lot. Something about a flu that’s spreading fast. Airports, buses, everything is closed down. They are saying everyone has to stay home. Martial law has been declared.”


“What are they saying about this flu?”


Robert eyed Logan hard. “That it’s real contagious. You get it by just being in the same room as someone else. They saying if anyone has it to lock ‘em in a room by themselves and hang a white towel or sheet on your door and medical will be by to help them.”


“It’s not,” Logan said quietly.


“Not what?”


“It’s not airborne. It’s not even a flu or virus or anything.”


“How ya know? I’m telling you, boy, I’m running out of patience.”


Logan looked at Robert. “Listen. I’ll tell you what I know. First, it’s not contagious. It’s not a virus or bacteria. Wait. Let me finish before you ask questions. A vaccine, kind of like the flu shot, was being developed in my lab. It was using a combination of chemicals and technology to combat the common cold. But it failed. That is what is making everyone sick. So if you’ve not gotten the vaccine, you aren’t going to get sick. Unless someone who has had it bites you.”


“Bites you? The guy on the radio said that this flu was making people aggressive. Said he’d been bitten by a camera guy.”


“It’s not a flu! It’s a little robot that is settling in the hunger part of the brain. It wipes out everything but the need to eat.” Logan was getting frustrated. Either Robert wasn’t listening to him or he wasn’t explaining it right.


“They are zombies,” Carter butted in. “Like those old movies. All they want to do is eat. Not just your brains, but everything.”


The look on the old army man’s face was one of shock. Logan felt bad for him. He’d had weeks to come to terms with everything. Carter had several days. But Robert was being hit full force with everything as it was happening. “Look. I know it sounds crazy, but it is what’s happening.”


“This is crazy. How’d this happen? How could your lab let this out? Jesus, how many people got this damn shot?”


“It wasn’t approved. We didn’t send it out. Somehow it was leaked and distributed to other labs before we even knew what was happening.” Logan knew that wasn’t the full truth, but it was close enough. “I’m afraid this is just the start. It was sent to other countries first. But no one reported on it.”


Robert nodded. “I’ve a few buddies. I could get ahold of them and ask some questions.”


“I think most of the power, communication, things like that are gonna be down soon,” Carter said.


“I’ve a HAM radio. It’ll work.” Robert said.


Logan looked at Carter. Robert knew things they didn’t. Like how to shoot.


Read chapter 9

Tech: Zombie Effect Chapter 7

I've decided to try for the first time NaNoWriMo. I think it's going to help me finish this story! I've already started AND finished chapter 7.




Title: Tech: Zombie Effect Ch. 7
Characters: Logan/Carter
Series: Tech: Zombie Effect
POV: Carter


Carter pulled out a box of folders from the closet. He grunted as he lifted it onto the desk. ‘I’m going to have to get in shape if this is the apocalypse,’ he thought to himself. Opening the box, he pulled out several red folders, then blue, and finally yellow. He wasn’t sure yet how he wanted to organize the gardening instructions he was going to print out, he just knew he’d feel better having a system.


After glancing through the sites he wanted to print out, he decided he needed one more color of folders. He made the decision to put the instruction in order of the seasons, with one color holding indoor and greenhouse instructions. With winter coming soon, Carter started printing out tips and ideas for growing food inside.


Carter would highlight the instructions, put them in a word document, save the document with a relevant name, and then hit print. He’d printed out only three when he remembered Logan’s words about protecting their home.


Jumping up, Carter looked out the window. A sigh of relief escaped out his mouth when he saw nothing but the cold, grey sky. Deciding that wasn’t enough, he slipped his coat on and stepped outside.


‘I’ll just walk around the house and make sure nothing is out of place.’ He thought to himself. He knew he was being paranoid, but who the hell would’ve thought zombies would become a reality!


Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Carter was glad he’d walked around. He wanted to get into the habit of thinking about protection first. Something he’d never thought of before.


Inside the house again, he continued to find gardening tips. Saving them to the hard drive might be a waste of time if the power went out, but Carter found it comforting to know that each instruction was saved in two different ways-printed out on paper and electronically.


One link led to another and suddenly, “Fuck! I didn’t even think about meat!” The words echoed through the room as Carter spoke them aloud. Quickly he reached in the box of folders and chose bright orange. Those would hold instructions for how to butcher and cure different kinds of animals.


The weight of everything he didn’t know felt overwhelming to him. If this shit spread anymore, how the hell would they survive? Feeling angry. And unsure. And useless. Carter picked up the box of folders and stomped back into the closet. Dropping the box on the floor, he stomped back out. He wanted to be doing something useful, not printing out instructions. He needed to be able to protect himself. And Logan. He needed to learn how to shoot the guns Logan had bought.


Carter walked determinedly to their bedroom. He’d practice shooting while Logan was out getting whatever the hell it was he thought they needed. He stormed to the closet and pulled down the black box that held his gun.


He set the box on the bed and opened it. This shouldn’t be so hard, he thought, lifting the gun. He turned back to the closet, getting the small box of bullets they’d been using the day before. Then he walked into the kitchen. He set the gun and box of bullets on the table as he put on his heavy winter coat. The sky was still spitting snow. Carter knew it’d be cold outside. He took his gloves out of his pocket and left them laying on the table as he put the gun in one pocket and the bullets in the other.


He walked out the door, down the steps, and to where they’d practiced the day before. The target was still pinned up. Kneeling on the ground, Carter fumbled out a few bullets. He tried to remember how to release the thingy that held the bullets. Finally, he hit a button that released the case.


Feeling like he might know what he was doing, he smiled and loaded the clip. Standing back up, Carter closed one eye, brought the target into his sights, and fired. Bark flew from the tree. The tree five feet from the one holding the target.


“Well, shit. At least I hit a tree.” He lifted the gun and closed his other eye. Again bark flew from the wrong tree.


Over and over, Carter shot only to miss the target he was aiming at.


“Why are you shooting a tree?”


Carter jumped, spinning around. Right behind him stood a young boy.


“Shit! You scared the shit outta me!” Carter clutched at his chest. He could feel the frantic beating through his heavy coat. "Where the hell did you come from?"


The little boy swung his arm back. “Back there.”


Squinting to where the boy pointed, Carter asked, “Back where.”


“Back there. Across the river.”


“What did you swim across it?” Carter looked at the kid’s clothes. They were dry so he doubted the kids swam through the river.


The little boy gave him a cheeky grin. “No. There’s a tree down a ways that I crossed. You didn’t answer my question. Why are you shooting a tree.”


Carter scowled. “I’m not shooting a tree. I’m doing target practice.”


“But you ain’t hitting the target.”


And that was the problem, Carter thought. He hadn’t once hit the target he’d put up. Letting out a sigh, he replied, “I know. I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong.”


Excited hopefulness lit the boys face. “Can I try? I bet I could hit it!”


“Have you ever shot a gun before?” Carter knew out here in the country kids learned how to hunt at a young age. But he wasn’t just going to hand over a gun to a kid.


“No. My daddy says all guns should be banned.”


The crestfallen look on the boy’s face tugged at Carter’s heart. Before he could say anything, a minivan pulled into his driveway. Carter felt his stomach tighten. He was supposed to be protecting their home, yet here he was chatting with a kid. He pushed the boy behind him and braced his feet apart. He wasn’t a big man, and he hoped the stance would make him seem bigger than he was.


“Jimmy? Jimmy!” A slender woman stepped out of the van and rushed toward them.


“Hi, mom! He’s shooting trees!”


Carter groaned.


“I’m so sorry. With school out, Jimmy got a little bored,” the woman stuttered out as she rushed forward. “Come on, Jimmy. We need to get home. Daddy’s not happy right now. We don’t want to make him angrier.”


“Daddy’s never happy,” Jimmy mumbled out but started toward the driveway.


Carter’s eyes narrowed as he took notice of fading bruises on the woman’s face. She saw him looking hard at the yellow-green skin around her eye. “Thank you for watching over him.”


He continued to watch as she got in the car and backed out of the driveway. They must be from the subdivision that was being built. Carter had seen a couple of the houses had been finished and sold. He’d keep an eye out for the kid, he thought to himself. If things were going to get as bad as Logan thought, he didn’t want a kid to be hurt.


“And that’s why I have to learn how to shoot this thing,” he spoke the words out loud, scaring off a squirrel that had just climbed down from the tree.


He gripped the gun tighter as he brought it up. Wiggling his fingers around to get a more comfortable grip, Carter accidentally squeezed the trigger. The loud noise didn’t scare him as much as the searing pain in his little finger.


“Fuck!” He stared in horror at the sight of the finger that was now missing its tip.


On to chapter 8