900 Miles (Book 2): 900 Minutes Read Online Free Page B

weapon down, I pulled back as a small girl rolled out onto the floor. She was n’ t older than ten or twelve, and did n’ t have a mark on her. With long blond hair and overly pale skin from living underground too long, she looked almost angelic.
    Putting my hammer back into my belt, and nodding at Kyle, I reached down and lifted her up with both hands. One small arm rolled across her chest, and she lifted her head slightly before falling back to sleep. 
    I gave a huge sigh of relief. With all the death in that room, at least one person had made it.
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 4

The chef did make good eggs.
     
    My eyes caught a movement across the room. There was a banging at the cylindrical door, followed by a squelch as a circular switch began to turn to the right. I glanced back at Kyle, who  shook his head. Mr. Rodgers lifted his eyes to meet mine. It could n’ t be the creatures.
    The door clanged open and slowly swung wide as we watched our fearless leader enter the room.
    Jarvis, the man who had been elected leader of Avalon shortly after Kyle and I had returned, stepped through the frame and into a pile of gore covering the floor. Glancing down, he shook his boot, splashing small chunks of brain across the dead body of a woman wearing a scarf.
    When we initially encountered Jarvis, in those first weeks of the apocalypse, he was well-kept. Suit and a tie, short silver hair, and a friendly smile that you could n’ t help but trust. His status was somewhere in between the Elites that ran Avalon and the Commoners that were tasked with taking care of it.
    I t’ s funny to think of him like that. Over the past months, his polished demeanor was quickly replaced with black Army fatigues and long, pushed-back hair. He now sported a small scar running down his neck, a wound h e’ d picked up during the fight after the Arena battle, and a constant two day s’ worth of gray stubble. The harder, more toughened looking Jarvis was still just as poised as ever. He was someone we all knew we could trust.
    Jarvis had fought hard to transform Avalon into a place where people were equal. He taught us to scavenge without stealing, and to live without needless killing. While we had our share of issues in this little compound, his leadership helped maintain a level of trust inside the walls. We all knew what we were following him towar d… a society that adapted to the new reality, but held on to its humanity. Ultimately, h e’ d created a positive place in a world of evil. I would have followed Jarvis to hell and back. We all would.  
    Richard, his number two in command, sidestepped the reddish-black puddle and entered just behind him. They both looked around at the mess, assessing the damage to the Med Center.
    “ You boys got here a bit late on this one, did n’ t you ?” Jarvis finally asked.
    None of us responded. He did n’ t expect us to.
    As they walked toward the middle of the room, their eyes finally fell on the small girl resting in my arms.
    “ One survivor ,” I managed to get out.
    No response from their end. I did n’ t expect one.
    We all looked around in silence. The writing was on the wall, in blood. At this pace, we were n’ t going to make it. There was no stopping the fact that as hard as we tried, this existence would eventually end us all. We were simply holding our thumb on the slow motion button until we hit the inevitable.
    Glancing up from the little girl, I looked over at Jarvis and asked ,“ Have we received any more communication from our friends on the West Coast ? ”
    I must have looked desperate.
    Jarvis shifted his shoulders toward mine, but did n’ t make eye contact as he continued to look around the roo m“ No, we haven't heard from them in six weeks . ”
    “ I t’ s looking more and more like w e’ re on our own out here ,” Richard added in a low, solemn voice.
    There was one distant star of hope out there just weeks after the world fell apart. Avalo n’ s communication