The Loss (Zombie Ocean Book 4) Read Online Free
Author: Michael John Grist
and biting down hard. I don't know what to do.
Lara squeezes my arm and that helps too, so I pack the doubts away, like always. She doesn't say anything glib like, "We'll find him," or, "It'll be OK," and I'm grateful for that. We both know Cerulean's gone, and whoever's taken him is probably not giving him back.
"What can I do?" Anna asked me, after her sad welcome party in the lobby had wound down, when it was just the two of us in my office in the back of the Theater. "I see what's happening now; more security, pill-boxes on rooftops, patrols, so what can I do?"
Her lost hope had faded into rage, burning off her hot and raw. I had to channel it but I had nothing solid to offer, only my own answering frustration.
"We've searched everywhere," I told her. "We've scoured LA for twenty blocks square but there's no sign of him. We're planning wider forays but we can't overstretch ourselves. We've got to keep the core safe."
Anna nodded. She didn't say that it was my fault or take her anger out on me, as she would have once. Instead her eyes were sharp brown orbs that shone with new wisdom, making her strong in ways she hadn't been before.
She was a woman now, no longer a child.
"It's Julio," she said, looking me right in the eyes. "You know that, Amo. I know it."
I shook my head wearily. I'd expected it. "Julio's dead."
"Julio was shot, but we never found his body or his car. He hated Cerulean with a passion. He's got him now and we have to find him."
"Even if it is him," I said, "it doesn't help us. You're right, for five years we never found him, so how would we now? He could be anywhere in America. We can't afford to ignore other possibilities."
"What possibilities?"
I sighed, too weary to face them even then. "There could be another community of survivors out there. They may have a different idea of what survival is. If they were hunting us, trying to poach from us, it makes sense they'd take Cerulean first."
Her eyes flashed dangerously. "He wasn't weak."
I rested my hand on her arm. "I didn't say that. But I have to be practical, Anna. I can't send out mass patrols because we need our strength right here. We don't know what we're up against."
Anna took a deep breath, turning her anger inward like she was charging up a battery. I could feel the flywheel start to spin with the momentum of her rage, storing it up.
"So what can I do?" she asked again.
I squeezed her arm. "Help protect us. Join the patrols. We're casting a wider net day by day. If he's near we'll find him. That's all we can do for now. We'll go wider gradually."
She took a breath. I expected she might sag as the slow, hopeless reality struck home, but she didn't. She held the breath and it only filled her up more, and I began to see something of what she'd truly become: a woman who'd traveled around the world to find her father, who'd faced down a red demon and survived, who'd found her way home from darkest Mongolia and stumbled into this.
"It's really good to see you again, Anna," I said. I got up and gave her a hug, squeezing as much for my benefit as for hers. She hardly squeezed back.
On the beach Lara and I watch the stars cycle overhead, talking in low tones.
"Anna's gone to UCLA," she tells me. "Running tests on the T4 virus. She dragged Jake and Salman with her, and from the sound of it they haven't slept yet. Ravi wasn't happy, but, well…"
She tails off and the waves slap on the beach below. The old Anna would be out on them now, trying to race the guilt and frustration away on a catamaran. She'd been cruel to Cerulean for years, but I always thought they'd get a chance to work it out.
"Come to bed," Lara says. "You've done all you can for tonight. You can still get a few hours sleep before roll call, and be there when the kids come charging in."
She smiles. She's an excellent mother and wife, a leader in New LA, but I couldn't sleep now if I tried. I need to see Anna again, though I don't know what I'll say. I need to come up
Lara squeezes my arm and that helps too, so I pack the doubts away, like always. She doesn't say anything glib like, "We'll find him," or, "It'll be OK," and I'm grateful for that. We both know Cerulean's gone, and whoever's taken him is probably not giving him back.
"What can I do?" Anna asked me, after her sad welcome party in the lobby had wound down, when it was just the two of us in my office in the back of the Theater. "I see what's happening now; more security, pill-boxes on rooftops, patrols, so what can I do?"
Her lost hope had faded into rage, burning off her hot and raw. I had to channel it but I had nothing solid to offer, only my own answering frustration.
"We've searched everywhere," I told her. "We've scoured LA for twenty blocks square but there's no sign of him. We're planning wider forays but we can't overstretch ourselves. We've got to keep the core safe."
Anna nodded. She didn't say that it was my fault or take her anger out on me, as she would have once. Instead her eyes were sharp brown orbs that shone with new wisdom, making her strong in ways she hadn't been before.
She was a woman now, no longer a child.
"It's Julio," she said, looking me right in the eyes. "You know that, Amo. I know it."
I shook my head wearily. I'd expected it. "Julio's dead."
"Julio was shot, but we never found his body or his car. He hated Cerulean with a passion. He's got him now and we have to find him."
"Even if it is him," I said, "it doesn't help us. You're right, for five years we never found him, so how would we now? He could be anywhere in America. We can't afford to ignore other possibilities."
"What possibilities?"
I sighed, too weary to face them even then. "There could be another community of survivors out there. They may have a different idea of what survival is. If they were hunting us, trying to poach from us, it makes sense they'd take Cerulean first."
Her eyes flashed dangerously. "He wasn't weak."
I rested my hand on her arm. "I didn't say that. But I have to be practical, Anna. I can't send out mass patrols because we need our strength right here. We don't know what we're up against."
Anna took a deep breath, turning her anger inward like she was charging up a battery. I could feel the flywheel start to spin with the momentum of her rage, storing it up.
"So what can I do?" she asked again.
I squeezed her arm. "Help protect us. Join the patrols. We're casting a wider net day by day. If he's near we'll find him. That's all we can do for now. We'll go wider gradually."
She took a breath. I expected she might sag as the slow, hopeless reality struck home, but she didn't. She held the breath and it only filled her up more, and I began to see something of what she'd truly become: a woman who'd traveled around the world to find her father, who'd faced down a red demon and survived, who'd found her way home from darkest Mongolia and stumbled into this.
"It's really good to see you again, Anna," I said. I got up and gave her a hug, squeezing as much for my benefit as for hers. She hardly squeezed back.
On the beach Lara and I watch the stars cycle overhead, talking in low tones.
"Anna's gone to UCLA," she tells me. "Running tests on the T4 virus. She dragged Jake and Salman with her, and from the sound of it they haven't slept yet. Ravi wasn't happy, but, well…"
She tails off and the waves slap on the beach below. The old Anna would be out on them now, trying to race the guilt and frustration away on a catamaran. She'd been cruel to Cerulean for years, but I always thought they'd get a chance to work it out.
"Come to bed," Lara says. "You've done all you can for tonight. You can still get a few hours sleep before roll call, and be there when the kids come charging in."
She smiles. She's an excellent mother and wife, a leader in New LA, but I couldn't sleep now if I tried. I need to see Anna again, though I don't know what I'll say. I need to come up
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