Read Online Outage 5: The Change by T.W. Piperbrook - Free Book Online
Authors: T.W. Piperbrook
Tags: Werewolves
Ads: Link
the bunker? Tom's hope was that they'd make it safely, get through the night, and figure out a stable place for her. Hopefully she had living relatives, someone who could care for her.
Like the rest of the survivors', her life had been irrevocably changed.
In the grim daylight, Joseph looked even more disheveled than he'd looked in the car. His army green jacket was ripped in several places; strings of fabric hung from his gloves. His boots were tattered.
"How'd you get here, Joseph?" Tom asked.
"I came from my buddy's house across town," Joseph said, gesturing with his elbow. "I was with him Friday night when the storm started. We were watching a movie. And then the snow started adding up, and we got bored, and for some reason, we had the stupid idea to go snowmobiling."
Tom, Maria, and Emily listened as Joseph told his story.
"My buddy has some trails in the woods behind his house. Most of them are pretty open, and we know them pretty well. So we went out for a while. But we kept running into tree limbs and broken branches. All the trees were cracking from the weight of the snow. We stopped and talked about heading home. And then one of those things came out of nowhere." Joseph shuddered at the memory. "It ripped my buddy Frank from his snowmobile. I thought it was a bear or a wolf. I screamed at the thing, but it kept clawing him, pulling him apart. And then Frank stopped struggling, and the thing came after me. I took off on my snowmobile."
"Jesus," Tom said.
Joseph trembled at the memory. "I felt horrible leaving him, but what could I do? I rode as fast as I dared, but every time I looked back, the damn thing was still behind me. I lost track of where I was. The snowmobile kept crashing into tree branches. It started making awful noises, and I was sure I was going to die. But somehow I went fast enough to lose the thing. I ended up in a neighborhood I'd never seen, and that's when I realized how many of them there were."
Lana wriggled in Joseph's arms, and he stopped to check the blankets, ensuring they were wrapped up tight.
"What did you see?" Tom asked.
"People being pulled from their homes. Ripped apart in the snow. I came out on the top of a valley, and the screaming echoed up to where I was. I can't tell you how long I watched that neighborhood, helpless, wishing I could do something." Joseph wiped his face on the top of his jacket to rid himself of some tears. "Eventually, I rode out of there. I was so frantic that I went faster than I should have. I crashed my snowmobile into a large branch, and it wouldn't start. I spent most of the last few days and the nights keeping to the woods, looking for help. When I found this baby, I knew I had to save it. I had to make up for leaving those people in the neighborhood. For leaving Frank."
Joseph stopped walking, trying to compose himself. Emily and Maria patted his back.
"It's not your fault," Maria said. "You did the best you could. And you saved Lana. That's got to count for something."
Joseph stared at the baby, smiling through his tears. Tom couldn't be certain, but he thought the baby smiled back.
"I'm just glad my parents live in Florida, so I don't have to worry about them," Joseph said. "They left me the house to look after."
"How long have you been there?"
"A few years. I haven't been back since Friday morning. I don't know if there's anything left to go back to."
"I know the feeling," Tom said. He patted Joseph's shoulder and urged the group onward. "It sounds like your parents had the right idea, moving to Florida. Maybe when this is over, we can all move down south."
The group grimly agreed.
Leaving behind a cluster of houses, they approached a low-standing bridge in a wooded area. Pine trees towered into the air on either side of it, sporting knobs on the side where branches had broken off. A sign labeled the Quantusset River. Tom recalled the area from his journey in the fire truck. They were going the right way.
"This river winds
Like the rest of the survivors', her life had been irrevocably changed.
In the grim daylight, Joseph looked even more disheveled than he'd looked in the car. His army green jacket was ripped in several places; strings of fabric hung from his gloves. His boots were tattered.
"How'd you get here, Joseph?" Tom asked.
"I came from my buddy's house across town," Joseph said, gesturing with his elbow. "I was with him Friday night when the storm started. We were watching a movie. And then the snow started adding up, and we got bored, and for some reason, we had the stupid idea to go snowmobiling."
Tom, Maria, and Emily listened as Joseph told his story.
"My buddy has some trails in the woods behind his house. Most of them are pretty open, and we know them pretty well. So we went out for a while. But we kept running into tree limbs and broken branches. All the trees were cracking from the weight of the snow. We stopped and talked about heading home. And then one of those things came out of nowhere." Joseph shuddered at the memory. "It ripped my buddy Frank from his snowmobile. I thought it was a bear or a wolf. I screamed at the thing, but it kept clawing him, pulling him apart. And then Frank stopped struggling, and the thing came after me. I took off on my snowmobile."
"Jesus," Tom said.
Joseph trembled at the memory. "I felt horrible leaving him, but what could I do? I rode as fast as I dared, but every time I looked back, the damn thing was still behind me. I lost track of where I was. The snowmobile kept crashing into tree branches. It started making awful noises, and I was sure I was going to die. But somehow I went fast enough to lose the thing. I ended up in a neighborhood I'd never seen, and that's when I realized how many of them there were."
Lana wriggled in Joseph's arms, and he stopped to check the blankets, ensuring they were wrapped up tight.
"What did you see?" Tom asked.
"People being pulled from their homes. Ripped apart in the snow. I came out on the top of a valley, and the screaming echoed up to where I was. I can't tell you how long I watched that neighborhood, helpless, wishing I could do something." Joseph wiped his face on the top of his jacket to rid himself of some tears. "Eventually, I rode out of there. I was so frantic that I went faster than I should have. I crashed my snowmobile into a large branch, and it wouldn't start. I spent most of the last few days and the nights keeping to the woods, looking for help. When I found this baby, I knew I had to save it. I had to make up for leaving those people in the neighborhood. For leaving Frank."
Joseph stopped walking, trying to compose himself. Emily and Maria patted his back.
"It's not your fault," Maria said. "You did the best you could. And you saved Lana. That's got to count for something."
Joseph stared at the baby, smiling through his tears. Tom couldn't be certain, but he thought the baby smiled back.
"I'm just glad my parents live in Florida, so I don't have to worry about them," Joseph said. "They left me the house to look after."
"How long have you been there?"
"A few years. I haven't been back since Friday morning. I don't know if there's anything left to go back to."
"I know the feeling," Tom said. He patted Joseph's shoulder and urged the group onward. "It sounds like your parents had the right idea, moving to Florida. Maybe when this is over, we can all move down south."
The group grimly agreed.
Leaving behind a cluster of houses, they approached a low-standing bridge in a wooded area. Pine trees towered into the air on either side of it, sporting knobs on the side where branches had broken off. A sign labeled the Quantusset River. Tom recalled the area from his journey in the fire truck. They were going the right way.
"This river winds
Similar Books
