Read Online Outage 5: The Change by T.W. Piperbrook - Free Book Online Page B

pursed his lips with fright. Tom held his breath, as if the simple action might preserve their safety.
    The baby started crying.  

Chapter Fifteen

    Several attempts to reach the man they'd heard had failed, leaving Kelsey to believe that everyone else was most likely dead or out of range. The bunker had settled into a depressed silence. Thinking back to her time at the hospital, Kelsey couldn't fathom anyone else being alive.
    She stared at the empty water bottle Silas had placed in the corner. Looking at the downtrodden faces of Mike and Officer Flannery, she tried to keep positive. She needed to remain strong for the children.  
    "Where do you think Tom is?" Silas asked, breaking the silence.
    His question hung ominously in the air. Kelsey looked at the others, hoping for a response. When she was positive no one else was going to answer, she said, "I'm not sure, honey."
    She looked away, suddenly certain the others could see through her lie. She envisioned Tom as she'd last seen him, sweating through the cold, ready to forge out into the snow. He'd assured her that he'd survive. But where had he gone?
    Was his frozen body lying among the others?
    She couldn't picture him dead.
    "I miss him," Silas said.
    "I do, too," Kelsey replied. "I'm sure we'll see him again."
    At the hospital, Tom had taken the lead, making sure the others were safe. He'd refused to give up, persisting through his injury. If it wasn't for him, she had no doubt they'd have died.
    The more she thought about it, the more she was certain he'd survived. The beasts were born and bred for the snow. More than likely, he'd succumbed to his inner urges, becoming one of the vile and vicious things he despised. That thought led to another.
    That means we're in danger.
    The thought hit her so hard that once she had it, Kelsey couldn't suppress it. Mike and Dave hovered in the corner, unaware of the situation that she'd put them in.  
    Tom knew where they were. She'd like to think he'd been able to control his urges, but that was probably a fool's hope.  
    What if he got inside the bunker? What if he brought back others?
    What if I've made the wrong decision?
    Silas tugged her jacket and smiled. She envisioned Katherine and Silas succumbing to the maws of the creatures. Whatever happened to Tom, she couldn't risk these people's lives. She needed to warn them, as much as that felt like a betrayal to Tom.  
    Clearing her throat and swallowing her guilt, Kelsey spoke across the room.
    "Mike? Officer Flannery? We need to talk."

Chapter Sixteen

    Joseph looked frantically at the others, then at the child in his arms. Lana's mouth was fully open as she wailed. Maria tried to hush the baby, but it was too late.  
    There was no chance the people hadn't heard them.  
    Tom raised himself back up and peered over the wall. The people were walking hurriedly in their direction. The blonde woman pointed, her bun bouncing on her head.
    "Who's there?" she shouted.
    Tom glanced frantically at the others. Considering their position, they had no choice but to expose themselves. It was time to go.  
    "Come on!" he yelled to the others. "Get across the bridge!"
    Maria hobbled to her feet, grabbing hold of Emily, and pulled her along. Joseph hurried through the snow with Lana. Tom aimed the gun over the side of the bridge.
    "Stay back!" he yelled.  
    The advancing people stopped, hanging by the riverbank. The couples held up their hands.  
    "We're unarmed," the blonde woman shouted.
    "We're looking for help," the clean-shaven man next to her added, twisting his face into an expression of fear. "What's going on here?"
    The other couples shifted uneasily. Had Tom not seen their casual stroll a few seconds earlier, he might've been fooled. Not now.
    "Stay back!" he repeated, swiveling the rifle from one to the next.  
    Taking in their fake demeanors, Tom had the urge to fire at each one, taking out his vengeance for the people he'd lost. But he wasn't confident he could hit all