The people at the Sanctum had worked up a system to keep the heat on, but since their fuel supplies were low, heat was rationed, leaving the room at a chilly fifty-two degrees.
“Oooo,” Jo said. “Close the sleeping bag. You’re freezing me.”
Jones let the sleeping bag fall back in place, sealing Jo from the cold air. She purred with delight. He used his toe to tug a pair of blue jeans across the floor and slid them on. After that, he put on a pair of heavy wool socks.
“What’s on the docket today?” Jo asked, suppressing a yawn.
“Doing what I always do, making sure the men on the wall aren’t sleeping on the job and maybe go out on patrol,” Jones said.
Jo pushed herself up on her elbows and her brow furrowed in concern, “Are you sure you’re up for a patrol? We’re never sure if those marauders are really gone.”
“The doc is a miracle worker,” Jones said, stretching his legs and wincing only a little. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay in the Humvee.”
She wagged a finger at him and said, “You make sure you do.”
Jones just shook his head slowly back and forth and let out a low whistle.
A chiming noise broke the quiet. Jones looked toward the window where a solar charger hung outside the window with wires leading back inside connecting to a satellite phone sitting on the sill. The phone continued to chime away, and Jo jumped out of bed, clad only a long flannel nightshirt.
Jo looked at the phone, blinking away as if she could not believe it was ringing.
“Your phone is ringing,” Jones said, looking back at her. “Now, I have a question - who the hell could be calling you out of the blue?”
Jo slowly stood and spoke, her voice dry and breathy, “Only one person has that number.”
She walked across the cold floor barefoot, but she didn’t seem to notice it chill now.
“Baby, who is calling?” Jones asked.
She ignored him and picked up the phone as it chimed away. With her back to him, she thumbed the Talk button and said, “Hello?”
A Note from the Author
I want to thank you for reading this book. This is the longest book I’ve written in my career and I appreciate that you have made it to the end. I truly hope that you enjoyed the ride.
As you may already know, the Deadland Chronicles is a part of a much bigger world and that is my Books of the Dead series. Many of the characters from this series started their lives in the Books of the Dead and I’m going to let you know a little secret -- some of them are going to reappear in the Books of the Dead series. Book 9 in the Books of the Dead series is in the works now and should be out in the late spring of 2021.
Lastly, reviews are the lifeblood of the independent author. I would deeply appreciate it if you would leave one for this book. Again, thanks for coming along for the ride.
Until next time,
R.J. Spears
The Deadland Chronicles | Book 4 | Siege of the Dead: Page 53