Hounded | Book 3 | Hounded 3
Page 31
“Come on out, its safe. They aren’t here to hurt us,” Robert called into the hotel entranceway. Moments later, several unarmed people came out – women, children, and men too. Bellamy backed out of the doorway, down the steps and further back, allowing for all the people to emerge outside.
Seeing the people completely relaxed Bellamy and the others, easing his concerns. As the group spilled out into the concrete parking lot, Bellamy noticed their clean clothes. So did the others, each glancing at one another.
“Do you have running water and power here?” Bellamy asked with excitement in his voice.
“We do, yes.”
“But how?”
“Before the outbreak, about a year back now, a wind farm was built on the island. It eliminated the diesel fuel we once needed, so we’ve been running on power from the wind farm.”
“Water?”
“Water tanks mostly, though a majority of our water has been coming from the water plant right here on the island. The power runs it. Without that, then yes, we’d have little water if we had to rely solely on the tanks.”
“I assume it has its own backup generator though?”
“It does, yes, but so far it’s not been needed. Our island was self-sufficient before the virus. We were only a town of just a thousand people. You’re the first living, non-infected souls we’ve seen.” He beamed a smile that was contagious and the group all smiled in return, happy to see more uninfected people.
“What about food?” Harry asked as he watched a boy fiddle with a toy tank.
“We have farms for mostly everything we need. There are chickens, eggs, cows, goats even, and then we have sweet potatoes and other produce – again, all self-sufficient well before the wretched virus.”
Bellamy started to feel comfortable with Robert. There was a special something about that man. He was kind, knowledgeable, and a true survivor. He’d kept his group alive, and this eased all of Bellamy’s worries.
“Get the group off the ferry, Nakos and Harry. I believe we have a new home to settle into.” Bellamy said as he began shaking hands with other survivors. When Bellamy’s group arrived, they were all introduced. Ethan was getting a lot more attention because of his pet tiger, which gave Shadow a few giggles. Julie held Calloway’s hand while Timothy wrapped his right arm around Anya and smiled at the many new faces. There was enough room in the hotel for all of them to move in immediately.
When Oliver reached the group of people, he let off a deep howling cry as he quickly recognized two of the faces beaming bright smiles with tears wetting their cheeks. Oliver rushed past the group and into the arms of his parents. “How? Mom, Dad, how?” he questioned through a barrage of hugs.
“Dear God! It’s so good to see you, son. The cruise ship we were on was overtaken by the virus and some people had dogs on board. We were so close to New York on our return, when it all turned upside down. We and twelve others managed to get into a lifeboat and somehow, by the power of the gods, we ended up here,” Cassie, Oliver’s mom, explained as she continued to embrace him. His father, Garret, wept silently, being too emotional to speak. Oliver couldn’t stop hugging his parents. After some time, he introduced them to Bellamy, Lily, Calloway, Julie, Timothy, Ethan, Shadow, and the others. Nakos and Millie were greeted by everyone with joyful hugs and coos and belly tickles for Hope. Hazel and Liam were also bombarded with smothering, gleeful hugs, and the newborn Gabriel was cooed over too.
“Before we settle in, please tell me if anyone here has been bitten or scratched by any human zombies.”
Robert shrugged his shoulder in a sullen way. He looked to the ground, then back up to meet Bellamy’s eyes.
“Yes, and we know what happens to those that did. My own wife! I had to put her down like a rabid dog.” Tears filled his big brown eyes. His long full lashes swept them over like a falling leaf. Bellamy put his strong hand on Robert’s shoulder.
“We all know how that is, deeply,” Bellamy said as he gave the go ahead for his group to move in. A short stocky woman by the name of Matilde showed them where to go. Oliver took Crunchie and Shadow and followed his parents inside. They took him to the dining area and sat for a few hours, catching up. Bellamy stayed to chat more with Robert, and Lily stayed back too. The three of them went into the bar inside the hotel and talked for hours. The more they talked, the more Bellamy relaxed. He and Lily felt like they were finally in a safe town.
Lily leaned into Bellamy and gave him a kiss, then moved to his ear and whispered, “We are home, darling. We are finally home.” Her eyes filled with salty tears. She let them fall naturally. Bellamy held her in a loving embrace and whispered back. “We are, babe, we are indeed home.”
The End
Thank you for reading Hounded 3 Gaining exposure as an independent author relies mostly on word-of-mouth, so if you have the time and inclination, please consider leaving a review wherever you can.
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Best wishes,
Ellie Douglas
About the Author
Ellie Douglas currently resides in New Zealand with her husband and four children. As a child, Enid Blyton and Stephen King inspired her love of writing and reading. When she is not writing, she can be found designing one-of-a-kind pre-made book covers.
Her passion for creative art led her to become a talented and sought-after freelance cover artist.
In her free time, she enjoys the cinema, spending time with her children, music, dancing, and anything and everything to do with Horror, especially zombies.
Feel free to explore her social media sites.
http://www.authorellie.com/
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Other books by Ellie Douglas
Hounded 1
Hounded 2
The Dead Undone
The Dead Wake Horror Collection Vol 1
Death O Death Horror Collection Vol 2
Fear Inducer
Leech
Bury ’Em Deep
The Trapper
Crawlies
"The secret to living well and longer is: Eat half, walk double, laugh triple, and love without measure..." ~Tibetan Proverb
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” ~Abraham Lincoln
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” ~William Shakespeare
“Two things are infinite: The universe and the survival of humans.” ~Ellie Douglas