“Jackpot! Grab one of those carts and let’s load it up.”
A few minutes later they were wheeling the cart to the front door and James opened the door while Connor pushed it out. When he exited behind his brother, he saw that Connor had his AR aimed toward the truck. James quickly did the same, noticing a black truck parked on the pump opposite theirs. An auburn-haired head popped out from behind the truck.
“You guys mind turning pump three on?”
It was Ana, the redheaded woman with Emmett’s group. Connor grumbled something and went back inside while James pushed the cart to the back of their truck, then went over to the pump, sticking the nozzle back in the gas tank and beginning to fill it up. He then moved to the back of the truck and unloaded the cart.
“Alexis told me what you guys did for us,” Ana said, walking over. “Thank you. She also told me about how badass you two were, which I, of course, didn’t believe. But it does look like you might know a little about what you’re doing.”
“You’re welcome. We’ve been planning for this for years. Just never thought it’d actually happen.”
“Yeah, pretty crazy, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. So, what’re you guys doing here?” he asked as Alexis got out of the truck and came over to stand by them.
“We decided we would just follow you. You could use our help, whether you know it or not,” Alexis said, standing with her arms crossed.
“Is that so?” James said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, it is.”
He chuckled. “Well, we can’t stop you from following us.”
“What happened to you guys anyway?” Ana asked as Connor returned, carrying a few grocery bags of food.
James was silent as his brother walked up and threw the food into the bed of the truck.
“We recently lost our parents,” he said, “and not to zombies.”
“I’m sorry. I lost my mom a few days ago,” Alexis said.
“Seems like we’ve all lost loved ones,” Ana said.
“There’s more water in there. You want some?” Connor asked, eyeing the girls.
“I’ll come grab some with you,” Ana said, following Connor back inside.
“Where’s your dad?” James asked Alexis.
“He stayed in the truck. Didn’t want to get in your way. He respects your decision to go it alone.”
“So you convinced him otherwise?”
“Well, Ana and I. We figured there had to be a reason, and I’m sorry about your parents, but we can help each other. Will you just try it for a few days?” she asked, giving him what he figured were the notorious “puppy dog eyes.”
“I’ll have to talk to my brother, but a few days couldn’t hurt,” he said. This woman was full of fire and determination.
“Good. At least you’ll think about it.”
Ana, followed by Connor, emerged from the station carrying bags of food with a cart full of water. He brought the bags over to Emmett’s truck and loaded them into the bed while Ana wheeled the cart over, then came back to their truck, Ana trailing behind.
“So what’d he say?” Ana asked as Connor settled next to his brother.
“That I’d have to talk to my brother,” James said.
“Good. That’s what your brother said, too. So, do you two want to lead the caravan for now?” Ana asked as she walked back to the truck.
“We never said if we agreed or not,” James said, exasperated.
“Well, either way we’ll be following you till you stop next,” Alexis said.
Connor shook his head and climbed into the bed of the truck, rummaging around in the totes from which he pulled out two sets of radios and chargers. Getting out, he handed one of each to Alexis.
“This way we can at least coordinate. If you’re going to follow us, then you’re going to follow our lead. Got it?” Connor said.
“Sure. I’ll let my dad know.”
“Good,” Connor said, going to the passenger seat of the truck and leaving James and Alexis at the back.
“We’d better get going. ‘Burnin daylight,’ as they say,” James said.
Alexis chuckled. “My dad says that all the time. And I think you’ll be surprised at how well we operate,” she said, walking back to the truck and climbing into the passenger seat.
James walked to the fuel pump and topped off the tank, then jumped into the driver’s seat and gave a nod to Emmett, who nodded back.
“Is this thing working?” Ana said over the radio Connor held.
“Roger that. Rolling out,” Connor responded.
“You were in the military, too, weren’t you?”
“Yes, miss, I was.”
“Never would have guessed.”
James chuckled and Connor looked over at him, trying to hide a smile. The trucks pulled out, the white Ram leading the black F-450. Turn the Page by Bob Seger was playing on their playlist. Maybe there was still hope after all.
Thanks for reading Outbreak!
I hope you have enjoyed the first book in The Brother’s Creed series. The story will be continued in 2018 with Book 2: Battleborn!
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I couldn’t have finished this book without the help of all of the people listed below, a huge thanks to:
Jesus, who is my ultimate inspiration in everything.
My wife, for all your help with editing, the cover, and making me write even when I didn’t want to.
My family, you’ve always been there for me and supported me in this.
Guildies in the FRG, for all your hard work helping me polish things off!
My awesome editor, you helped make this book readable.
My cover artist, you brought the image in my head to life.
And finally all my readers, you are the ones who keep me going and allow me to chase this dream!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am a Jesus Freak and follower of the Way. As an adventurous nerd, I love the outdoors and when I’m not found high in the mountains of Alaska, I can be observed living on the rolling plains of eastern Montana with my wife, guns and two katanas. I have a passion for all things imaginary and find inspiration in the wilderness, away from all the distractions of life. Some of my other passions include hunting, shooting, board and video games, hard rock, movies, reading and the Walking Dead.
Learn more about me at:
www.joshuacchadd.com
Outbreak (The Brother's Creed Book 1) Page 15