Free The Hollow Men (Book 1): Crave by Jonathan Teague

your mom, and your mom will know how to take care of her. The faster we get home, the sooner we can find out how she is and how we might help.”
    He flipped through all FM and AM radio stations, trying to catch any news he could. He only cared about the town where his wife and daughter waited for him, whether or not any deadly viruses had reached them, and what care was available. Information was limited. From the brief statements that traveled the airwaves, civilization was in free fall.
    “Come on. Come on,” he muttered as he raced home.
    His thoughts were out of control, dwelling on worst case scenarios. This was unusual for him. He’d learned to master his emotions. It helped him operate more effectively when the stakes were highest and multiple variables were in a constant state of flux. He had exercised that discipline in the most chaotic firefights. It enabled him to save many lives, including his own.
    Right now, Tom couldn’t muster the mental clarity. His mind howled with an awful premonition that before the day ended, he might lose his whole family. He vowed he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to them.
    He pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor. The Escalade’s powerful engine surged. Navigating the twisting ninety-mile journey in an hour was close to impossible. He aimed to make it in forty-five minutes.
    Tom and Chase arrived home twenty minutes ahead of Scott’s family. They screeched into the driveway, doors flying open and feet scraping the ground before the truck fully stopped.
    Tom found his wife lying on the couch. Sweat glazed her forehead. He knelt by her side and shook her gently. She startled awake with a small scream.
    “Sorry I scared you. Is everything all right?” Tom asked
    She stood up and gave Tom a hard squeeze and gentle kiss. “I’m so glad you’re home. We’re good. It’s amazing how much better Katie is. The fever is gone and she’s eating. She was chatty an hour ago. Finally, her poor little body was so exhausted she fell asleep again. She may have more occasional bouts of fever before this is over, but I think the worst is behind her.”
    Tom held Ridley in his arms a moment longer and whispered, in a voice choked with emotion, “I would be lost without you. I love you.”
    Ridley kissed her husband and then turned her attention to her son. She hugged Chase to her. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. So sorry. You were wonderful. Don’t let ten seconds define your life. You’ve accomplished a lot this season, and you have a lifetime of wonderful days and years ahead of you.”
    Chase relived that sickening moment when he cost his team the state championship. All that he had experienced over the last few hours had made the game seem distant and dreamlike. He melted into his mom’s arms, briefly her little boy again. It was like spending a few minutes at a quick charge station, enough to fuel him for a less troubled sleep that night and to begin the process of healing.
    When Ridley held her son, she noticed the dried blood on the back of his neck. “What is this? I saw on TV when that woman attacked you. Did she do it? What happened?”
    Tom jumped in, surprising himself when he heard annoyance in his voice. “I already looked at it. Just a scratch. Worst case, we slap some antibiotic on it and a Band-Aid. He’s fine.”
    Ridley scowled at him.
    Conscious of it again, Chase felt the burning scratch on his skin and touched it ruefully.
    Ridley went into the bathroom to get antiseptic. While she was gone, Katie came downstairs, looking much stronger. She hadn’t showered or changed her clothes in three days, and she reeked in the aftermath of her illness, but that could be fixed. Her soaring fever no longer ravaged her body, and the sparkle of her personality had returned.
    Elated, Tom swung her up to rest her head on his shoulder. “Feeling better, Princess?”
    “Yes, Daddy. Much better. I’m sad I didn’t get to go with you.” She yawned and faded back to