Free August Burning (Book 1): Outbreak by Tyler Lahey Page A

pajamas on a bright
green front lawn somewhere in suburbia. The sprinklers continued to operate,
happily spraying the two parties with frigid well-water. In the background,
families in casual Sunday wear were being herded into green trucks. The father
was roughly tackled to the ground, and his hands were ziptied impatiently by a
young soldier with shaking hands. They loaded him onto the truck with harsh
faces. They could all hear the wife shouting as she was dragged, asking what
was even going on.
    Bennett slammed his fist on the table.
“We want some damn answers! What the hell is going on?!”
    “Bennett, please,” Adira pleaded, her
eyes red.
    “I’ve been up since dawn this morning.
People are leaving. They’re getting in their cars and driving south,” Tessa
said as if under sedation. Jaxton thought her drawl became more pronounced the
slower she tried to speak.
    The room erupted in chatter as
everyone tried to speak at once. Jaxton joined in, knowing a plan had to
formulated. Indecision was not acceptable in a situation like this.
    “ENOUGH!” Liam’s voice boomed,
silencing them all. They all looked to him to speak, but he clearly didn’t know
what to say.
    “We need supplies. We should get
supplies, in case anything happens.” Troy stared at the table as he spoke.
    “Yes. Supplies and canned food. Just
in case,” Bennett agreed heartily, relived as the rest of them to have a course
of action to follow.
    Jaxton felt his indecision evaporate
and spoke before finishing his thought. “Bennett. Adira. Get to the CVS right
now. Get anything you might think useful. Toiletries, over the counter
medicines…I don’t know. Go!”
    Adira nodded fiercely, meeting
Jaxton’s eyes with a flicker of admiration. She clasped Bennett by the hand and
they ran out.
    “Let’s spread out. I’m going to the
Rite-Aid.” Elvis said, leaving without another word. Harley looked to Liam
momentarily, who moved his head a fraction. She took off after Elvis.
    “Tessa. Liam. Come with me. We’re
going to need a lot of food. The supermarket might already be swamped. We’re
stealing a cart, I don’t give a shit.”
    Jaxton looked to the fiercest among
them. “Troy?”
    Troy had a feisty glint in his eyes,
impressed at the quick action of the group. For a second he grinned manically.
“I’m going to get us some answers.”

 
    Troy burst out onto the street, and
started running hard. He felt an explosion of joy rise within him as his legs
pumped furiously. He was going to run until it hurt. White spittle flew from
his mouth as he blew past other people. There was a visible tension in the air.
Groups of people walked hurriedly with their heads down, speaking in whispers
or not at all. Sirens were always blaring and Troy thought he heard several
helicopters passing overhead. The streets that ran through campus were almost
totally dead for the first time in his life, except for the occasional police cruiser.
He sprinted past people loading supplies into cars. Several, overloaded with
survivalist gear, were already starting down the road, heading south.
    He took a hard right turn at the next
block, flying past the row of dilapidated town houses occupied by local
fraternities. He spotted a group of men lounging on a leather couch outside,
drinking cans of cheap beer that he knew from experience tasted like watery
piss. He hung another hard right. Troy knew he was on his own. His own parents
had died in a car accident when he was only 6, and his aunt and uncle were
living in Appalachia. They were almost 70 themselves, and he had already let
them know not to even think about coming down. His heart had swelled with
emotion hearing about how his uncle had already loaded down their 2004 Honda
Civic with supplies with the intent of heading north to reach him. But was
certain he had made the right decision. Up north, the military had moved the
media farther and farther back from the Hudson River, as they stepped up