Free The Phoenix Trilogy (Book 1): World On Fire by Charles Scottie

away?” Rico laughed, turning
back to the counter to gather up Natalie's equipment.
        “ Well, he grabbed his gear without a word.
Marco not constantly running his mouth is kind of a red flag that something
rubbed him the wrong way.” Natalie blushed at his words, trying to think of a
response. Should she be apologizing? They might agree that Marco was a bit of a
hard pill to swallow, but he and Rico were still family.
          Giving her pack another glance, Rico
nodded to himself. Satisfied with his work, he handed Natalie's share of
supplies over. He must have guessed what was on her mind, because he barked another
laugh as she took her gear.
        “ Look, between you and me, Marco could use
a few knocks to the ego. Far as I'm concerned, you're doing us a favor.”
Changing gears, he cocked his head at her bag.
        “ Give that a look over, familiarize
yourself with what you've got, and meet us upstairs at the ladder. We'll head out as soon as you're ready.” Flashing one last reassuring
smile at her, Rico headed up to meet BJ and Marco.
         Doing as she was told, Natalie found most
of her bag filled with what you'd expect: some medical supplies, a tightly
rolled cot for sleeping, a fair portion of food and water, as well as a handful
of hygienic additions like soap and deodorant. Those last items were the only
ones that gave her pause.
        Soap
she could understand, to keep her hands clean of infectious material, but the
rest seemed superfluous. She suspected Rico might be trying to keep her as
comfortable as possible, in spite of what might be happening to the world at
large. It was unnecessary, but his thoughtfulness was appreciated anyway.
         The crew didn't have a spare harness for
her to attach her shotgun to, but it did have a basic strap she could sling
over her shoulder that was better than nothing. The prom-tip was installed and
ready to go, and a side pocket on her pack had revealed a generous amount of
assorted ammunition for her to use.
        Lastly,
her pistol was fitted to a holster that rested on her opposite hip. It was
awkward, and not where she would have installed it for herself, but Rico had
insisted. This way if her shotgun ran dry, she could let it swing back on its
strap and swap to her handgun without it impeding her draw speed. It was the
last card she could play in case of an emergency, and it was not one that felt
safe.
         Natalie vaguely hoped it wouldn't come to
that, but she recognized the naivety of the sentiment. There was virtually no
chance she was going to make this trip without incident. She set her jaw and
shoved the fear in her chest back down, intent on keeping her cool.
        Natalie
didn’t have time to waste on worrying. All she could do was move forward. With
that, she followed after Rico and up the stairs, her gaze focused on anything
but the bloody stain left from the zombie she had dispatched at the window as
she passed.
         BJ smiled at her as she entered the old
bedroom. Marco still looked dour, refusing to make eye contact while Rico
quickly checked Natalie's straps and holster to make sure
they were secure. He offered a sheepish smile as he did so, not wanting to
offend her but imparting the necessity to be absolutely certain she wouldn't be
losing any of her gear.
        “ Comfortable enough?” The rumble came from
BJ, his attention settled on something outside the window but his words meant
for Natalie. The look on his face was unsettling, and she wasn't in a great
hurry to find out what had him concerned.
        “ Yeah, as much as I'm ever going to be, I
think. I imagine this takes some getting used to.” She rolled her shoulders,
adjusting the lay of the shotgun. It wasn't terribly heavy, but it was a weight
she wasn’t accustomed to carrying, and it showed.
        Natalie
caught a glimpse of disappointment on BJ's face before it faded away, and she
wondered if she'd done something wrong.