Free The Last Outbreak (Book 1): Awakening by Jeff Olah Page B

and said, “We gotta go, but watch your step.”
     
    Leading the way as they stepped through the jagged path toward the opening, Griffin looked over at the driver. Moving past the elderly gentleman for the second time, he would have sworn under oath that the dead man moved his eyes to follow them.
     
    Stepping out first, he helped Cora to the opposite side of the road and sat her on the ice chest that had been ejected from the SUV. He leaned in, removed a four inch folding knife from his back pocket and cut the orange jumpsuit away from her wrists. “Okay, that’s done.”
     
    Cora looked up and saw that he was smiling. Her only thought was that this man must be exceptionally happy to be alive. Any other explanation for his apparent joy when surrounded by all this death would be highly inappropriate.
     
    Attempting to return the awkward gesture, she half-smiled, but quickly turned away and moved her line of sight to the shiny hardware binding her wrists to one another. “I really don’t—”
     
    Griffin placed his hand under her chin, lifted her head, and said, “I don’t want to know and we really don’t have the time. All that matters right now is that you and I are alive, but if we don’t get down off this mountain and out of the snow, we won’t be.”
     
    Cora nodded in agreement and started to stand.
     
    Griffin moved his hand to her shoulder and shook his head. “Just rest for a few minutes and catch your breath. We’ve got a pretty good walk ahead of us and you’re gonna need every last bit of strength you have. I’m not gonna let you slow us down.”
     
    Cora leaned against the tree at her back and attempted to brush the flaking blood from her hands. “Okay.”
     
    Griffin turned and disappeared back in through the front of the bus. He reappeared twice, again dragging a body with each pass. As the smoke continued to grow, he exited one last time, now pulling out one of the guards.
     
    Coughing as he spat a mouthful of soot out onto the pavement, Griffin seized the guard’s nine millimeter and her keys. Returning to Cora, he stared into her eyes and with his left hand, pulled a forty-five caliber pistol from his waistband.
     
    Holding one weapon in each hand, he said, “I’m going to trust you here. I have no reason to, although I also have no reason not to. I don’t know what the hell is going on this morning, and I really don’t care, but I’m not taking any chances. However, if you even think about doing anything other than protecting yourself with this, I WILL end your life. Are we clear?”
     
    She nodded.
     
    “Okay then,” Griffin said, holding out both weapons. “You have a preference?”
     
    She motioned toward the forty-five and then looked back at her cuffs.
     
    Setting the weapon at her feet, Griffin took the guard’s keys from his pocket and knelt at her side. “Just so we’re clear—”
     
    “You can relax,” Cora said. “That’s not me.”
     
    Griffin released her cuffs and then handed them back to her. “Time to prove it.”
     
    She stood, hurled them across the road, and stepped to him. She raised her arms slowly and moved in close, their torsos making contact first. She laid her head on his chest and draped her arms around him. “My name is Cora and you are the first man I have touched in months. Thank you for saving my life, but you smell like two-day-old crap.”
     
    He instinct was to push her away, but he let the moment play out a bit longer. As she lifted her head and stepped back he said, “I’m Griffin. I think we’re gonna get along just fine. Oh, and by the way, you’re welcome.”

14
 
    Moving to the rear stairwell, Ethan grabbed the clipboard from the stainless steel hook, logged their departure time, and handed it to David before opening the door. They stomped heavily down the galvanized diamond-plated steps and into the rear lot. Still in possession of the keys, Ethan said, “I’m driving today.”
     
    “Oh boy,” David said.