Free The Hungry 5: All Hell Breaks Loose (The Sheriff Penny Miller Series) by Steven Booth, Harry Shannon

discussing their relationship. Didn’t Scratch understand that they needed to survive the next few minutes?
    “I’ll take it under advisement,” she said. She tried to cover her cold remark with a smile, but Scratch just looked at her in the flickering torchlight.
    A few moments later, the group finally reached the bowl-shaped arena, and Gary held up his hand. They all stopped. Gary looked up and pointed at the open sky. Everyone went silent. In the distance, one light gray shape, almost invisible against the bright sky, flew in a rough figure eight formation. The sun glinted off the pod-mounted optics of the drone. It was still searching for them.
    Moments later, another drone appeared and dropped into a similar pattern.
    Jesus, two of those suckers.
    “Can those things really fly in formation?” asked Scratch.
    Rat just said, “It seems so.”
    “It’ll just be a moment, and then we can head down into the ceremonial chamber,” Gary said. “You know, where Vanessa is waiting.”
    “Gary, look…”
    “We will have a feast—a regular, civilian feast, mind you, Sheriff Miller—and then we’ll let you choose whatever you need from our supplies. Tomorrow morning you can be on your way.”
    For a brief moment, Miller almost wished she’d just been shot up with zombie accelerant again. With the pry bar she could have taken them all out and freed her friends at the same time. Without the Super Solider Sauce and surrounded by a small mob carrying tools and torches and hidden guns, the odds favored the enemy. She was just a normal woman again. She’d have to trust her original plan and be patient. One thing was for certain, they couldn’t wait for morning. They’d have to run for it, one way or another.
    “Almost ready, Sheriff,” Gary said.
    Miller nodded, but in her head she was doing math. The crowd would fade away in time. Miller, Rat, Scratch, and Sheppard were four. Gary, Allison, Jennifer, Shane, and Brandon were five. If Brandon switched sides, it would be five to four in Miller’s favor. And if they could get two of the enemy to turn, it would make it easier to vote someone off the island.
    Miller studied Shane, who she hadn’t spoken to much while they were digging. He carried a pickaxe and another pry bar, and quite possibly a pistol under his shirt. Shane was in his mid-twenties, and kind of on the gangly, awkward side.
    Miller got Rat’s attention and nodded in Shane’s direction. “Equal treatment,” was all she whispered. “Go get him.”
    Rat got the message. Despite having her jaw broken by Miller—and then super-healed by the fading effects of viral acceleration—Rat was a knockout by anyone’s estimation. Her fading bruises were invisible in the almost-romantic lighting. And both women knew instantly that six to three beat the hell out of five to four any day. Miller smoothly distracted the others by walking to the edge of the warm sunlight and staring up at the drones again. Meanwhile, Rat crossed over to stand near Shane. They began a quiet conversation. Miller tried to ignore them, so as to not draw undue attention to them. It didn’t seem to matter. Everyone’s attention was on the drones.
    The drones circled again perhaps a half mile away now but would soon be coming back. Gary, Allison, and Jennifer also kept their eyes on the sky. No one wanted to cross the open area before it was safe.
    Miller and Scratch stood side by side, watching Sheppard and Rat do their work. Scratch leaned down and said, “Do I maybe get a covert assignment, too, boss?” He looked up at Jennifer, who was young and pretty, though like the others, she was clearly in need of a shower. “I’m always willing to do my part.”
    Miller’s head snapped up. “Yes. Your assignment is that you get to continue being Terrill Lee. Now, keep quiet.”
    Scratch’s taunt bothered her more than she’d expected. To have him so easily switch gears and offer to catch the attention of a twenty-something curvy