Free Bone And Cinder: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Zapheads Book 1) by Scott Nicholson, Joshua Simcox Page A

dawn.  They followed a small procession of survivors heading for the dining hall.  Mackie spotted a new face in the group now; a tall, sinewy kid with the look of an upper-classmen.
    So far, including himself, Allie, and Kara, Mackie counted a dozen warm bodies on campus.
    When he had arrived here the day before, the place had the feel of a countryside mausoleum blown apart by a storm, its corpses scattered haphazardly.  The bloated bodies were still present, but the campus had a more animated feel now.  It was a skewed, perverse sense of normal, but it was close enough to give Mackie some comfort.  Whatever else it became, at least this passed for some kind of society.
    Inside the dining hall, Rebecca and the couple Mackie saw seated on a bench earlier were at a table to the right.  The sinewy upper-classman sat at the table directly behind them. The despondent young man with glasses from the library was seated alone at a table in the rear.  Krider, Herrera, McRae, and Sayles took a table in the center of the room.  Meredith and Dante headed toward the kitchen area to search for non-perishable food.
    Mackie and Kara took a table far from the others.  “We have to get them on our side,” Kara said.  She was referring to Meredith, Sayles, and Dante, the soldiers.
    “I spoke with the girl, Meredith, earlier,” Mackie said.  “I tried to warn her about Krider, but she seemed willing to overlook the things I told her, circumstances being what they are.  I doubt her loyalty to Krider is iron-clad, but I know she’s grateful to him.  He and Herrera and McRae helped out her and her friends with some Zapheads earlier.”
    “They stood there and watched while Herrera beat me,” Kara said.  “They didn’t look particularly comfortable with it, but they didn’t step in to help me out, either.  Of course, I did have a gun and I tried to attack Krider when I saw him.  Maybe they’re fine with martial law.”
    Meredith and Dante emerged from the kitchen area, their arms loaded with canned items and economy-sized bags of cereal.
    “I can try to talk to them,” Mackie said.  “But if they’re too far up Krider’s ass, it won’t matter what I say, and they sure as hell won’t go along with a plan to overthrow Krider and his men based on my word alone.  And if word got back to Krider, you and I would be dead by the end of the day.  I don’t know anything about Sayles or Dante, but Meredith, I get the feeling she might be the most reasonable one.”
    “What if you could somehow get a weapon from one of them?” Kara asked.  “A pistol, something small you could easily conceal.”
    “Maybe.  All I’ve seen so far are automatic rifles, but maybe one of the guardsmen at least is packing a handgun of some kind.  And I’m sure Krider, Herrera, and McRae brought handguns from their safe house.  My Glock’s still floating around somewhere.  Herrera probably kept it after he took it from you.”
    Meredith and Dante distributed cans to each occupied table.  Corn, carrots, green beans.  Chef Boyardee noodles, probably raided from Allie’s room.  Meredith opened one of the cereal bags and poured small amounts of the contents into Styrofoam bowls for each diner that requested one.  Herrera used his folding knife to open the cans, punching holes in the lids and sawing in a clockwise motion to create openings large enough to empty the contents.
    A guttural roar echoed across the dining hall, and Mackie and Kara turned to see Despondent Guy from the library on his feet shouting into Meredith’s face.  She had approached him moments earlier with two cans and a bag of cereal.  He swiped one of the cans from her hand and sent it sailing across the room.  The other can fell to the floor and Meredith stumbled backwards.
    Herrera hurried toward the commotion with his knife, and McRae rose from his seat.
    Despondent Guy gave Meredith a hard shove and grabbed a chair from his table, swinging it into a window