Free Born in the Apocalypse 2: State Of Ruin by Joseph Talluto Page B

with long auburn hair that hung down below her shoulders in lazy curls. Even from this distance, I could see she had blue eyes, and those eyes watched me as I walked up the path. I didn’t look away, I just met her gaze until she was the one who looked away with a small smile on her face.
    When I reached the bottom of the stairs to the porch, I stopped. I looked up at the man standing at the top of the stairs. He was a tall man, with white hair and dark eyes. His bearing was proud, but I didn’t see much on him that should have given him his pride. I stood tall because I knew who I was and what I was capable of. I had a feeling this man had been blessed with a lot of luck that gave him a sense of superiority. At least, that was my first impression. I could only guess what his first impression of me was.
    “You must be Joshua. I am Blake Rutledge.” His voice was deep, almost hypnotic. I could see he was a man used to getting what he wanted, likely through the persuasive power of his arguments. My dad used to tell me about a sergeant he knew that was like that. He could argue a confession out of the most hardened of criminals.
    “Just Josh is fine. Nice to meet you,” I said, stepping up onto the stairs. I reached the top and looked Blake in the eye. “Nice house.”
    Blake’s eyes narrowed, and I could see he didn’t like me stepping up onto his territory. I could also see he especially didn’t like my being as tall as he was. His eyes traveled over my shoulders and lingered a bit on my weapons.
    “Are you any good with that bow?” Blake asked.
    “Mr. Rutledge, I get the distinct impression you know most of what goes on around here. I’m sure you know what I did with this bow when I arrived, and I am sure you are aware of my practice. So, even though you don’t need the answer, yes, I am good with my bow,” I said.
    A faint giggle reached my ears and I looked over at the girl who was smiling behind her hand. She straightened up at her father’s glare, then looked out over the lawn, away from me.
    “Well put, Joshua,” Blake said. “I heard you’re good. I’d like an example of your skill.”
    I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and nocked it. “What’s the target?” Truth be known, I was just wanting to show off for the girl. Something inside me turned upside down when she looked at me, much more than anything I had ever felt around Kim.
    Rutledge picked up an apple from a bowl and threw it across the yard. It bounced once and was suddenly pinned to a tree with an arrow.
    “Whew! Nice shot, Josh!” Mack said. He was standing on the lawn, behind the two of us.
    I shrugged. “Rabbit heads aren’t much larger and they jump about the same.”
    “Indeed,” Rutledge said. “Tell me, Joshua, are you as good with your other weapons?”
    “I hit what I’m aiming at.” I slung my bow over my back and waited.
    “You’re modest, strange for one so young,” Blake said. “How old are you, anyway?”
    “Fifteen, I think. How long have the Trippers been around?” I asked.
    “Sixteen years come summer,” Brewster said.
    “Then I’m fifteen, about to be sixteen,” I said.
    “Then you have no memory of life before the world ending?”
    “Nope. This world is normal to me,” I said simply.
    “Let’s talk inside. Come on in, Brewster.” Blake turned and walked into the house, holding the door for the sheriff and myself.
    The girl got off the swing and walked over as I was going inside.
    “I’m Cindy. Nice to meet you, Josh.” Her voice was high but very nice. She held out her hand.
    I took it and held it gently for a second. “Same here, Cindy. Same here.”
     

 
    Chapter 18
     
     
    I don’t remember much of the conversation I had with Rutledge, my head was filled with other thoughts. I think I agreed to ride the boundary of the town and deal with any Trippers wandering nearby. If there was a bunch of them, I was to ride away and sound the alarm. Or maybe I was supposed to ride over them.