DEAD IN BED By Bailey Simms: The Complete First Book

PART 6, SECTION 7

I ran as fast as I could toward the granary. 

Before anything else, I had to warn Chris that the Home Guard was on its way.

I could barely see where I was going, but I found the riverbank in the darkness. I didn't stop running until I reached the empty grain yard and felt for the granary's rickety door.

I found the loose knob, and I pushed.

Inside, it was completely dark.

"Chris?" I called out softly.

There was no answer. The granary was totally silent.

I felt my way toward Chris's desk. My hand bumped into his soda-can ashtray. I faintly smelled the scent of stale, burnt weed. Next to the ashtray, I felt a cigarette lighter.

I flicked its igniter.

A weak flame leapt up and went out. The lighter was almost out of fluid. I shook it, and tried to light it again. A tiny flame appeared, and wavered. But this time it stayed lit. I cupped my hand around this meager light source.

Everything in the granary was gone.

Except for the ash tray and a few empty antibiotics boxes strewn across the dusty desk, all of Chris's supplies had disappeared. Even his worn-out swivel chair was gone.

The lighter went out.

I lit it again as I stepped around the elevator engines toward the back of the granary, doing my best to protect the flame as I moved.

Two bodies, both covered in the same grease-stained sheet, lay atop Chris's makeshift examination table. I knew the first was Mr. Hershel's, and the other must have been Bryce's.

Again, I called out for Chris.

Only silence.

I hurried outside and checked each of the silos. All of them were empty. The refugees were gone.

I had no idea how Chris got word that the resistance was in danger of being discovered, but someone had obviously tipped him off.

Everyone had fled, but to where I had no idea. I didn't even have Chris's cell phone number, so there was no way of finding out.

I was totally on my own.

And I couldn't stay here. After my sister's call, the Home Guard would raid the place as fast as they could get a squad ready.

After what had happened with Morgan, I'd almost completely forgotten about the date I'd set up with Jason Gibbs that night. My one and only option seemed to be to wait at the bend in the highway where we'd agreed to meet, and hope he'd show up. What else was I going to do? Morgan was gone, but there were other refugee positives who still needed Chris's antibiotic cocktail. If I could manage to steal Jason's pharmacy access card, maybe somehow I could track down Chris and give it to him, now that Ian was out of the picture. I just hoped the raid on the granary wouldn't make it impossible for Jason to meet me tonight.

Just as I was turning to hurry away, I caught a glimpse of something on the granary door. Something white standing out against the darkness. When I'd rushed through the first time, I'd missed seeing it hanging there. . . 

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