Darkest Before Dawn (A Guardian's Diary Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

shelter, and was a necessity. It was a Ducati, which my father had personalized for just about any type of apocalyptic scenario. It had off road tires, and could actually go off road as most four wheelers could. I’d hand painted on the camo-green skulls, and airbrushed the rest of the bigger details onto the gas tank. Needless to say, this bike had both necessity and emotional attachment.
    I parked a few feet from the shelter and pulled my mask off to look at her. The moment I did, she stilled.
    “You’re a woman!”
    “Last time I checked,” I smiled and watched as tears slid from her eyes. “Who were those men?”
    “They killed my baby, and shot my husband,” she said before she started her hysterics again.
    “Look, I’m sorry for what they did. You’re safe now and they won’t be hurting anyone else ever again. You gotta stop crying so I can explain a few things before I allow you into the shelter.” I gave her a moment, because personally, I couldn’t imagine what she’d been through. “Got it together?” I asked and when she nodded her dark head, I continued. “My family is in there, and some others we found in similar positions as yours. You can stay here, but if you do, you’ll be asked to help. We all work together there and we all help out. No free rides.”
    She nodded emphatically. I felt a twinge of regret knowing she’d lost a child.
    “We have children here, ones who we found alone, or found with bad people. They need reassurance and love, so you know, love on them, or whatever. They are alone in the world, and depend on us.”
    “Were they found with men like…” she couldn’t finish her sentence and I didn’t need her to.
    “Some; some we found in homes around here curled up with their parents’ remains. It’s sad either way. Everyone has lost someone from the flu but unlike us, they don’t understand what’s happened. They don’t need to know yet. No good can come from it.”
    “You have food and water?” she asked.
    “First things first, name?”
    “Cathleen,” she whispered.
    “I’m Emma. It’s nice to meet you. Wish it had been under better circumstances. Now you need to know one thing, Cathleen, if you fuck with my family or hurt anyone we have promised to protect, I or one of the others in the shelter will kill you. We’ve all sworn to protect those who are in there. You can be one of them. The alternative isn’t something you want to find out about.”
    I handed her off to Addy, who met us armed with a trusty pair of bolt cutters, and took off in the car. I made it back to my bike, which was still there, thankfully. I exited the car with mask and hoodie securely back in place, the weight of my pack on my back, and suddenly felt the additional weight of a stare. I looked around but could see nothing. I wasn’t alone, though I was sure of it. I climbed on the bike and did a once over of the area around me. Nothing.
    Decision made, I would probably go someplace to hide tonight, rather than take the risk of bringing trouble back to the shelter. I headed up the old river road and released the throttle. If anyone was following me, they wouldn’t be for long. When I reached the river, I climbed off the bike and pulled my crossbow from its resting place on the pack before I moved to the water.
    I could still feel the stare on the back of my neck, but that was impossible. I turned and eyed the bushes as a branch snapped. My eyes strained to see into the dark terrain. I could hear something, but it sounded more like a wild animal than a piece of shit human.  I reached down and pulled out a flashlight, shining it into the thick brush.
    It was hard to see in the dim light through the mask. However, I was not removing it. We’d saved countless women from rape, and worse. Don’t ask what the worse was. It was pretty rank, and just disgusting.
    The bushes moved, and I involuntarily stepped backwards. Great, Emma, just friggin’ great! Crossbow in one hand, the