Knights of the Apocalypse (A Duck & Cover Adventure Post-Apocalyptic Series Book 2) Read Online Free

followed suit as
Jerry lifted the back of his shirt and pulled out a black automatic. He gripped
it by the barrel and handed it to the knight.
    Tommy smiled. “’Ow what about ’er? What say
we ’ave ’er lift ’er shirt, eh?”
    Erica took a step back.  
    Tommy took a step forward and found Jerry in
between them. Sir Thomas stood his ground and came nose to nose with the man.
    Jerry spoke first. “I think it’s only fair
that you know this ahead of time. You lose every hand that touches her.”
    Tommy whispered without a trace of the bad
British accent. “You don’t scare me.”
    “I’m not trying to scare you.”
    The growling was low—less a sound and more
a feeling that rumbled from the ground and up through the two men. Jerry kept
his eyes locked on the knight’s and spoke softly to Chewy. “It’s okay,
Hannibal. He was just about to second guess himself.”
    The knight broke his stare and looked at the
dog.
    Chewy bristled, baring teeth, snorted and
sprayed a thick coat of ick across Tommy’s hand.
    The knight looked back at Jerry with less
determination in his eyes. “Please tell your dog I’m sorry.”
    Jerry nodded. “Hannibal. No chewy. He’s
okay.”  
    The growl ceased at once. Chewy sat and
started licking Tommy’s hand. Every lap of the huge tongue made the knight
shake.
    The knight smiled but it was more nerves than
relief that caused it. “She understands ‘chewy’?”
    Jerry nodded. “It’s not the first time it’s come
up.”
    “No chewy?” Tommy asked again. “That’s a
little weird.”
    Jerry stepped away and handed the gun Erica
concealed in her waistband to one of the other knights. “Do you want to tell my
dog how to talk?”
    “No,” Tommy said. “It’s fine.”
    Sir David was only partially trying to hide a
smirk behind his hand. “You are free to enter the marketplace. But, know this,
we don’t tolerate trouble of any kind. Shop friendly or else.”
    “Thank you.” Erica turned to Chewy and
clicked her tongue.
    The dog rushed to her side.
    “I don’t think so,” Tommy said. “That dog
stays here.”
    “But she’s an emotional support dog,” Jerry
said.
    Tommy put a finger in Jerry’s chest. “It’s a
weapon and you know it.”
    Chewy growled again.
    Tommy pulled back the finger.
    Sir David nodded. “We’ll make sure she’s
okay.”
    Jerry chuckled, “Yeah. Okay. Thanks.” He
turned to the dog with his palm to the ground. “Hannibal. Down.”
    Chewy whimpered but obeyed. She turned three
times and dropped onto the blacktop.
    “Stay.” Jerry said and held up a finger. “No
… chewy. Stay.”
    “She should be tied up, Dave.” Tommy backed
away to the shadow of the tower. “I’d feel better if she were tied up.”
    Jerry smiled. “Yeah. Good luck with that.” He
took Erica’s hand and walked through the gate.
    “Hannibal?” she whispered.
    “Hannibal. Why not?”
    “Nice touch.”

 
 
 
 
    THREE

 
    For all the
devastation wrought by the apocalypse, it was sometimes difficult to overlook
what it had created.
    The glow of a crater
could pierce the darkest night with a gentle green hue that, had it been cast
by bioluminescent flora instead of radioactive waste, could be considered
serene. The chemical weapons that had crippled ships at harbor had formed a
terrace for newly spawned plant life leading to the formation of what visitors
referred to as the Hanging Gardens of Miami. And here in the marketplace of
Durango it managed to turn a crowd of a few hundred into a teaming throng.
    Crowds were rare and
Erica couldn’t remember the last time she had seen so many people in one place.
    The people gathered
at the terminus of Narrow Gauge Avenue in what was formerly a parking lot for
an antique railroad and tourist trap. Merchant booths cobbled together from
plywood and metal sheets filled the marketplace in organized rows. Vendors
hawked everything from clothes to weapons to souvenirs. It was an odd site to
see the merchandise