The Harvest Read Online Free Page B

Embarrassed at how detailed his likeness
was but also in awe of the advanced technology, he slipped out of
the door and into the waiting room.
    “Wow,” Steve exclaimed, his eyes wide with
disbelief. “You look like a new man.”
    “Yeah,” Shane said, plopping into a chair
next to him. “That woman is a magician. You’re next, big guy—get in
there.”
    Steve gave him a worried look, and Shane
nodded toward the examination room.
    “Don’t worry—she doesn’t bite,” he said,
smiling. “Though I bet you wish she did.”
    “You’re an ass,” Steve replied, the reddening
in his cheeks obvious, though his face was bruised and swollen.
    The linebacker rose to his feet with a grunt.
His injuries may not have been as visible as Shane’s were, but with
the way he staggered to the exam room door, he reckoned Steve was
in no little amount of pain. Shane remembered hitting him hard more
than once. He expected Steve had a few broken ribs, not to mention
his nose was pointed in the wrong direction.
    Alone in the air-conditioned waiting room,
Shane revisited the questions lingering in his mind. He leaned back
in the chair, embracing the opportunity to rest his eyes for a
second.
    Although they seemed extremely nice and had
done nothing but good to this point, something was off with their
rescuers. He guessed they’d get some answers soon. There was no way
they’d keep him in the dark for much longer, or they had to know
they’d have trouble on their hands. After all, Maurice and most of
the others in his group still had their guns, and the black-suited
adults on this military base seemed unarmed and well outnumbered.
Shane wished he still had his M-16, even though his instincts told
him he wouldn’t need it.
    A noise roused him—Steve strolling out of the
exam room. Shane sat upright, studying his friend. His nose was
straight, and his facial bruises gone.
    “She’s freaking awesome!”
    “Told ya,” Shane replied, jealous that he got
to keep his clothes. The black shorts were rather thin and didn’t
cover much—good for running, but not much else.
    The white door leading to the tarmac opened,
and Tracy and Laura entered.
    “Holy crap!” Tracy stopped, her eyes wide.
“How’d you guys get fixed up so fast?”
    “You’ll see,” Shane replied, pointing at the
exam room. “Let’s just say the government has been hiding more than
advanced weapons from the public.”
    Lily stuck her head in and looked at him.
    “All better?”
    Shane and Steve nodded to her. He was struck
once again by how similar she looked to Dr. Blain.
    “Great. Then come with me,” she said
cheerfully. “I expect we’ll be able to answer a few questions that
must be eating at you.”
     

 
     

    “See you guys in
a bit,” he said to Tracy and Laura, giving them reassuring smiles.
Laura stood taller, her mood clearly lifting at the notion that the
damage to her face could be reversed.
    Shane and Steve followed Lily out of the
medical building. Shane’s step was light. He felt better than he
did before the world went to shit. It was great how Lily’s twin
healed him, but in the absence of suffering, even more questions
and suspicion sprouted in his mind. Why did Lily and her
counterparts look so much alike? It was even more obvious to him
now as they passed by four men and women in black jumpsuits who
were refueling the helicopters. Why did they bring him and his
friends here? What could they possibly want? Lily had said
something about stopping the people who’d killed the adults, but
that didn’t give him much to go on.
    They walked by a row of hangars. Shane didn’t
have any more dizziness, but he broke a sweat. It was late morning
now. It had to be well over ninety degrees—one of those long,
scorching summer days where he’d usually be found by the lake. That
life seemed gone forever now. He bit his lip. The absence of his
physical pain allowed his suppressed grief to surface. Taking a
deep breath, he pushed the