Winter's Salvation Read Online Free Page B

helicopter and humming of the motor.  “All the streets are packed.  Bumper to bumper, it’s horrible these raging people are pulling people from their cars.  Some vehicles are, close together they are trying to climb from the windows, but are stuck.  They are so close they can’t move.  The people who can get out are running; their running in all directions.  They look so confused there’s nowhere to go.  Oh my God.  God help us all.  There’s nothing they can do.  If they run they get chased down.  These things don’t rest, they don’t get tired, they just keep coming.  If you are stuck in your car they pull you from it or get in with you.  All they can do is wait, wait for help, but I fear by the time help arrives it may be too late.”  There was a pause in the announcement and they could hear him swallow and breathe heavily, “Please stay home.  If you can hear this, avoid the streets they are all congested.  I’m traveling above Jacksonville and I have not seen a single street that was not completely covered with these crazy people or just jammed up completely and it does not look as if it will clear any time soon.”
    Rodriquez put his head between the front seats, “You just want to go to your place?”
    Eric answered in a low voice almost to himself, “That’s where I’m goin.”  He looked at Rod quickly, “Yeah,” 
    The streets were busy, some cars still obeyed the laws of traffic, but as soon as one stopped for a stop sign a fraction of a second, everyone behind that person jetted out from behind them.  These crazy people the radio spoke of were running wild through the streets. 
    They listened to the radio turned down low, so they could hear what was happening around them on the streets.  From the back seat Eric heard a whimper quietly brake out barely over the radio.  He glanced through the review mirror and saw Rodriquez holding Drew’s head against his chest.  Rod rested his chin on his black curly hair. 
    You could hear Rod speaking low as if he was keeping the conversation between them two a secret, but he knew Eric and Dave could hear him.  Drew’s whimper turned into a sob.  He was not Rodriquez’s biological son.  The only reason anyone could tell this was because of Drew’s pale white skin and Rod’s dark naturally tanned skin.   
    Rodriquez and Julie had been married for eight years and Drew was five when they met.  Julie was a single mom and Drew’s father skipped town and was not supporting them in any way.  Julie was a hard worker; sometimes shuffling three jobs to give her son what he needed.  It may not have been the best name brand clothing or food, but he got what he needed.  
    They met while he was stationed at a Coast Guard small boat station in North Carolina, and decided to get married when he was going to be shipped off to Jacksonville Florida.  Rodriquez will openly admit that he loved Julie with all his heart, but was not ready for that type of commitment.  He battled with himself and weighed each option until he came to the decision, that getting married only made sense.  He was not going to be able to afford to travel back and forth every weekend and he did not know who he was going to be roomed with.  He may have been shoved in a small three bedroom apartment with two other kids right out of high school, bringing their high school buddies around every night, so getting married only made sense; to him.  The military would give them money to get their own place, they would pay for their food, and medical benefits and Drew was going to need to see an orthodontist.  Rod had convinced himself that by getting married he was not getting into a long term commitment so to say, but he was helping them and in his mind that is how he coped with getting married.  After they conducted their small court house wedding, he never regretted deciding to spend his life with her.    
    When Rod was not working on the Cutter he was with his son