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understanding. And unbeknownst to everyone else, Wyatt knew something was wrong. Even without a voice, Wyatt could be clearly understood. All they needed to do was listen. Marty agreed to walk down and make a quick assessment, looking for injuries and signs of illness. It was unlikely that he would see any signs of the infection. But, it was always better to be cautious than careless. Opening the door, he retrieved his nine millimeter from under the seat. “Um, is that really necessary?” Julie asked. Tucking it behind his back, he looked up at Julie with concern. “I hope not,” he answered. Walking cautiously towards the man, Marty could see his chest faintly rise and fall with each slow, but regular breath. He circled the man with his pistol drawn. Aiming at his chest. He may be sick or injured, but a weapons search was imperative, over and above anything else. Marty was unwilling to risk the groups safety for one man lying on the side of the road. After making certain the man was unarmed, Marty moved in closer and began his assessment. The man was uninjured, but looked pale and lacked 589
physical strength. Opening the mans mouth, Marty made a quick observation of his tongue and noticed it was covered with a white film, leading him to believe that the nearly unconscious man was badly dehydrated. He saw the symptoms clearly. But, Julie was the nurse and therefore their only source of medical expertise. Checking again for the presence of a weapon, Marty again found nothing. Besides, given the mans condition, it was unlikely he would offer any resistance. From within the RV, Tessa and Julie sat watching as Marty went through the steps of the mans assessment. Looking up, he waved Julie over, wanting her opinion as well as any suggestions regarding what should be done next. Turning to Tessa, Julie instructed Tessa to stay in the RV and keep the doors locked. And grabbing a bottle of water, she got out and ran towards Marty, who was still making his assessment. She knelt down next to the man as Marty turned and asked for her opinion. “What do you think?” She had made her own assessment within only seconds and agreed that the man was severely dehydrated. 590
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The Onyx Seed 3
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Copyright©2014 Clifford Beck Cover
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Many Thanks to Michael T. Schermuly
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Chapter 1 The California Redwoods s
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place to be feared. The criminal el
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as you earn it in an honest way. Bu
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the Italian section of the city. Hi
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weeping as he watched their livelih
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and that menus were out as customer
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another term of service. The real p
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that played, uninterrupted througho
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“Our rights are a lot more compli
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trail wove its way uphill with a fe
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By its appearance, he knew it was f
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still dark and the waitresses had g
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and asked Marty if he had noticed a
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Chapter 3 Within the city, Marty no
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doorknob, giving it a quiet and cau
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of the master bedroom, only to find
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Marty stopped suddenly, knowing tha
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Chapter 4 It was about six thirty i
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Marty was looking for a way out, aw
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the apartment and stood by as Marty
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“It’s very possible that this c
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Chapter 5 Washington, D.C. is an in
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“Now, we’re not sure why it onl
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turn, began producing smallpox as a
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“General, with all due respect,
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Waters, director of the National Se
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Marty nodded his slightly. “You
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would likely get far worse. Within
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contact. Avoid traveling outside yo
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pacifier of misinformation to a nat
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Marty took a moment to remember eve
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“Jesus Christ!” Lucas yelled.
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loaded military attack helicopter a
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precaution, wedged a chair under th
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public was being urged to cooperate
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Marty never believed something like
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the country was, concerning the inf
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Marty saw his reaction as being a b
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And the scenarios his mind produced
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“We need to keep them off,” Mar
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As the sun began to sink, casting i
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About forty five minutes after leav
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flinging wide the gates of hell, an
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estaurant almost every morning. He
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Lucas was still holding his shirt o
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Lucas seemed a little frustrated th
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The image showed itself to him thro
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from his training in the Army. Not
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had taken the place of the human el
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head, as if to beat the images of d
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information they’d put together.
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where he’d fallen asleep the nigh
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He had two of them. They were small
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Marty had already taken this into a
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Looking down from the top of the on
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A light run would speed their progr
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curiously looked through the window
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“How did you handle having to see
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Before trying the door, Marty cuppe
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“There’s got to be a way in,”
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doors to a modest distance, as thou
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and ears searching in every directi
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for almost any terrain and would ea
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Chapter 11 Getting to the highway i
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He’d suddenly been struck with th
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itself on Marty’s senses. The hol
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As they entered, he tried not to th
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seen behind the window. No hand to
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produce one terrifying scenario aft
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“Luke,” he began. “How did yo
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“Yeah,” he began. “But, you
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had in two or three days. Lucas clo
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Chapter 12 They were both up by thr
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Marty took this as an opportunity t
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“The infection,” Lucas replied.
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“Honestly, Luke,” Marty began.
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uilding. And seeing nothing but dar
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did. Pedaling their mountain bikes
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each other beneath the haunting dar
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The ride down Painter Avenue was te
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Lucas was slightly annoyed by Marty
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ealized that their journey east wou
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of unseen hands. He sat in front of
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go into town for supplies, Marty wa
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Lucas studied the campus closely, n
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extinguished. Lucas was neither old
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His life, having previously been re
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“No,” he replied. “I’ve jus
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never thought about it. As much as
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Chapter 14 The day drew itself out
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having them was to make a quiet esc
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eathing. It could easily be said th
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In spite of the seriousness of the
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“We’ll see where everything is,
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Marty looked around for anything th
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tapped on the metallic green of the
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what he was looking for, both he an
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Marty carefully fished a hand in th
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“Come on,” Lucas replied. “Ge
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Lucas pulled the lever down the lev
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“Why two?” Lucas asked. “In c
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Just then, Lucas learned a valuable
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“We got a lot to do and we’re n
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pulled over to the side of the stre
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Locating the buildings back door he
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“We need to be armed. I just wish
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Once inside, Marty also shattered t
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“What's that?" Lucas asked, point
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“I just don't know if I could rea
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He pointed it out on the map. It wa
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Chapter 15 Going west, they left Wh
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“We're staying here?” Lucas ask
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“I don't know,” Marty answered.
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within reach of what they needed. E
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His goal was to go to the foothills
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After about seventy miles, Marty tu
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night was much easier without the h
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“We're in Texas, on the edge of t
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Marty looked back to the road, brin
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admiration of her sleek, clean line
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“And so you decided to take a boa
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mistake and was not, at all, comfor
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small step forward and reached out
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She picked up the rope that held th
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“Nice, huh?” she said. “There
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ight? I don't quite get that, consi
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“I think we already have a proble
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Chapter 17 Suddenly alarmed, she pu
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Marty took a moment to recall the l
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change. Now, there would have to be
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“Well, open it!” she insisted.
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“Thanks,” she replied. Her face
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“Well, we have the sleeping bags,
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Remembering the events at L.A.'s co
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Corpus Christi, like so many other
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Julie approached him, putting a han
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“Wait a second. I'll be right bac
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opened the door where Julie and Luc
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the kitchen lay in perpetual darkne
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with the well preserved pastries. G
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“Luke can hot wire a car?” Mart
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“What is it?” Marty asked. Juli
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wires in place so as to keep the en
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“Oh, yeah,” he answered. “Um,
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her ability to keep her head togeth
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of a cough? Certainly, the only thr
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hurt,” he continued. Julie nodded
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“You're right,” she said throug
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too long and felt overwhelmed by th
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adrenaline rush of fight or fight r
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The sleeping mat he'd spent the nig
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something happens, I want to be clo
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masses, but also weather imagery an
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However, there would have to be som
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So, I'm not used to having to do al
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Chapter 19 Morning arrived with the
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one coming, we'll get out of its wa
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previous day. On deck, they raised
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unning toward him with a look he'd
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They were smaller than Great Whites
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hands up, grabbing his hair in both
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known Lucas nearly well enough to t
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somehow managed to crawl it's way o
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“Yeah,” Julie whispered. “I'm
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She walked the few steps to the kit
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Julie helped him to his feet and wa
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“Are we still near Galveston?”
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“Aren't you eating?” he asked w
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altogether. Sometimes, the best pla
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Lucas, it seems, never knew how str
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warning of events soon to come. Thi
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“We need a plan,” Julie said.
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The question sank into her consciou
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“Wait,” Julie replied. She reac
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horizon as it reached out across th
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Chapter 22 The next hour brought a
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The rain arrived roughly twenty min
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“It won't!” she answered. “Bu
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knocked down by the waves. A critic
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mere inches as they opened their ey
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ehind her, bracing himself against
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“Which way are we pointing?” he
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“No,” Julie answered. “We're
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“Julie!” Marty yelled. Julie fo
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soldier and the comfort of Julie's
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concealed by the swirling fury of t
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ut enough water had leaked in to sh
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“Why do I think that it's not goi
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a hand on his arm as another wave s
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“The water looks high enough! I d
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“Julie!” he called. If they wer
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“Son of a bitch,” she said alar
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together. So, with Julie at the whe
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“Where do you think we are!?” s
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Marty closed the hatch behind them,
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the boat. Everything we have is her
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Leaving Julie sitting at the dining
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the bedroom door. She was still unc
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eturned to the dining table where h
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cabin, jumped onto the dock and spr
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Some lighter items were lost. Blown
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Her clothes still soaked, she got u
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Chapter 24 Leaving Tampa, Marty dro
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the highway, he pulled into a mall
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“Yeah, I saw something, too,” h
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Taking his shoes and socks off, he
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Julie's expression turned to one of
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“I know,” Marty replied. “I,d
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The wait was agonizing as Julie con
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than simple human concern. “Okay,
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moment, spring to life and act with
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Catching up to her, Marty took her
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to her word. Giving Marty the flash
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concern that needed to be addressed
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someone away. The very idea of ange
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“So, what now?” Julie asked. Ou
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to the sights and smells of sicknes
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Marty and Julie sat in the numbing
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e able to find you. During the day,
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a one and a half foot tall ring of
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“Wait,” he said. “I need a co
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Julie had already broken into a war
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as the tips of his fingers drifted
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Julie looked into his eyes and smil
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Julie turned over and delicately ra
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But, the funny about being in a war
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walls of the RV. The sweat and heat
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“What the fuck are those things!?
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woodland specters. And lying next t
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easonably predicted by the patterns
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ecoming physically ill. Marty stood
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“We should turn in early tonight,
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around. Some grabbed the tires, whi
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For many, the only thing worse than
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He was deeply concerned and wanted
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with the maddened rage of a demon d
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“Are they gone?” she asked tear
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Julie's response was silence. She u
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at least the reality of the world a
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“Okay,” she answered guardedly.
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oth sat listening to the silent sou
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ut didn't want Julie waking up, onl
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cloth, letting the tepid, soapy wat
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And with Julie's help, it went that
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paranoia still, and would likely al
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illuminating the trees with an unea
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tongues eagerly met in a long, pass
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lingering scent of sweat and passio
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drifted over their bodies. She felt
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Chapter 27 Crossing into North Caro
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Entering Roanoke Rapids, the neares
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appealed to the base level of human
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“This is Marty,” Julie continue
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saying, “We need to get going. So
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“So, what do you think happened t
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“Tessa, do you remember seeing an
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“I'm sorry, honey,” she said.
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“That bad, huh?” he asked. Juli
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light, igniting it into a brilliant
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least. But Marty's first concern wa
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her to wait no longer than forty fi
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they stopped at in Savannah and was
Page 540 and 541: His voice echoed off the walls and
Page 542 and 543: “There's been an epidemic. Nearly
Page 544 and 545: As the man continued ranting, Marty
Page 546 and 547: She attempted to wipe the blood fro
Page 548 and 549: parking lot, Marty stopped at the c
Page 550 and 551: to get more information on just how
Page 552 and 553: this scene many times, but was take
Page 554 and 555: “So, where are we headed?” she
Page 556 and 557: turned to Tessa and inquired about
Page 558 and 559: Chapter 28 Having settled in near t
Page 560 and 561: about starting a fire, it was that
Page 562 and 563: Tessa had surrounded him with her b
Page 564 and 565: handed to Marty, who unwrapped the
Page 566 and 567: tumble from his hand, Marty watched
Page 568 and 569: Julie put a hand out, gesturing her
Page 570 and 571: covered by the chilly water, then d
Page 572 and 573: Tessa motioned back to the RV after
Page 574 and 575: “Well...it's just that...if somet
Page 576 and 577: cheated on my mother. Everything wa
Page 578 and 579: Marty and Julie sat in front of the
Page 580 and 581: the arms of God, protected from all
Page 582 and 583: and watch His noble creations pass
Page 584 and 585: continuing to focus on what she hon
Page 586 and 587: Chapter 29 They approached with cau
Page 588 and 589: “Why don't we just pick them up?
Page 592 and 593: “We need to sit him up,” she sa
Page 594 and 595: Kevin. He was covered with bumps an
Page 596 and 597: having into the cab, got into the p
Page 598 and 599: a dead end lined with a small numbe
Page 600 and 601: safety was a priority. Julie still
Page 602 and 603: decided to break the nerve shatteri
Page 604 and 605: continued with his own whispered co
Page 606 and 607: “So,” Marty began. “Before we
Page 608 and 609: Seeing the direction the conversati
Page 610 and 611: grabbed him by the shirt and spun h
Page 612 and 613: “I won't take my eyes off them,
Page 614 and 615: to the bedroom and threw on the pre
Page 616 and 617: witnessed and was quick to raise hi
Page 618 and 619: with thousands of thick drops. Mart
Page 620 and 621: A noticeable degree of impatience w
Page 622 and 623: etribution. Marty knew he had been
Page 624 and 625: town at the edge of the Adirondacks
Page 626 and 627: always found the sound of running w
Page 628 and 629: circumstances. War had not readied
Page 630 and 631: talking yet and without you, I can'
Page 632 and 633: slept, Marty and Julie lay next to
Page 634 and 635: the fire pit black and dead with no
Page 636 and 637: scanning the woods for anything tha
Page 638 and 639: his arms, Marty quickly lowered Tes
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herself from a tree in the middle o
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"I'm sorry sweetheart," she said. "
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These words might ordinarily be los
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on the small window looking into th
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Marty looked to Julie for something
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"I hate to tell you this, Marty," J
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he opened his eyes, Wyatt stood in
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nearly all of it. That night, Wyatt
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he would simply began sobbing. So,
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of the drivers window, saw nothing.
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stepped out of the RV with an expre
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But, on the way down the road, Wyat
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means necessary. As the adrenaline
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later, she was dead, her soul risin
Page 668 and 669:
The man gave a toothy smile and too
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wasn't sure if the man had been tau
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the ground next to them, he allowed
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political ideology, hate and madnes
Page 676 and 677:
Marty's attention was drawn to a bl
Page 678 and 679:
he was struck by an overwhelming se
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679
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