Read American Revenant (Book 3): The Monster In Man for Free Online Page A

she kept the strongest drugs she had available to her.  Staring
at the paltry supply she understood that just this one severe injury could deplete
her stores drastically, possibly leaving her without medication strong enough
to alleviate anything worse than a mild headache.
    She took a single dose
ampoule down from the shelf and a syringe from a box underneath.  Gordy barely
noticed the prick of the needle as it entered his arm.  He sighed as the drug
hit his system, removing the worst of the teeth from the creature that was
eating its way through his knee.
    “He’s going to be out for
a little while with that.  I need to get that swelling down some before I can
inspect and diagnose it.  If he starts to breathe funny let me know.  It wasn’t
a large dose, but you can’t be too careful with that stuff.  Let me check you
guys over and we can figure out what to do from there.” 
    Jan’s face was drawn,
already exhausted from the emotional strain of seeing her husband being pulled
from the car much the same way as her son had been.  She worked quickly, with
little talk, other than to ask about cuts and abrasions. 
    She examined Dean’s
thumbs closely, going so far as to use a small magnifying glass to look them
over.  She finished with the exam, but did not release his hands immediately. 
She held on to her youngest son’s hands, drawing on both his strength and the
comfort they gave.
    Dean leaned in close, his
forehead resting against hers and said, “He’s stronger than anyone could ever
imagine, Mom.  He’ll be fine, especially with you taking care of him.”
    Jan’s
chest hitched once and again before she took a deep breath, gathering herself
together.  She would take time to cry later, when someone was not immediately
dependent on her.  “I know, baby.  You guys go, get some food and rest.  Let
everyone know that there’s nothing to worry about, no one was infected.  We’ll
talk in the morning.”
     

 
     
    Chapter 8
     
    For the sake of keeping a
close eye on their food stores the council opted to continue communal meal
times until enough food was being produced, hunted or scavenged that running
out was no longer a concern. 
    Lynn had asked for and
been given the council position of Food and Rationing.  Immediately people
began calling her the Food Czar, a term she despised, which meant that her
brothers Calvin and Dean used it mercilessly. 
    “Morning, Sis, I’m
heading out to do a quick patrol through town, you want me to take some food to
Becca and Louis?” 
    “I thought Garret was on
duty this morning.”
    “He is; I’m giving him a
ride down there.  Louis will be coming up, but Becca will probably head back
home to wake Dean up.  Figure I can take them some food and spare them the trip
up here, they can eat and go get some sleep.”
    “Wow, Cal, I’m beginning
to think you may actually have a heart in there,” she said, wearing a lopsided
grin.
    “You may be right,
Lynnie, but if I don’t get something to eat I may just waste away, then what
happens to my wonderful heart? Huh, tell me that?” he said, grinning back at
her.
    “You don’t need more
food,” Lynn said, poking him in his significantly decreased belly.
    Calvin picked up the bag
of food Lynn had placed on the table for him and threw a fist up in mock
salute.  “Yes, Food Czar!”  He backed through the door, laughing when he heard
Lynn shout “Jerkface!” as the door closed behind him.
    “What was all that
about?” Garret asked, taking the bag of food from Cal as he climbed into the
old Dodge pickup.
    “Just giving Lynn a hard
time.  It’s easy to do and always worth a laugh.  I mean, what else are younger
sisters for right?” 
    Garret chuckled, “Yeah, I
guess so.”
    Calvin thought for a
moment before asking, “You have any brothers or sisters before all this went
down?”
    “Nope, only child.  Dad
died four years ago, well, I guess it would be five now.”  Garret’s voice