Read Blood Memory: The Complete Season One (Books 1-5) for Free Online Page B

all kinds of locks – old ones, new ones, even electronic ones which they used some kind of device for.
    “Can you show me how you do that?” Jordan asked.
    Joel smiled. “Sure.”
    As they moved from vehicle to vehicle, Joel pointed out the various lock types and methods of opening them. Jordan would never have suspected there was such variety.
    “These things are always goldmines,” Joel said , rapping the side of a coach. He forced open the luggage door using the ruler and hook. Dozens of stuffed suitcases of various shapes and sizes were lined up like a plus size fashion show. Joel grabbed a garish tiger-skin designed case and dragged it out. “Sometimes I swear the passengers on these tours compete with one another on who can stuff the most crap in their suitcase.” Joel forced open the lock with a screwdriver. Staring back at him were a dozen cartons of Benson and Hedges. Joel grinned. “Oh, baby.” He tucked the cigarette cartons into the space behind his forearm covers. He noticed Jordan watching. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
    “ It’s the end of the world,” Jordan said. “I’d have thought it was the perfect time to quit.”
    “No , it’s the perfect time to start! Besides, living on a dinghy with me is hard enough without nicotine. Here.” He offered a few packs to Jordan.
    Jordan shook his head. “I don’t smoke.” He frowned. “I think.”
    Joel smiled. “Not sure? I suppose having amnesia can do that. You don’t have to smoke them, just carry them for me.”
    Jordan looked over in Anne’s direction, but she was blocked from view by the side of a delivery van caked in mud. Jordan pulled back his forearm covers and slid the cartons inside. “Do the others know you smoke?”
    “Of course not. They wouldn’t quit moaning at me if they did.”
    After a brief pause, Jordan asked, “Joel, can I ask you something?”
    “ You just did.”
    “ Are you and Anne…”
    “Together? No.”
    “Sorry, I thought…”
    “Last man and woman of procreation age left alive, here to repopulate the earth?” Joel chuckled. “Afraid not. More’s the pity. I made the same argument to her, but apparently I’m not her type.”
    By the time they were done searching, they had three large suitca ses full of food and games. Jordan and Joel also carried ten kilos of hidden weight about their person. They pulled the cases over to the door leading to the stairs to the next level down.
    “I think we deserve a little break, don’t you?” Joel said as he flipped open a suitcase. “One item each.” Joel chose a packet of Revels. “I, uh, need to get some fresh air. Be back in a sec.” He left.
    Anne opened her pickled onion flavour Monster Munch. She bit off the toes and then sucked on the circular foot pad. Jordan opened a small bottle of fruit juice. He offered it to Anne, who waved him away. They sat on the bulging suitcases and ate in silence.
    “How many of these scavenges have you done?” Jordan asked.
    “Too many.”
    “Do you often come across Lurchers?”
    “Usually.”
    “Why haven’t we yet, do you think?”
    Anne shrugged. “Might be we haven’t come across them yet.” She didn’t sound confident of that theory. “It might be that they were all on deck when a storm hit, knocking them into the sea, or this ferry came in contact with another boat, which they boarded. Maybe there just weren’t any here in the first place.”
    There was a creak of crying metal that peeped out from the walls somewhere in the darkness. After a moment of listening they went back to eating.
    “Did Joel ask you to carry something for him?” Anne asked. The sentence barely registered as a question.
    Jordan tried to hide his surprise. “Uh…”
    “It’s okay. We all know he smokes. Imagine trying to hide something like that in a room that floats on the sea.” She shook her head.
    “You don’t care?”
    “So long as he keeps the smoke away from us, what’s the harm? Plus, it keeps him