Read The Dead Don't Bleed: Part 2, The Aftermath for Free Online

human being on top of it, he just didn't know how to go about doing so. Physically he was not a formidable person by any means, he took pretty good care of himself but was never much for running or other exercise. Tipping the scales at a little over one hundred and fifty pounds, he doubted he would be much of an obstacle for one of the beasts if they managed to get their hands on him. To top it all off, the toilet in the small bathroom that had been installed in the safe room had now been rendered useless thanks to Emily. While Doug and Cameron had been subsisting on a starvation diet, Emily had managed to work up enough waste to clog the pipes in the toilet well above and beyond the ability of any earthly plunger to undue. Overnight the smell had started to creep throughout their small shelter and they were now faced with rapidly deteriorating living conditions.
    Doug decided that it was up to him to make a run for one of their neighbors’ houses and hope that he could find enough food and supplies to hold them for a little longer. He had convinced himself that the government or military would surely have the entire situation under control soon. If they could just make it for a few more days everything would be fine. Deep down inside he knew that it was just a fantasy and that they were really in deep shit. Sitting up all by himself staring at the door into the wee hours of the morning just waiting for one of those creatures to knock the door down and come rushing inside after him, it was amazing what you were capable of convincing yourself of to keep the fear at bay.
    With the sun visible through the narrow half windows at the top of the basement wall, he decided that while he had built up the courage he would sneak across to the neighbor’s house first thing. As it happened the closest house to his own was Cameron's and as their food supply had quickly dwindled he had mentioned on several occasions how his parents had well-stocked cupboards with canned goods and several cases of water.
    "Just what the hell do you think you are doing?" the questioning voice made his skin crawl. Emily had been watching him from her place on the sofa as he pressed his ear to the door in preparation to make the terrifying run upstairs and across the yard to the neighbors.
    "We need food. I'm going to Cameron's house and pick up whatever I can and bring it back." He could see that she was just about to fire something back and him, but it was her own damn fault that he was forced into doing this and he really didn't want to listen to any of her bullshit right at that moment while he had just barely worked up the courage to go through with leaving the house. He held up a hand to her, "just stop right there Em, I don't want to hear it. Keep your mouth shut and watch after Cameron. I shouldn't be more than twenty minutes. When I come back, I will knock three times with a pause between each; open the damn door when you hear me."
    He didn't wait for her reply, he was going for food, and there was not a doubt in his mind that she would not open the door for him. He turned back to the door and eased the lock open slowly to avoid the metal scraping it sometimes made. Once the door was unlocked he cracked it open just enough to be able to peer into the rest of the basement and assure himself he was alone. Feeling his wife’s eyes burning into his back and knowing that she was expecting him to lose his nerve right there at the threshold of the door reinforced his conviction to continue on. Without looking back inside the room, he stepped out into the basement and softly closed the door behind him. Before he had taken three steps towards the kitchen stairs he heard the soft metallic click over his shoulder telling him that Emily had locked the door securely behind him.
     
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    "General, that is just totally unacceptable, you have to allow us to do our jobs or we will never get a handle on this thing." Dr. Trevor Woods exclaimed.
    He and his team had been