Read The Dust: Book Three - Sanctum for Free Online Page B

breath; it was a young woman not much older than eighteen. He zoomed in, and he could just make out she was screaming and kicking. She had dived through the broken window of the ice-cream parlour, and just behind her was a naked woman who was much older.
    The grey haired pensioner was obviously infected and chasing the younger woman down. The teenager scrambled to her feet, but the older woman wasn’t alone. To the right of the fish and chip shop were two more naked aggressors. These were both men, and they pounced on the young woman from behind. Jake panned away when her throat was ripped open and the old lady went for the spurting blood. He had seen enough of that to last a lifetime.
    Ilfracombe was far too dangerous to dock. There was no way he was going to lead his little girl into that hell hole. The place was overrun with infected bodies, it was far worse than he thought.
    Jake left the helm and trotted down the stairs to the cabin below.
    Amber was sound asleep. Young Red curled was up in her arms, his legs twitching as he dreamt of chasing rabbits.
    ‘It’s gonna be hard to leave you behind, little one.’ Jake stroked the dog. He knew Amber wasn’t going to give up the small Patterdale terrier without a fight. She had always wanted a dog, and now in this uncertain world, where tomorrow never knew what was in store, her wish had come true.
    If only life could be simple.
    Jake thought about Angel. How he longed to see her again, hold her hand, stroke her skin. He had longed to love and trust another woman for so long after he had broken up with Amber’s mother. Just as he had found her, they had been separated. He touched the soft skin on his daughter’s cheek. Amber was his number one priority now, but he was determined to be reunited with his Angel. He wouldn’t rest easy until he kissed her lips once again.
    As Jake returned to the helm he could see the light had changed. The spring evening was a couple of hours away, and he had to make a decision as to whether to move now and try to dock later tonight, or maybe to spend the night on the open water. The thought of sitting out at sea in the pitch black wasn’t a nice one, but was the alternative?
    At least if he moored up, in the morning he would have the whole day in front of him to assess the situation, and find somewhere safe to stay that night. He couldn’t keep marching Amber across land, her little body wouldn’t cope with it. She needed to rest for a couple of days. With a heavy heart he decided to sleep on the boat, but not too close to the land.
    He took out his binoculars once more, for another look at Ilfracombe before they left to find somewhere a bit more sheltered to drop anchor.
    The body of the teenage girl had now been torn to pieces, and the cobbled street in front of the shops was painted with her young blood. A gathering of about nine naked bodies had now got into a huddle, and they squabbled with each other for the fresh meat. It really was a sickening sight, and Jake was just about to clock off when surprisingly, a black vehicle screeched to a halt on the other side of the harbour.
    Jake refocused, and made out three people in white overalls with their hoods up and white dust masks covering their nose and mouths. All were carrying automatic weapons, and all three of them were sprinting towards the Infected, who had yet to notice the incoming trio.
    The first burst of gun fire ripped through the naked huddle, and three bodies dropped to the floor. The rest of them scattered, some into the buildings and some into the side streets.
    The three white knights ran after them, cutting each one of the naked savages down as they fled. Jake couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It wasn’t the army but some sort of hit squad. But why?
    It only lasted a few minutes before the assassins in white overalls came back into view, and were nonchalantly strolling back to the black transit van. It was as if they had just bought a pizza for lunch.
    Jake