Read This Would Be Paradise (Book 2) for Free Online Page B

doing better than I did.”
    “It’s the smell that gets me,” I replied, trying to talk and breathe out of my mouth at the same time.
    “That first time, I had to load a little girl’s body into the pile. She reminded me of my youngest daughter.” His voice was rough and he swallowed thickly. “It was hard.”
    I was curious about the story behind what had happened to his other daughter and wife, but this wasn’t the time to ask. He was looking away from me, out the driver’s window. This was the only time he’d mentioned his other daughter.
    Tim waved at us, the pyre casting dark clouds of smoke into the air. He left the field, got into his truck, and drove off. Roy and I followed. Instead of turning right on the road we had taken to the school, he continued straight, away from the apartment.
    Roy squinted out the windshield. “Where’s he going?”
    Tim led us to what appeared to be a golf range. The grass was badly overgrown, and the large netting was ripped and torn, pieces fluttering in the light breeze.
    Roy’s face lit up. “Looks like you’re getting some automatic weapons training.”
    I’d figured. Tim was very pushy in an indirect way and I really didn’t like that trait. I hadn’t agreed to this either, yet here we were. The parking lot was empty, and we stopped right in front of the clubhouse doors.
    We reconvened at the Avalanche. The tips of the smoke clouds were visible in the distance. I wondered if it could be seen for miles, and if it would attract more people. Tim was busy pulling out weapons and a large duffle bag from the back of his truck. He handed me a large, black rifle that weighed less than I thought it would.
    “This is an AR-15. This is what you’ll be using,” Tim said in a no-nonsense voice.
    I raised an eyebrow. “Will I?”
    He schooled his features, but not before I caught the brief flash of surprise.
    “Being trained to use a weapon is a good thing. People used to jump at the chance for me to train them—especially now.”
    Well, when he put it like that, I felt like an ungrateful teenager snubbing their parents’ advice. I just didn’t appreciate that he hadn’t consulted me on whether I’d like to participate.
    “Fine, lead the way.” I gestured for him to continue.
    They’d converted the small driving range into a shooting range. Targets were nailed onto stakes driven into the ground at different distances. I noticed the distinct lack of bullet holes in the targets. Shell casings littered the area. They rolled under my shoes as we walked to the place where we would shoot from. No one had thought to sweep them up. Karla and Roy stood farther back, observing. Having an audience didn’t instill confidence. Tim set down his large bag and took the rifle from me.
    “Do I get some noise cancelling headphones or something?” I asked.
    “No. You won’t be wearing them when you’re fighting a horde, will you? So it’s best that you get used to the sound.”
    This was going to be loud.
    Tim continued on as he inspected the AR-15. “When we’re done here, if we have time, I’ll show you how to clean the rifle.”
    I didn’t even have a clue how to clean my handgun. John, in all his wisdom, had left Taylor to teach me how to clean my weapon, but he hadn’t been a very good teacher. Taylor had simply taken the gun from me and cleaned it himself, and I’d gladly let him. I realized how bad of a decision that had been, since I hadn’t learned anything.
    “As I was saying, this is an AR-15. It’s a semiautomatic and a civilian-grade weapon. I’m starting you off with this one to teach you better control of the trigger. ‘Spray and pray’ will get you nowhere but stranded in the middle of a horde, with an empty magazine, so we’ll move on to the automatic M4 once we see how this goes. This magazine holds thirty rounds.” Tim jammed the black piece into the gun for emphasis. “Some hold more, but thirty is the most common. The barrel is usually stamped