After The Rising by T.D Jackson (free novel reading sites .txt) 📕

see the official report, how did the coach get through the checkpoint?" Kane paused before answering "We don't know the coach and people were checked" "Not closely enough" "Obviously" "We are going over the procedure and checking the coach for an idea of what happened" "Any one make it out?" "No" "How many?" "47" Just like that 47 lives gone snuffed out due to one mistake "Anything I can do?" "You want to help now?" "Do you want my help or not?" I have given you a patrol route tonight at 8pm rest up" "O.K I'll call you when I leave" I hung up.

I was not far from home it was mid-day and the sun was out for a change, Jon was out with Toby doing some scavenging I was going to go originaly but yesterdays events changed that Ty was out sweeping streets. I stooped to tie my shoe lace, a bolt of paronoia hit me and I stood up, looked round nothing kids were running by closely followed by their parents ushering them to stay close even behind walls people still feared the dead. I opened the front door locked it behind me and went in to the kitchen, I grabbed a beer and downed half "You should cut back" I looked up, Sky was standing by the door "Don't you have work?" "Don't you have school?" "It's Saturday" I put the beer down "Maybe I should drink less" "It's my birthday tommorow I'm gonna be 10" "Oh er" We have never really discussed birthdays the last 2 years  I did not know her exact age even the adoption paperwork lacked an exact date of birth as she could not remember it, wait if I didn't know how did she know "How do you know it's your birthday?" She shrugged "Everyone else gets one just cause I cant remember mine dont mean I cant have one" "I guess not but why now?" "Two years ago you rescued me" Wow had it really been 2 years "So it's my birthday now" I laughed O.K what do you want?" "Can I have a sleep over in the tent?" Oh crap a sleep over in the tent would involve me having to sit up all night by the back door listening to girl chat due to the fact the other kids parents would expect them to be watched at all times, I winced "Yeah course you can" "Can I have 3 friends come over?" "Yeah sure if their mum and dad say it's O.K I got in a lot of trouble with Amy's dad last time you decided to have a sleep over with out asking" "O'K" "We better go get midnight feast snacks then hadnt we?" "Yay!" She ran upstairs to grab her coat I watched as she went, I think she is one of the few things that keep me going at times. My phone rang I picked it up "Tom" "It was the outpost commander" "Yes what can I do for you on this lovely day boss?" "We need someone to make up the numbers on a supply run" "Call Stokes I have done my scheduled haul this month and over time and you owe three favours for making up the numbers last month" "Stokes is other wise detained" "The drunk tank again?" "Yeah" Sky came down the stairs buttoning up her coat her smile faded when she saw me on the phone it only ever meant one thing, 30 seconds later I would be out the door. It came to me at once this commander has yelled screamed and threatened me whilst constantly asking for favours all the while letting Stokes a violent drunk swagger around, you know what fuck him, I smiled at Sky "Well good he will be easy to find" "I need a favour Tom" "Well to bad I'm calling in one of mine it's my daughters birthday" I could hear cursing coming from the phone as I hung up. Sky laughed "Are you gonna be in trouble?" "Nah if he locked me up he would have no one to yell at" The phone rang again, Sky looked down at her feet, it was the commander again I turned it off and put it on the kitchen counter "Right shall we go?"

The next few hours were something I sorely needed no dead trying to eat me no living trying to attack me just a shopping trip with my adopted child. I had never called her my daughter before she did not call me dad just Tom I thought it would be disrespectful to her actual dad but if she would have called me that I dont think I would have minded to much. I let her drag me around various clothes shops she was getting a bit to old for dolls now, she bumped in to Amy a friend from school and they proceded to talk about what ever it is girls that age talk about whilst I had to make awkward chit chat with her father, he did not seem to like the idea of his child sleeping outside in a tent but brow beating from his daughter and my assurance that I would be up all night keeping an eye on them changed his mind. We stopped for a late lunch and I feigned understanding of the fashion trends she was trying to explain to me. After that it was a stop for sweets and snacks before leaving and stopping at Tiff's to ask if she could come to the sleep over. I may have left out the tent part all though Sky was miming it behind my back and I could see her excitement.

"And so I go from happyness to misery" It was 10pm I had been wandering on a seemingly random patrol for the last 2 hours the sun had long since set and the rain had returned with avengence along with powerful wind speeds "Yes well I had to explain to your out post commander why you hung up on him" "You didnt need to do that I told him" "He wanted you arrested" "Yeah I would be out the second he wanted something so I would be de-arrested in 30 seconds, boss there is fuck all here I'm cold and soaked I dont think any one is going to  try and kill me today unfortunatley" I looked around darkness rain houses and more rain no one was out this time of night "I'm going home I wont be doing this tomorrow and I mean it" "Hold on" I heard the urgency in Kanes voice "27 respond" He was not talking to me "27 respond" No answer "Who is 27?" "27 respond!" "Another Ghost?" "Ghost 27 is not responding" "Where are they?" "Head up the road and turn on to Cleaveland" I started to run in to the night maybe I would be lucky maybe they dropped their ear piece or it broke couldnt get a signal or just pissed off for a break. After 10 mins I was on Cleaveland "O.K I'm there where now?" "Head down the road" I followed the road for a little while before reaching the end an alley was on my left "Boss am I close?" "You are with in 50 metres of them" I pulled out my torch and switched it on shining it down the alley, in the middle of the narrow path was what looked like a bunch of garbage bags, that is what I was hoping for as I walked towards the alley. On closer inspection it was not trash, it was a man thrown out like trash. He lay on his front, I carefully turned him over he was barely alive blood flowed freely from a wound high up on his chest he was struggling to breathe, I propped him up against my knee "Boss man down man down" No response "Boss?" Nothing "Kane! You tosser if you don't answer I.." "You will what?" This was not Kane's voice it was another mans soft but dripping with venom "Who the hell is this?" "I'm behind you" I turned my flashlight around. Nothing. The man laughed "Scared?" "Why don't you come and ask me personally?" He laughed again "Why are you doing this?" "Why?" "That's what I said"

Something moved in front of me and I swung the flash light around again "You are very nervous how long have you done this for? Are you raw meat? Fresh out of training" The wire fencing on one side of the alley clanged I jumped a man stood there "You are jumpy" The same voice he wore a balaclava and camo jacket. I gently lowered the injured mans head to the ground he had stopped spluttering he was dead I stood up and got close to the fence "Is he dead?" The man asked "Yeah you kill him?" "Yes" "You are under arrest" "You have no authority of arrest" "Fine citizens arrest then" The man chuckled again "I would like to see you try" "Come over the fence then" "No youre time will come I have been watching you" "What" "That little girl you look after she seems lovely" "You come near here I will kill you" He chuckled again it was as close to a maniacal laugh as you could get "You don't have to worry about that worry about yourself" I walked close to the fence "I wont worry" "Why is that?" "Because I'm not afraid of you" "Yes you are you panicked when you couldnt contact youre boss the sounds the way you whirl the torch you are afraid" "Maybe I am but I am not afraid of one thing" I stepped right up to the wire fence he walked forward to "And whats that?" "I'm not afraid to act" I pulled my knife from my pocket and jammed it throuugth one of the gaps in the fence I hit flesh. The man snarled turned and ran in to the night. I did not chase him I had what I needed the rain continued to pour down as I tried to contact Kane.

               Chasing Ghost's

I managed to get through to Kane after the man left I had police army you name it swarming the area 2 seconds later but the man had escaped. I was not to concerned with this every person when they come in to this outpost or any other outpost has finger prints and DNA taken a requirement for entry to make all the crime in the area more manageable. I handed my knife to an officer and left, the knife did not go deep enough for a fatal wound but one drop of blood would be enough.

Kane did not call me the next night even if he did I would not have picked up Sky's birthday was my only concern and it went smoothly apart from the fact I had to sit in the rain for 8 hours listening about which boys they found hot apparantly Richard Davidson is hot stuff. But they had fun the girls stayed the next night to why not youre only 10 once.

Jon walked the girls home whilst I caught up