Charles Osbourne watched the young man through the trees, his blood roiling. Not only had the kid survived, but he’d also had the nerve to return to his truck, thinking they’d be stupid enough to leave something behind.
“Dumb son of a bitch,” he muttered to the two men next to him.
Charles had parked their pickup behind a cluster of oaks, just off a dirt trail that led off the road. It was a spot that most people didn’t know about, and one that most passersby would’ve overlooked. Having grown up in the town next to Chester, Charles knew the ins and outs of the roadway, and that put him at an advantage.
They weren’t going to lose Chester. Not like they’d lost Wardstown.
Charles had chosen the town because there’d been no evidence of survivors. It was time for a fresh start.
Just a week prior, he’d been in a prison transport van on the way to the Sterling Correctional Facility. This would’ve been his third time in prison, and according to the judge, it would’ve been his last. After his latest assault conviction, Charles was told he’d never see the light of day again.
What the judge hadn’t predicted was the world ending.
On his way to prison, the roads had caved to violence. In the blink of an eye, the population seemed to have succumbed to infection. There’d been two drivers in the transport van. One minute they’d been talking, the next they’d been tearing each other limb from limb. If Charles hadn’t been separated from them by a metal partition, he’d have been dead already.
For almost a day, he’d remained in the back of the van, shackled and unable to get out. He’d watched as the world conceded to chaos: cars crashing into one another, survivors being torn to bits, and the infected running rampant.
None of it had bothered Charles. Not one bit.
The only thing on his mind had been escape.
After screaming for help for hours, Charles had finally been rescued by several frantic pedestrians. He’d coaxed them into getting the keys from the dead driver, then convinced them to set him free.
He’d repaid them by killing them. If and when the world went back to normal, the last things he needed were witnesses.
Charles wouldn’t let anyone ruin his chance at a new life. Just like he wouldn’t let any outsiders compromise his town. He watched the young man search through the pickup, his rage building.
He looked over at the man in the passenger seat.
“We should come up on him,” Gary said, scratching the stubble on his chin. “Cut him off from leaving.”
Charles studied the road, thinking it through. Although their F150 had a V6 engine in it, it looked like the kid had picked up a new car. If they were to come out of hiding now, there was a chance he’d get away.
Besides, he’d much rather follow him.
Where there was one survivor, there might be others. He’d rather take care of all of them at once. It would save him the trouble later.
The fact that the young man was alive infuriated Charles. It’d been Jose’s decision to let the kid run, thinking it’d be more fun that way.
But that hadn’t happened.
Instead, the piece of shit had killed Ronnie and Jose. Had somehow gotten a leg up on them. And then he’d given them all the slip. For that, the kid was going to get it worse than he had before. The little fucker would pay for what he’d done.
Charles was going to see to it.
He turned to the boy in the backseat. William was rocking back and forth in his seat, his teeth clenched. In his hands was a paring knife. William was only fourteen years old. Ronnie had been his father.
“I want to be the one to do it,” William hissed.
The boy stared at Charles with a mixture of fear and rage in his eyes, his hands shaking.
“Relax,” Charles said. “You’ll get your chance. I promise.”
He turned back around. A hundred feet ahead, the taillights of the car had flickered. The vehicle started in reverse. In just a few seconds, it’d pass by them.
Charles hunkered down in his seat and beckoned for his companions to do the same. Once the vehicle had gone by, he’d pull out from behind the trees and navigate back onto the roadway. He watched as the car soared past.
Then he pulled out and hit the gas.