End Times, Surviving with My Beastly Army novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54 The Wolf in the Fold

Rocky kept his voice small. “It’s me. I’m back. Rocky.”

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The big man called out, tone suspicious. “How come you’re the only one? Where is everybody else? And who the hell are those four?”

Rocky stuck to the script they’d rehearsed. “We ran into them on the way to the zoo. They had nowhere to go, so the captain said he’d take them in and told me to bring them here first.”

The big man was skeptical. “Since when is he that generous?”

Rocky said nothing.

After a beat, the big man nodded to one of his people.

The roller shutter rose about two feet off the ground.

Rocky switched into tour–guide mode, gesturing grandly for Robin’s group. “There’s a bunch of us in here. We’ve been camped out at this station for a month–super safe.”

He crouched low and squeezed through the gap first.

Robin suppressed a slight grimace at the tight opening, but recovered immediately.

She followed Rocky through.

The second all four were inside, someone hauled the shutter back down. Darkness swallowed the room whole.

A single candle stub flickered on the floor, nearly burned to nothing–barely enough to see

1. by.

1–rows of

Robin scanned the space without moving her head. The mini–mart was bigger than expected- shelving units stretching into the shadows. But most of the shelves had been picked clean.

They really were running out of time.

“Who are you people? Where’d you come from? What brought you out here?”

The big man studied each of them in turn.

Robin had prepared for this. Before arriving, she’d had everyone smear dirt across their faces and clothes, tear strategic rips in their outfits–the whole nine yards. They looked every inch the part of desperate, filthy refugees straight out of a disaster movie.

“We… we’re…”

Ella slipped into character without missing a beat, casting a timid, fearful glance at the big man before quickly dropping her gaze. “My name’s Ella. This is Robin–my best friend. And these two are Dane and Tim. We met them on the road.

“We came from the city center. Almost everyone there turned. We went everywhere looking for a shelter, and nobody would take us. If Dane and Tim hadn’t been protecting us, I don’t know how two girls could’ve

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Chapter 54 The Wolf in the Fold

possibly walked all this way…” Her voice broke, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

Robin was both speechless and impressed.

She was starting to seriously question whether Ella had really been a sports major in college.

This had drama degree written all over it.

The performance landed perfectly. The tension left

As far as he could tell, these four were no threat.

the big man’s face.

Sure, the older guy had a solid build, but he looked well past his prime. In a fight against himself? Not a

chance.

“Let me introduce myself.”

The burly man said, “My name is Micah Laurent. I’m the vice–captain of this group.”

Dane played the role of grateful subordinate to perfection, practically bowing. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Laurent. Real honor.”

Micah’s grin widened another notch.

He put on a friendly face. “Let me introduce everyone.”

He waved toward the back of the store. With the national grid completely down and the roller shutter sealed tight, the only light came from a dying candle and a small peephole scratched into the grimy window.

The flame was shrinking by the second, threatening to go out entirely.

In the feeble glow, they could make out several figures deeper in the store–sitting, standing, crouching against shelves–none of them paying the newcomers much attention.

Micah said, “Since Rocky brought you, you can stay here for now.”

“For now?”

Robin caught the qualifier instantly. “Does that mean you’ll be kicking us out later?”

“Not at all.”

A smug look crept across Micah’s face. “We’ve found a new base. Ten thousand times better than this dump. We already sent people to scout it out–they should be back anytime now.”

“Wow, there’s a new base?”

Ella’s eyes went perfectly wide with manufactured wonder. “This place already seems great with all these supplies! Where could possibly be better?”

Her wide–eyed innocent–girl act was precision–crafted to lower every guard in the room. And it was working

like a charm.

Micah grinned, chest puffing out. “Ever heard of Shangri–La?”

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