The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 37

Chapter 37

From her infrared feed, Hayley couldn’t make out faces or clothes, only heat shapes.

One thing was clear: they really had released a pack of dogs.

After the dogs were set loose, the humans argued for a moment, then climbed back into their vehicles and drove off, leaving the dogs behind.

The dogs watched the trucks pull away, then all took off full speed toward the city. Hayley tracked them on the thermal cam as both the truck and the running dogs headed that direction.

She frowned. What were they doing?

The next morning, Hayley got up early to warm up like always. Even if there weren’t any more system rewards, she kept up the routine.

As she was about to jog the perimeter, an alert popped up on her monitor.

She had linked the cameras to her phone, so she grabbed it and checked.

There were dogs on the highway outside the shelter-about 15 of them. Each one wore some kind of vest. The pack ran to the spot where Hayley had seen the strange scene the day before and then stopped, circling and waiting as if for their owner to return.

Her phone buzzed with a public notice.

Ding! [Aecraton Rescue Operation starting! Rescue vehicles entering Aecraton. Survivors, please proceed to the designated gathering points!]

Suddenly, it all made sense. The convoy that had passed her gate yesterday was a rescue team. Those dogs were theirs.

Hayley drove out to the edge of her base. The main road outside was miraculously clear of zombies, creating an oddly peaceful stretch.

A pack of dogs sat at her lane like sentries, eyes fixed on the city.

They looked beat up. Nearly every dog showed wounds-bite marks, torn ears and tails, gouges across their bellies.

One looked especially awful: both its back legs had been ripped open, the bones partially exposed. It couldn’t really limp so much as drag itself, propped up mostly on its front legs. It trailed its bloody hind legs behind it, staring longingly at the skyline.

Hayley stepped out of the car and saw their condition, and immediately knew what had happened.

The dogs had chased after their humans into the city and run into a massive horde. They fought hard, but didn’t find their owners. After a desperate battle, they had managed to make it back here, hoping their owners would return.

1/2

Chapter 37

+25 Bonus

“In the apocalypse, people do what they must to survive,” Hayley muttered. “Since you ran into me, I’ll take care of you.”

She bandaged every dog, paying special attention to the one that was the most injured. When it was time to treat it, she gritted her teeth and bought the Valenex from the system shop.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify