The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 663

Chapter 663

An armored vehicle sped down the highway between Brookville and Crestford.

The road stretched out empty on both sides.

Everything along the route had already been cleared.

There were no people, no zombies. Just the endless, lifeless city, like a wasteland of concrete and steel.

Most of the cars on the road had either been scrapped or pushed aside during the cleanup.

Every so often, small dark mounds rose beside the highway, 10 to 15 feet tall. They weren’t hills; they were piles of burned zombie remains.

When the teams cleared a city sector, the bodies had to be disposed of quickly. No one had time to dig mass graves during active operations.

So they burned them where they fell.

Those gray-black mounds were the result.

If survivors were found during sweeps, they were rescued whenever possible.

Over the past few months alone, the combat teams had pulled more than 100 people out of ruined city blocks.

At this stage of the apocalypse, anyone still alive inside cities tended to be scattered individuals. Some hid underground. Others clung to the tops of tall buildings.

Large survivor communities inside cities were almost impossible.

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Living there was simply too hard.

Even the group Hayley had rescued before, Jasmine and the others, had only numbered 15 people. If there had been more, the noise and activity would have drawn zombie hordes long ago.

Hayley sat in the passenger seat, watching the decaying skyline pass by.

The midday sun blazed overhead as a red plastic bag drifted across the road.

Bang!

The armored vehicle rolled straight over it and kept moving.

Hayley was still thinking about the information Alex had given her.

Between Brookville and Crestford there was a rural tourism area, a cluster of farm resorts and vacation cabins. Even before the apocalypse, it had been about an hour’s drive from either city.

Tourism there had been fairly popular.

Which meant the zombie population in that area might still be high.

Hayley was still considering the possibilities when something suddenly darted onto the road ahead.

It was a little girl, about seven or eight years old.

Screech!

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The armored vehicle slammed on its brakes. Leonard reacted quickly, but the distance was too short. He couldn’t stop in time.

Thud!

The vehicle struck the girl and came to a halt. She collapsed onto the pavement, landing hard on her backside.

To begin with, her face was pale from malnutrition. Now, it turned even whiter as she struggled to get up.

Just then, a group of people came running from the other side of the road.

“Where did that little brat go?”

“Winona! Get out here!”

Hearing the voices, the girl ignored the pain and scrambled to her feet.

She tried to run.

“There she is!”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The group rushed forward like hunters chasing livestock. They grabbed her before she could get far.

The girl fought wildly in their grip, kicking and twisting as she screamed.

“I’m not going to be food! I’m not going to be food!”

Smack!

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