Refugees from the Righteous Horde (Toxic World Book 2) by Sean McLachlan Page A

crew.
    “Stand up and turn out your pocke ts,” she ordered.
    Susanna tensed. Everyone stood. Berating herself for being so incautious, she stood with the rest of them.  She turned out her pockets, grateful that Eduardo’s shirt hung loosely on her so that the inside pocket and its precious contents didn’t bulge out.
    What if they search inside our clothes? Lots of people have pockets inside their clothing to hide things.
    Whether or not the woman was going to order them to do that, Susanna would never know, because an old man near her turned out his po ckets and a potato fell out. He hung his head.
    The woman went up to him and smacked him across the face.
    “I knew we couldn’t trust you people!” she screamed. “Just a bunch of filthy scavengers and fundamentalists!”
    She smacked him again, harder this time. The old man staggered but didn’t resist. He didn’t even try to dodge the next blow.
    “I lost a cousin to you scum, and my best friend!”
    She hit him again. Her face was twisted with rage, teeth showing in a snarl. She shook all over.
    Then she drew a Bowie knife out of a sheath on her belt.
    “Don’t!” Susanna screamed.
    The woman rounded on her.
    “What? What did you say?”
    A chill ran though Susanna. She staggered back a step. The woman strode over to her, gripping her knife.
    “That’s enough,” the guard said. He sou nded bored.
    The woman stopped, her knife shaking she gripped it so hard. Susanna was frozen in terror.
    If she takes another step, run.
    I’m not sure I can.
    And even if I can, where do I run?
    “I said that’s enough. Abe says we can’t kill them,” the guard said.
    The woman’s eyes narrowed. At last she sheathed her knife. Susanna fell to the ground, trembling.
    Be strong. You have to be strong.
    “Abe should have never brought these pieces of shit here,” the woman said.
    She turned from Susanna and walked past the old man, who cowered. She gave him another slap, picked up the basket, and walked away.
    Susanna remained trembling on the ground.
    “You OK?” a soft voice asked.
    She looked up. To her surprise it wasn’t one of her companions. It was a Weissberg woman. She was well dressed and well fed, and yet had a sympathetic look. Susanna blinked. It was the first kind look she’d seen from a stranger in a long, long time. The woman reached out her hand. Susanna took it and the woman pulled her up.
    “I’m Bridget,” she said.
    “I’m Susanna.”
    Susanna looked into Bridget’s eyes and saw no falseness there.
    Suddenly she was filled with a desperate hope.
    Maybe there’s a way out of this prison.

 
    CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    Annette led the prisoners through the Burbs as a mob of citizens, residents, and scavengers coalesced around them. Many were shouting and shaking their fists at the prisoners. Some tried to grab them and Annette and her deputies had to push them back. She was grateful to see Clyde helping in this, and angry to see her special deputy Christina Raines standing back and doing nothing.
    She understood her anger. Hell, she felt the same anger herself, but what were they supposed to do, sink down to the cult’s level? They were supposed to be the start of a new civilizati on, not some pack of barbarians with electricity.
    “Enough already!” she shouted. “You people elected me sheriff and these are my prisoners. You want blood? Go join the Righteous Horde!”
    Clyde pitched in. “These prisoners offered to share some valuable information about the enemy. We’re keeping them for interrogation.”
    That settled things down a bit. Annette had to admit that Clyde’s practical words worked better than her moral ones.
    She moved in close to Jeb, the one who liked to talk.
    “You better have something good for The Doctor,” she said in a low voice.
    “Or what? You’re handing me over to this folks?” he asked.
    He looked afraid. She couldn’t blame him. Annette shook her head.
    “No. The worst you’ll get is to be marched to