The Outbreak Chronicles Book One Survival Ties

Chapter 16

Watching Evan draw took more time than I realized. Sam had come back to the living room and was discussing dinner.

"We're not stopping to eat dinner. I'm just going to make burgers up and Tone will keep driving, we are getting close to Paradis Roulette now." Sam told us as he went into the kitchen and started prepping dinner. With the burgers on the stove the bus filled with smoke causing Hunter and Aaron to run around to open windows. The smoke cleared instantly leaving just the smell of cooking meat. Sam didn't set up a line for us to make our own. Instead one by one he brought out everyone's food to them on plates. He even brought food back to the room where Sydney and Scott were still watching over Hannah. Sam ate his own food quickly; the longest we stopped was for Sam to take over driving so Tone could eat.

The sky was starting to darken as sunset came. Sam was stretching in the front seat as he drove. The world looked to be bathed in gold as we continued to drive.

"Starting to look like we should find a place to park for the night." Tone said to Sam.

"Don't think you're going to want to pull over." Evan said from where he was sitting looking out the window.

"Why?" Sam called back.

"We got a whole horde of Red Eyes in the trees. They seem to be following the bus's movement." Evan said.

"I'm not seeing anything in the rearview mirrors, Tone go check out where he's looking." Sam responded and Tone got up to join Evan at the window.

"He's right we have defiantly attracted a following." Tone called over to Sam.

"How many are following us?" Sam asked.

"A lot. It was the cooking food. We opened the windows to clear the smoke and never closed them again." Evan said, "They're following the smell of our dinner."

"Then close the windows and see if we can lose them." Sam demanded as Evan and Tone closed all the windows.

"It may help but they are following our movement now too. So even without the smell we need something else to draw their attention." Evan was saying.

"So we have to keep driving until we lose them." Sam said.

"Yeah there are a lot of them out there and if we stop I think they could overwhelm the bus." Evan agreed.

"We need to figure out how to lose them soon. I don't want to drive at night where the headlights will draw more attention to us. We can't drive without them on once darkness comes." Sam was saying sounding like he was trying to work out what to do.

"I'd suggest driving faster but with it getting dark that could prove more dangerous to us." Tone said.

"I could distract them and you guys could get away." Evan said and everyone looked at him.

"Distract them how?" Sam asked keeping his eyes on the road.

"I'll jump off the bus and give them something to chase." Evan responded.

"I appreciate the thought, but we are not leaving anyone behind. You are staying on this bus with us and we will figure out how to get them to leave us be." Sam said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"What if we stopped long enough to put a radio on the ground? Would the noise distract them?" Daisy asked.

"Like a boom box thing?" Evan asked her.

"Yeah throw a couple meat patties on top of it so they have the smell and the noise to keep them from following us." Daisy responded.

"That might work." Evan said sounding excited.