The Death Doll (26 page)
Authors: Brian P. White
“Alright, let's get moving,” Bob insisted, though kept his place to hold up Cody.
Hashim headed for the tanker. Rachelle followed Craig and Isaac into the Ford. The others filed onto the bus, including Paula. Even after watching her feed, her people looked brighter than usual; maybe even hopeful.
Cody touched the exposed bone on her face, something she was quite glad she couldn’t feel. “We’ll take care of this at our next pit stop.”
“You sweet-talker, you,” Didi she said as she held his hand before slowly removing it, but she lingered in his gaze as long as she could.
He laughed. “Ready?”
She smiled and said, “Let’s do it.”
Cody let Bob help him back onto the bus. Didi watched him as she backed away. A sudden stop told her she had run into the Ford. Rachelle giggled at her, so she shoved that little grin back into the truck and hopped into the bed. She stood behind the cabin and knocked to let whoever was driving know it was time to go.
Three engines roared, and the camp was on its way south.
Dead or not, Didi got to savor another day on this planet; for herself and her friends. She relished the memory of all those relieved looks that had crammed themselves onto the bus; faces that had every right to fear both the journey ahead and the one leading them on it. Maybe that reassurance was fleeting, but she would treasure the moment as long as it lasted. Hope was far too scarce anymore, but it was there as long as someone fought for it. Without it, everyone might as well be dead already. She couldn’t change what happened to her, but she would make sure the hope she saw in the faces of those otherwise whiny, ungrateful people didn’t die like she did. That hope made her feel too good not to.
Follow Didi and her camp on their journey west in …
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brian P. White is a native of Southern California who discovered a passion for storytelling while attending high school in northwest Iowa. He has gained a wealth of experiences while serving in the United States Army for over sixteen years. He is an avid fan of many book and movie genres, including apocalyptic and military adventures.
The Death Doll
is his first published novel.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to a few people for their help in shaping this novel.
I foremost thank God for all that is possible, and I hope I represented God’s word well in this book.
I thank every writer who ever had an influence in my life and the writing that resulted. You all made my dreams fascinating.
I have to thank everyone at Google that created those online maps, which updated my knowledge of places I haven’t visited in years and introduced me to many new ones.
I thank my friends and family for taking the time to test-read my novel and add their input. Mandy, Nikki, Carrie, Renée, Daniel, Sonny, Mercy, and David (aka Dad), you are all Godsends.
Thanks to Angelique Shelley for her incredible work on my novel cover, and for putting up with my nitpicking.
Thanks to Laura Salisbury, my copyeditor, for catching all of the boneheaded stuff I missed.
Many thanks to fellow author, Michael Hammor, for all his tremendous guidance and his ear when I needed to vent or panic.
Most of all, I want to thank my beloved wife, Gail, for her support when all seemed impossible. You are my Star forever.
For a different look at the end of the world, check out the Michael Hammor serial novel, Bedtime Tales from the Apocalypse!
