“Dennis! Dennis!” Mac sounded frantic. Dennis raced across the parking lot toward the gas station. “I’m coming, Mac!” he yelled to his friend, and burst into the store.
Mac was at the counter. When Dennis walked in, Mac pointed to the back of the store.
The door of the men’s bathroom was slowly creaking open. Just then the door swung wide, and a man appeared. The man’s hair was matted and disheveled. His clothes were ripped and dirty. Parts of his skin were covered in deep purple and black marks. Even from the door,
Dennis could detect the man’s stench. He smelled like the fermented slop that they fed to pigs on the ranch. It was obvious that the plague had gotten this man.
The man hovered in the doorway of the bathroom, looking first at Mac …show more content…
As they drove, Dennis and Mac learned that the boy’s name was Jeremiah. His parents had worked in one of the big hospitals in the city. When the plague hit, they had volunteered to help nurse Searching for Survivors
© 2015 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. the first victims. His parents had never come home. Jeremiah had waited a week and then tried to go to the hospital. No one was there. The entire building was abandoned and vacant.
“I don’t know what happened to them,” said Jeremiah. “So I left the city on my bike. I rode and rode until I came to the gas station. I thought I was safe until a new group of plagued people showed up.”
Dennis and Mac nodded. Who knew how many families had been ripped apart by the plague? The important thing now was figuring out their next step. Dennis told Mac that he had heard the voice of a girl on the radio. “Her name was Anna, and she was the last one alive in her town, Sunnydale. She was on her father’s radio kit, looking for others,” said Dennis.
Mac looked at Dennis. “We’re going to Sunnydale, aren’t we?” he asked. Dennis nodded. “And then?” asked Jeremiah.
Mac cleared his throat. He had an idea. Mac pointed out that it was too dangerous to …show more content…
It made sense. “Okay,” he said. “But we look for Anna first. We might be her only chance at survival.” In his head, Dennis could still hear the girl’s voice and her sobbing as she made her radio broadcast.
The sun was setting when the truck pulled onto the main street of Sunnydale. “How will we find her?” asked Mac. “We can’t just knock on every door in this town.”
Dennis was fiddling with the radio again. “Let’s see if we can hear her,” he said. “Maybe she’ll say her address.” The static cleared, and there again was Anna’s voice. She was still broadcasting. “Is anyone there? Anyone liste—”
Suddenly, Anna’s voice stopped. The young men heard a pounding on the door in the background. There was a crash and then sounds of a struggle. Dennis gripped the wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. They were too late.
“Look!” cried Jeremiah. On the main street, the doors to one of the houses had opened.
A teenaged girl was running out. She looked terrified, but not like the wild members of the swarm. Something else came out of the house, chasing her.
“Jump in the truck!” screamed Mac. The girl ran and leapt into the back of the truck, and
Dennis hit the accelerator. There was a howl of frustration from the plagued person as his
victim
Mac was at the counter. When Dennis walked in, Mac pointed to the back of the store.
The door of the men’s bathroom was slowly creaking open. Just then the door swung wide, and a man appeared. The man’s hair was matted and disheveled. His clothes were ripped and dirty. Parts of his skin were covered in deep purple and black marks. Even from the door,
Dennis could detect the man’s stench. He smelled like the fermented slop that they fed to pigs on the ranch. It was obvious that the plague had gotten this man.
The man hovered in the doorway of the bathroom, looking first at Mac …show more content…
As they drove, Dennis and Mac learned that the boy’s name was Jeremiah. His parents had worked in one of the big hospitals in the city. When the plague hit, they had volunteered to help nurse Searching for Survivors
© 2015 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. the first victims. His parents had never come home. Jeremiah had waited a week and then tried to go to the hospital. No one was there. The entire building was abandoned and vacant.
“I don’t know what happened to them,” said Jeremiah. “So I left the city on my bike. I rode and rode until I came to the gas station. I thought I was safe until a new group of plagued people showed up.”
Dennis and Mac nodded. Who knew how many families had been ripped apart by the plague? The important thing now was figuring out their next step. Dennis told Mac that he had heard the voice of a girl on the radio. “Her name was Anna, and she was the last one alive in her town, Sunnydale. She was on her father’s radio kit, looking for others,” said Dennis.
Mac looked at Dennis. “We’re going to Sunnydale, aren’t we?” he asked. Dennis nodded. “And then?” asked Jeremiah.
Mac cleared his throat. He had an idea. Mac pointed out that it was too dangerous to …show more content…
It made sense. “Okay,” he said. “But we look for Anna first. We might be her only chance at survival.” In his head, Dennis could still hear the girl’s voice and her sobbing as she made her radio broadcast.
The sun was setting when the truck pulled onto the main street of Sunnydale. “How will we find her?” asked Mac. “We can’t just knock on every door in this town.”
Dennis was fiddling with the radio again. “Let’s see if we can hear her,” he said. “Maybe she’ll say her address.” The static cleared, and there again was Anna’s voice. She was still broadcasting. “Is anyone there? Anyone liste—”
Suddenly, Anna’s voice stopped. The young men heard a pounding on the door in the background. There was a crash and then sounds of a struggle. Dennis gripped the wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. They were too late.
“Look!” cried Jeremiah. On the main street, the doors to one of the houses had opened.
A teenaged girl was running out. She looked terrified, but not like the wild members of the swarm. Something else came out of the house, chasing her.
“Jump in the truck!” screamed Mac. The girl ran and leapt into the back of the truck, and
Dennis hit the accelerator. There was a howl of frustration from the plagued person as his
victim