Aftermath (Book 1): Aftermath by Donovan J.S

Author:Donovan, J.S. [Donovan, J.S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic | EMP
Published: 2018-04-16T04:00:00+00:00

7

Down Under

The tempest roared and the wind screamed.

Torrents of sleet assaulted the house’s walls and rattled the barred windows. The wall surrounding the property wobbled in wet dirt. Beyond it, trees violently bent and swayed, abused by the power of wind. Branches broke away, swirled in the air, and clashed against the rutty dirt road.

At sundown, the house was dark apart from a few candles glowing in the bedrooms.

Naomi sat on a desk chair beside her bed. She held her daughter’s soft hand. The thirteen-year-old coughed violently. Her skin was the color of dead flesh. Her eyes were sunken like a ghoul. Nearby, a bowl of chicken broth cooled. Trinity had barely touched it.

Naomi peeked at the calendar on the wall.

It was early February, seventeen days after the exodus from Philly.

Sleeping in the recreation room had robbed her of her rest. Taking care of daughter during the day and reading medical textbooks late into evening produced dark circles around her blue eyes. She had forsaken make-up weeks ago and only showered every two days. Her sunken stomach begged for food. A migraine pounded her head like the constant chiseling of an ice pick.

It was the third day of the sleet storm, which meant three days of no wall repair, three days without hunting, three days of being trapped in a house with five sick people. Six if you counted Calvin. He’d just started coughing two days ago and spent an hour on the toilet every morning.

It was only Allen, Dean, and Naomi that weren't completely disabled by the illness. Conner’s resilient personality kept him going, but he’d lost twenty pounds and lost his temper on a dime. Fergus’s condition plummeted deeper into despair. Naomi and Conner had to experiment with different medication, but that only left him with more side effects, including but not limited to involuntary bowel movements, strange rashes, jaundice, and paranoia. Some nights, Naomi heard him screaming the name of his first girlfriend and telling her to keep the baby. As brutal as it may be, Fergus had become the guinea pig to test the medication so Becca, Cathleen, Trinity, and Conner wouldn’t have to. God forgive me, Naomi thought every time she experimented.

“Mom,” Trinity said weakly.

Naomi looked up from her textbook. “Yeah, baby?”

Her voice cracked. “Water.”

Naomi set aside the textbook and grabbed the bottle of water. She poured it into a glass and helped Trinity drink. She shut her eyes as she gulped it down. When she was finished, Naomi took a cloth and wiped the excess from the girl’s chin.

Trinity shut her eyes and fell fast asleep.

Naomi stayed seated next to her. A flash of lightning revealed the sorrow painting Naomi’s pretty but downtrodden face. Two seconds later, booming thunder shook the whole house.

Seeing Trinity slept through the loud noise, Naomi silently got up. Her joints creaked as she stood. She stretched her legs and tucked the textbook under her arm.

She headed out of the bedroom and into the dreary hallway.

Allen sat in his study. The light from the candlestick illuminated his bearded face.

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