Apocalypse by Ryan Casey

Author:Ryan Casey
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2020-05-08T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Noah and Kelly kept their rifles pointed at Paul at every damned second.

They were just outside the town now. Walking through some local park, then into the trees beyond. Ducks swam about in the pond, wondering when they were next gonna get a scrap of bread thrown at them from a local or a passer-by. Squirrels raced up the sides of the lush, green trees. It looked like nature was resuming itself. Like things were returning to normal, the way things used to be. The way things were supposed to be before humans tainted everything.

But there was always that sense of caution that somebody was about. Or a body lying in the street. A faint smell of rot in the air. Constant reminders of the far from perfect world they were living in now.

“You’re making a terrible mistake,” Paul said.

Noah sighed. “Yeah, well it’s our mistake to own. Keep walking.”

He thought about what Paul had told him. The virus—if it could even be called a virus—was known about in secret for years. Some kind of nuclear arms race had formed around the world, a desperate attempt not to be left without the virus.

Except something had happened. The virus had got out. The whole damned world looked like it’d been affected.

And now Paul’s people were scrambling to understand it and find some kind of solution in the grimmest, most depraved ways.

He thought about what Paul had said a lot. About how he was useful.

But then Kelly, too.

She was asymptomatic. But she still had the virus.

That must be some real dark shit to have to deal with.

He knew deep down they should turn around. Head back to that place. For the good of humanity.

But fuck that.

He didn’t trust Paul for one second.

There was no way he and Kelly were walking back to that hellhole after everything that’d happened.

“You know, if my ex-wife knew I was spending probably my final moments as a captive prisoner, she’d be laughing her tits off right now.”

Kelly shrugged. “Sounds like your ex-wife had the measure of you, too.”

Paul tutted. “Karen was a good woman. A little insecure. A little needy. But her heart was always in the right place. I never knew what a good thing I had when I was with her, really. Didn’t appreciate her enough. Didn’t love her enough. Too focused by my work. Too damned absorbed by it. Can’t blame her for leaving me in the end. It was always gonna happen.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “If it’s my pity you’re looking for, you’ve come to the wrong place. Keep walking.”

“I don’t want your pity. I just… I just wish you’d understand—”

“What a grave mistake I’m making. Sure.”

“Have you ever had children? Actually, stupid question. I’m guessing not.”

Noah frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You just don’t seem the type, is all. The type who has carried responsibility. True responsibility.”

“Don’t talk to me about responsibility,” Noah said.

“And what about loss?” Paul asked.

“What?”

“Loss. True loss. Have you ever felt true loss?”

Noah thought of Jasmine.

He thought of burying that knife into her.

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