Apocalyptica (Ran Book 1) by Joshua Guess

Author:Joshua Guess [Guess, Joshua]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2016-07-18T16:00:00+00:00

18

My symptoms didn’t stop all at once, instead dropping off slowly over time.

Two weeks after the world ended, I was no longer having seizures. Being stuck at home became almost maddeningly claustrophobic—ironic, given how rarely I left the house before the apocalypse happened—but I was mostly encouraged by my progress.

I never developed the jittery rage or any other psychological problems. Not any new ones, anyway. My brain was well stocked with neuroses to begin with. The muscle spasms and random contractions faded to bouts of tremors and shakes. The fevers subsided to mild hot flashes. I still didn’t want to put myself or anyone else at risk by being distracted at the wrong time, so instead I bent my back working on the many improvements Tony was laying out for the property.

I was a little jealous that he and Jem were getting so much done. The once-empty field around my house was now stacked with tons upon tons of construction supplies. They had raided our local superstore for every tarp and other waterproof covering that could be found to keep the pallets of lumber from getting soaked. There was no small amount of equipment, too. It’s easy to forget what a willingness to take and the lack of anyone to stop you can accomplish.

Almost every day was filled with trip after trip as the two of them rushed to hoard everything possible. Watching them do it was why I eventually annoyed Tony into giving me some work to do.

I was walking along behind the trencher, trying to keep it straight and follow the spray-painted line in the grass, when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned off the machine and wiped my hands on my shorts. Not because they were especially dirty or sweaty, but from the powerful vibrations running a digging machine sent through them. Every time I stopped using it, my fingers felt like they were going to rattle forever.

Carla walked over, Nikola lazily following behind. My dog had taken to the other woman, a fact I chalked up to the frequency with which she supplied him with table food. Traitor.

“What’s up?” I asked. I’d only been working for an hour.

She looked at the trencher appraisingly. “Watching you use that thing looks a little like you’re trying to murder the planet with a chainsaw.”

I laughed. It was true; the model I was using pretty much looked like a huge chainsaw on wheels. The long line of dirt piled up next to the trench could be thought of as the ground’s flesh, with a little imagination. “Did you come out here just to compliment me?”

“No,” Carla said. “Though the fact you consider it a compliment is pretty fucked up. The boys just called on the radio. They found some survivors and want to bring them in. Apparently they’ve been staying in one of the stores. They aren’t in great shape.”

I leaned on the trencher. “Okay. Uh, how many? And do we have the supplies for them?”

Carla pulled her little notebook out and flipped it open.

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