Beyond the Night: An Anthology by J.B. Havens

Author:J.B. Havens [Havens, J.B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-07-16T05:00:00+00:00

The End

Coming Up Next

Molly: A Survivor

Molly: A Survivor

Chapter 1

The silence was the worst part. This new world was full of terrors and nightmares; those I had gotten used to. I had been forced to grow accustomed to these walking horrors or I would have died months ago. The long stretches of unending silence did more to drive me insane than the monsters that ruled this world ever could.

The sound of my own breathing echoed back to me. I kept my knees drawn up to my chest, my arms wrapped tightly around them. Shivering and wet, I was unable to get warm. I had climbed in here to escape a heavy rain shower. A hacking cough wracked my frail body. Three months ago, this cold wouldn’t be enough to slow me down longer than it took to pop some meds and keep going. Now, malnourished and without even the most basic of comforts, this cold could very well kill me.

The ambulance I had taken shelter in at least had the luxury of a bed, even if it was in the form of a gurney stripped of sheets and blankets. All the cabinets were empty, long since cleaned out of anything useful. My only possessions were in a simple backpack beside me. A few bottles of water, three stale granola bars I had scavenged, and a baseball bat. I had hammered long nails through the top and wrapped it with razor wire. It was messy, but very effective.

Guns were used in excess when the infection had first begun to spread. People were panicking and looting. There were extensive rioting and mass confusion plagued the nation. Guns did you no good anymore. The noise drew them like flies. The only use a gun would have to me now, would be in taking my own life.

In three short months, the world had dissolved, reverting back and re-setting itself to the most primal of needs. Food, shelter, water, and defense of those basics. The few people remaining were no more than animals themselves, bent on survival.

I opened a granola bar and crunched through half of it, saving the rest for my breakfast. Hunger cramped my stomach painfully. I thought back to the last meal I had eaten before this madness began: a steak, wet-aged, thick-cut and cooked to perfection; and mashed potatoes swimming in butter and gravy. I had washed it all down with an ice-cold beer. My mouth watered at the memory, even as my stomach screamed.

In the morning, I would be forced to leave my sanctuary and find food. I peeked out the small window of the ambulance as the sun finished setting. Darkness was falling. I double-checked that the door was latched and secured. I extinguished my tiny flashlight and set in to wait. There was usually no sleeping at night, they were more active then. Something about the darkness drew them out of their nests like bees. Daytime was dangerous, but it was the night that was truly their time. They swarmed around, sniffing and listening for any signs of prey.

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