Echoes of a Dying World (Book 1) by Esquibel Don M

Author:Esquibel, Don M. [Esquibel, Don M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic | EMP
Published: 2017-03-22T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

I wake in confusion. Where am I? What the hell happened? Why does my body ache all over? A headache beats a rhythm inside my skull, clouding my thoughts. I make to sit up and immediately regret the decision, as pain flares across my back and ribs. A round of nausea hits me, and I close my eyes and put my head between my knees, the world spinning around me. I stay huddled like this till the sound of nearby movement reaches my ears and I recoil away defensively. The past few days return to me the moment I see her face. There’s worry in her features: in the roundness of her eyes and creases in her forehead. Still, she's beautiful, and I couldn't think of a better sight to start my day.

“Are you alright?” she asks concernedly. I open my mouth to answer, but it's so dry all I manage is a croaking plea for water. She’s out the tent flap and back in seconds, handing over a canteen. I drink too heavily, too fast, sending me into a hacking fit which leaves tears in my eyes from the wave that rocks my ribcage. It's a long minute before I've collected myself enough to try again. I take a long pull and manage to keep it down, bringing much needed relief to my parched mouth and throat. Encouraged, I take another, emptying half its contents before I stop with panting breaths.

“Thank, you,” I tell Lauren who sits across from me, analyzing me like a nurse might do a patient. “I needed that.”

She brushes my thank you aside. “Felix told me to make sure you took this when you woke up.” She unfolds her hand and offers one of the two remaining Lortabs

“I’ll be alright, save it for when one of us really needs it,” I tell her.

She fixes me with a stern gaze. “One of us really needs it right now. And Felix said if you don’t take it, he’ll insert it veterinarian style when he gets back.”

I laugh despite myself. “That doesn’t sound too pleasant,” I comment.

She shakes her head, not sharing my amusement. “No, it doesn’t. So be a good boy and take your medicine,” she says. I take the pill with another drink of water, opening my mouth and lifting my tongue once I’ve swallowed it. “Pass your inspection, nurse?” I ask.

“For now,” she says.

“Where is everyone anyway?” I ask, noticing for the first time the absence of noise outside the tent. She crawls inside and sits across from me, stretching out her legs so they rest beside my own. “Emily’s asleep. She’s still mending, so she needs as much as she can get. Grace, Maya, and Leon are hauling water, and Felix is checking some traps he set the other day.”

“Ah, so you really did get stuck playing nurse to the sick kids?” I tease.

“Something like that,” she says. “It’s ok though, I wanted to be here when you woke up.” I shift uncomfortably, fully realizing what happened before I blacked out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.