Endure: Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Thriller - Book 2 (Caustic) by Brian Spangler

Author:Brian Spangler
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2017-03-18T06:00:00+00:00

6

Amid the bustle and commotion of their building’s courtyard, Sammi squeezed Declan’s hand and mouthed, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Hearing Sammi’s words aloud felt good. Declan pulled in a breath, preparing to share the fond thought, but before he spoke again, she’d let go of his fingers. Remains of her warm touch stayed with him as she started the walk across the courtyard—the yard, as they liked to call it. She turned back once, raising a single finger high above her, signaling for one hour. Declan nodded and waved. When she turned away, her figure melted into the crowd. If not for her red hair bouncing along with her graceful gait, he would have all but lost sight of her. He glanced around at all that was familiar to him: the people, the smells. He was home.

A workman yelled, pulling Declan’s attention to the upper floors. Some of the workers hung from balconies—tethered for safety—busily adding a new coat of resin. The End of Gray Skies didn’t alter their routine: sun or no sun, the protective coating was put on. Even from where Declan stood, he could smell the hot resin. He clutched his upper arm where the sleeve of his coveralls was still bare. By this time next year, he’d be wearing his first arm band. That meant it could be him hanging up there, applying the resin. After all, their building had survived centuries, but only through the accumulation of resin-coated concrete and steel.

Declan’s stomach jumped into his throat as he tried to imagine himself hanging up there. He shook his head, knowing that he’d have to find some other work. Maybe he’d work in the lower levels, managing the communications, or he could work the Commune’s energy distribution. He wiped his brow, suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed about his future… about their future. Sammi’s secret. It wouldn’t be long before they’d be starting a family.

“I’ll find something, Sammi,” he mumbled, stretching on his toes to catch a glimpse of her. When he couldn’t find her, he dropped back down, and chuckled then, thinking that he could always work for the bureau that recorded births and deaths. Suddenly hanging from the balconies didn’t seem all that bad. “Whatever it takes, Sammi.”

But, while there was a thrill in knowing Sammi’s secret, at the same time there was something that concerned him. Couples were struggling to get pregnant—for many, their time to conceive was ending without a child. There were fewer babies in the Commune, with some stolen, still wearing the swaddling blankets they’d been wrapped in. Declan knew the story about one baby being fought over on the infirmary floor after the death of another infant; both couples had tried to claim the surviving child. There were even a few couples that had been exiled from the Commune, banished to live among the Outsiders, for taking a child that wasn’t theirs.

In the past year, Declan had often heard his father and mother talk about problems with the Commune’s population.

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