Extinction of Us (Book 1): How The World Ends by North Geoff

Author:North, Geoff [North, Geoff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic | Zombies
Published: 2019-11-11T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

“When the last group came and saw there wasn’t much more to take in the way of food, they started stealing whatever they could lay their hands on.” Elton MacDonald leaned forward in his living room armchair and pointed at a blank wall. “We had a painting hanging there for twenty-eight years. Some awful Japanese piece my wife always loved. They took the thing. A goddamn worthless hunk o’ junk oil in a plastic frame.” He leaned back again, shaking his head back and forth. “What’s the world come to, Hayden... when folks start stealing crap that has no value, no practicality, no meaning... except to the folks they’re stealing from. What’s a painting of a bunch of pink lilies gonna get them?”

“I have no idea,” Hayden replied. He was sitting on the end of a couch with Hayden taking up the rest of the space under an afghan as heavy as him and almost as old as its owner. “At least they left you the furniture.”

Elton snorted and wiped what came out from his big nose against a shirt sleeve. “That was mighty big of them. They left that stupid thing as well.” He nodded at the old dead television set sitting in front of the coffee table. “For all the good it does me now. As much as I hated that idiot box, I have to admit I miss the company. I have a generator hooked up out back still running the essentials. Lights and so forth. First thing I unplugged was that thing.” He pointed an accusing finger at the television. “All it’s broadcasting now is snow.”

Hayden had heard the old farmer say we and we’ve two or three times. “How long have you been on your own, Elton?”

The old man stared at him through hooded eyes. His bottom lip jutted out for the longest time before he answered. “May is still with me... We were sitting together on that very couch watching the news the morning it happened.”

The morning it happened. Less than two weeks ago. “Where’s your wife now?” He asked softly.

More long, lip-hanging silence. “Upstairs... She’s sleeping. Does a lot of that now.”

Hayden nodded. “I see. Well, Mr. Macdonald, I want to thank you for your hospitality, but Nicholas and I have kept you too long. It’s time we were heading on.” He shook the boy awake.

“Heading on?” The old man said. “Where is it you’re heading to?”

“The city, to see what’s left.”

“But there’s a storm coming from that way.”

“We’ve been through plenty of storms the last few days. We’ll take cover.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I have room here. At least wait until this one’s passed over.”

Hayden went to a window and lifted the faded drapes. It was just past noon, but it looked more like full night out to the east. The clouds had that sinister roiling appearance to them that reminded him of the storm Jake had stolen Nicholas out into. “Do you have a cellar?”

“Of course,” Elton said. “But we won’t need to take cover down there.

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