Happily Never After by Kristen Duvall

Author:Kristen Duvall [Duvall, Kristen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780692237649
Publisher: Fey Publishing
Published: 2014-06-13T04:00:00+00:00

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The first breadcrumb that StepMom led Astrid to was hidden within the root system of a dead tree that marked the edge of a forest. Astrid peered into the depths between the other burnt sentinels, naked without leaf, undergrowth or birds. The forest seemed to consume the landscape, spreading as far and wide as she could see.

The sun bleached everything turning the world into a mosaic of monochrome shadows and sinister shapes. She hated how the woods made her feel scared, that each tree just reminded her that nothing grew anymore since the war. Astrid replaced the breadcrumb, a small silver nano-cube that would enable her, Max and O to retrace their steps when she had finally found where they had gotten too. The one thing she didn't want to do was go into the woods, yet the AI was insistent that the next nano lay in that direction. Knowing the answer already, she re-checked with the AI for what must have been the fifteenth time.

“Steps, are you absolutely sure?”

“Of course I am! Your Brother located the next breadcrumb 3.4km directly south of our position. I strongly recommend that we proceed.”

“Alright, just ... oh, hold on.”

Astrid pulled out the In-Viz cloak from the depths of her backpack. As she covered herself, Stepmom and her backpack, she tried to ignore the claustrophobic anxiety that she always felt as the thin nano-plastic enfolded her. From inside the cloak there was little difference to the world but Astrid knew that the cloak's nano-tech was already bending the light, making her nearly invisible. Though she detested wearing the thing because it normally made her sweat, the one thing navigating the wasteland taught you was that you were never alone for long.

As she ventured into the shadows of the dead trees, the dry branches underneath each step cracked like gunshots. She chided herself for her stupidity, what was the point in being invisible if you were then going to make such a racket? She forced herself to focus, watching each step, navigating through the ranks of this wooden graveyard that once would have blocked out the sun with a canopy of green. Now the sky pressed down, without leaf or cloud to break up the glare of the sun. She tried to imagine the forest before the war, a living organism full of emerald shapes and bickering life. How the rain would feel, how it would sound, and taste as it dropped through the leaves. Pattering on the ground underfoot. It wasn't long before she had to stop her imagination, forced to sip some of her precious dirty water, tormented by thirst.

After what felt like an eternity she found the next breadcrumb. Max had concealed it deep within the rotting remains of a fallen tree. Astrid nervously prodded at the hole with a stick, convinced that something would bite her hand if she reached in. But there was nothing, just another cube followed by StepMom's impatient demand that they continue southwards, for she had already located the next crumb, five kilometres south of their position.

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