Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

Author:Craig DiLouie
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2014-05-20T00:00:00+00:00

III

The Long Good-bye

SIX

David

2 days after Resurrection

David awoke to winter sunlight streaming through the window. Nadine was already up, her pillow cool to the touch. He rolled onto his back and put his hands behind his head. The memory of the night before brought a smile to his face.

Dust glittered in the sunbeams. David waved his hand and watched it swirl. This is all we are. And yet we are so much more than this.

He plodded into the bathroom and found what he saw in the mirror lacking. I’m too young to be this out of shape. Time to lay off the potato chips and dust off those dumbbells in the basement. Last night had given him a reason to care again.

David grinned as he brushed his teeth. And what a night it had been.

Last night, he’d arrived home breathless with the news about Shannon and her baby. Nadine shared her own news; not just Shannon’s son, but other children were returning to life. She’d seen it herself. She suspected it was happening everywhere.

Nadine looked radiant. Gone was the weariness and grief of the past year. She looked like the girl he’d married. Like a mother again.

“What was the catalyst?” he asked her. “You said you thought you knew. Were you right?”

Nadine smiled. “It turns out it was love after all.”

“Love?”

“Our longing brought them back. Love brought them back to life.”

Nadine was an expert in that kind of longing.

“Our collective will?” he said, struggling to understand.

“Sometimes when you really want something you have to give everything. A sacrifice.”

She took his hand and led him upstairs. Into their cool, dark bedroom.

They undressed each other quickly, but with gentleness, respecting the act’s importance. They hadn’t made love in a year. David’s entire body tingled. His stomach flipped as his skin brushed against hers. He was nervous. Nervous and more excited than he’d ever been.

They lay on the bed together, kissing and touching. The room filled with the smell of her sex. It struck him they had no protection, and he pulled away.

“Are you sure?” he said.

She put her finger to his lips while her other hand guided him in.

He came quickly, he remembered, but they made love again soon after, taking their time, and again after that. They hadn’t enjoyed sex like that in years.

It was a night for starting over.

Something magical had happened to save the children, and some of it had rubbed off on his life. They would put everything behind them and start again. Put the accident in the past once and for all. Let Paul rest. Rebuild the practice, have another child.

It was like waking up from a long, long dream. Life was too precious to waste being miserable. He’d lost a year of his life not wanting to be alive. That would end now. Everything was so clear right now, and he didn’t want to ruin it.

The phone rang in the kitchen. David heard Nadine answer it. She spoke fast and quiet. By the time he’d gotten dressed, she’d hung up.

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.