Surviving The Tides: An EMP Survival Story (Survival Series Book 4) by Kip Nelson

Author:Kip Nelson [Nelson, Kip]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-04-26T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Darren was a wreck. He knelt by JR’s body. The life had slipped from his eyes, taken from him by the mountain lion he had tried to help. The minister had done nothing more than tend to the animal’s wounds despite Darren’s efforts to stop him. And in the end, the mountain lion had lashed out, adhering to its nature.

The animal didn’t know right from wrong. It didn’t think about philosophical matters or consider the ethics of its actions. It wasn’t evil. It just was following its instincts. So when JR had approached with a wet cloth and tried cleaning its wounds, the mountain lion had awoken and assumed it was being attacked again.

It all had happened so quickly that Darren hadn’t had a chance to prevent it, nor did he have the medical expertise to save JR from the wounds he’d suffered. Perhaps if there had been a doctor around, or a working hospital, something could have been done. But they were in a cave and all alone.

JR was dead and Darren couldn’t help but feel responsible. Maybe if he had been more insistent on driving the mountain lions off into the wild JR wouldn’t be dead now. It seemed galling, a cruel twist of fate when Darren just had delivered the news of hope to JR, the news that they had found a farmhouse that offered refuge, sanctuary, salvation.

The noise of the attack was enough to wake the children. They rose and called out to their father, looking shocked when they saw JR’s condition and the blood that surrounded his body. The mother mountain lion had recoiled and was staring warily at them. She placed herself between them and her cubs.

Darren wondered what was going through her mind. Had she not come to the same level of understanding as he had? Had she not developed the same kind of bond? He’d identified with her over the course of her stay in his cave, had come to see them as kindred spirits, but now when he looked at her he saw the wild animal. They were worlds apart.

Darren placed his hands upon the rocks around him to steady himself, leaving a crimson palm print. He turned to the children. Brent and Betsy were shielding Michelle and Tara’s eyes from the sight, but it was too late. They’d already seen everything. Blood dripped from the mountain lion’s claws.

Darren looked down at his hand and once again was taken aback by the parallels between the two of them. His soul twisted inside him, hating the fact that the longer he survived in this world the more he turned into an animal. How long would it be before he ended up hurting someone close to him? He couldn’t bear the thought that he could hurt his children, nor could he bear the thought of losing his identity.

Darren bowed his head and clamped his eyes shut, trying to wish away the turbulent thoughts that ran through is mind, except nothing worked. His breathing was heavy and his heart hammered in his chest.

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