The Borrowed World: A Novel of Post-Apocalyptic Collapse by Franklin Horton

Author:Franklin Horton [Horton, Franklin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic
Amazon: B00X1AQNKW
Published: 2015-05-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

The night was restless and uncomfortable, but somehow we were all asleep when my alarm went off the next morning. I quickly silenced it and the three of us wordlessly threw off our blankets, slipped on our shoes and gathered our stuff. Gary and I used our headlamps to make sure we didn’t miss anything. I gave Randi the backup flashlight from my bag. I had a couple of them in there and I told her to hang onto it in case she needed it later.

Alice and Rebecca stirred while we packed and we said a few perfunctory good-byes, each of us distracted by the unknowns that lay ahead of us. Once we were all packed and had our gear on, we exited the room, quietly closing the door behind us. We had agreed in the room to maintain strict silence until we were clear of our little interstate community. It was also agreed that I would take the lead until we were clear of town. I removed my headlamp and showed Gary how to carry it with the lens pointing into your hand, just opening your fingers enough to allow sufficient light to escape to where you directed it to. By this method, you could conceal most of the brightness of your light but still see where you needed to go. Randi followed suit and we headed single-file down the hall and into the stairway, shutting the stairwell door as quietly as possible and starting down the stairs.

When we exited the stairwell near the lobby, I noticed that the lobby was full of people sleeping on the furniture and stretched out on the floor. This was clearly one of the bottom tier rooming plans that the desk clerk had mentioned to us. Despite the unpleasantness of our dark room and the stinking hallway, I was sure it was much quieter and safer than this lobby. I didn’t want to walk through that group of people and take a chance on waking someone. I held out my hand to stop Gary and Randi, then motioned for them to follow. I changed direction and headed down the first floor hallway and away from the lobby. At the end of the hall, we exited to the parking lot, pushing the panic bar on the glass and aluminum door as gently as possible to avoid making unnecessary noise.

Once free of the building, I breathed a sigh of relief. The air was cool, the early morning quiet. The sky had started to lighten at the horizon. We need to be gone before full light. When I went on backpacking trips, I always awoke to a sensation similar to this – a mixture of relaxation, mild adrenaline, and anticipation. This time, however, it was not about the journey, as those backpacking trips were. This was all about the destination. I was anxious to get this show on the road and get home to my family. It was amazing what we’d been through in just twenty-four hours.

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