The Silence by Lebbon Tim

Author:Lebbon, Tim [Lebbon, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Horror
ISBN: 9781781168813
Publisher: Titan
Published: 2015-04-14T04:00:00+00:00

14

Even while the enemy advances, people are writing history texts about the Day of the Vesps. They’re recording events that happened in Eastern Europe, the rapid spread across the continent, the vesps’ limited incursions into Asia and North Africa, the efforts made and battles lost. They are charting world reaction to the tragedy, including the USA shutting all sea and land borders, Australasia isolating itself from the world stage, and the military skirmishes in the Far East between Japan, China, and North and South Korea. Interviews are being collated, opinions sought, and books written, even while vesps occupy airspace above the writers’ retreats, and danger still stalks the streets. And I find this encouraging. Looking ahead in this manner is testament to the human spirit. It speaks of a belief in survival, and on this dark day, such belief is vital. So I say to these historians… keep writing. You are already creating our brave new world.

Prime Minister’s Address to the Nation (audio only), 11 a.m., Saturday, 19 November 2016

“I can prepare you to live in silence,” I said. “Listen.”

We were all there, sitting on the ground close to the overturned Land Rover so that Glenn could hear too. We’d made a renewed effort to free him, but to no avail. He groaned and hissed in pain whenever we touched the steering wheel, and trying to push him out sideways had made him scream in agony. I had seen my family’s reaction, and it made me glad I couldn’t hear.

I’d suggested going across the hillside towards the distant roadblock and seeking help. But Mum told me that there was still intermittent gunfire coming from that direction, and several new fires had sprung up further along the line of stationary traffic. She and Dad feared that if we made ourselves known it would bring trouble, not help.

“It doesn’t feel right,” I said. “To see you, know you’re with me, but to not hear your voices. It’s unnatural. It’s wrong. But you can get used to it.” Lynne sat on a small rock with Jude standing beside her, arm around her shoulder and leaning in. Mum and Dad knelt close to the Land Rover. Dad was squatting down holding Glenn’s hand. I couldn’t see if Glenn was even aware, didn’t know if he could hear. Mum had told me that he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

Otis was sitting by my side, panting softly, pupils dilated with excitement. I wished he could understand my words as well because I worried about him. His zest for life, his excitability. His barking.

“You feel cut off from the world. Like a wall has gone up, and things are moving on without you. It was like that for me to begin with. But we all have an advantage that most people won’t have—we can sign. Lynne, you’re not as good as the rest of us, but you’ve got to know a lot of our sign language, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I—” she began, but I cut her off.

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.