Burn for Now by Bob Howard

Author:Bob Howard [Howard, Bob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sunrise Books, LLC
Published: 2023-04-29T16:00:00+00:00

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The years went by, and Alexandra watched seven more attempts by people to reach the decoy shelter. The only group that actually made it to the door was unable to open it. Shannon didn’t climb up to the window, and she didn’t slide the rusty bolt out of its notch. She saw that Shannon heard the voices outside, but they went quiet after only a few minutes. People made it to the door, but they never survived the trip back out of the ramp. Shannon covered her ears when she heard their screams.

There were times when Alexandra asked herself why she didn’t just bring Shannon inside, and at first, she had her reasons. Waiting for a quarantine period to end was her first reason. After that, she asked herself, “What if Shannon is immune? Would she have to bite me for me to get sick?”

Most of the questions Alexandra had were because of the information vacuum she lived in. She had some of the best communications equipment available, but it was of little use if others weren’t broadcasting from their shelters. There were days when she would turn on speakers throughout the shelter and listen to the static which meant no one was on that frequency. When she would hear a voice, it was almost always someone calling for help, and there was no hope she could offer them, so she didn’t answer.

Then there was the voice of that man that made her feel afraid. When she had heard him in the beginning, it was his anger that made her afraid. He talked about people who had everything they needed and didn’t share, and he sounded jealous. He eventually turned to threats about taking what people had and spreading out the wealth. Ironically, she agreed with him to an extent. She had far more than she needed, but even if she wanted to answer him and offer to share what she had, there was no way for him to accept. The infected dead above her were the ultimate security system.

There was also the likelihood that showing him what she had been living in since the infected dead arrived would only inflame him further. Whatever the hardships were that he had endured, he would hold her accountable for all of them. She knew he would put her outside if he could.

Alexandra imagined that the angry man’s broadcasts weren’t the best thing for her, but he was somewhere outside, and she listened because there was always the hope that he would tell her something she didn’t already know. She sometimes felt like he was talking directly to her, and she pretended to answer him more than she wanted to. She even argued with him about how wrong he was about his jealousy.

“You had your chance to prepare,” she said in the direction of the wall speaker. “You didn’t pay attention to the warning signs.”

It frightened her even more when he correctly answered as if he had really heard her, “I wish I had done more to be ready for the infection.

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