Grip of Despair: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Thriller (After the End Book 2) by Sam J Fires

Author:Sam J Fires [Fires, Sam J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fire & Brimstone Press
Published: 2023-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

16

Holly

Holly woke with a jolt.

For a moment, she didn’t remember where she was, the room unfamiliar. The mattress was on the floor, boxes surrounded her, and a curtain hung off the rail. A thin ray of light filtered through the window. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she took in the room. Then it all flooded back to her. At her side, Butler was still snoring softly, curled into the blankets that she’d kicked off in her sleep. She smiled at him, at how peaceful he looked.

She yawned noiselessly, realizing how abysmally she’d slept. Not that she was used to good sleep. That had been rare at the hospital. With the screams and moans that filled the stark corridors, she would spend most nights staring up at the ceiling, with her hands clamped over her ears, eyes tightly shut. Wishing she was anywhere but there.

Reaching for Butler, she smiled at the low growl he made when her fingers brushed his fur. His eyes opened, and he quieted upon seeing her. The little dog trusted her already. She would never harm him. He was just as troubled, if not more so than she was. Together, they could growl at the world together.

“You and me,” she told the dog. “We’ll take on whatever lies ahead of us.”

Her stoicism lasted until she rolled off the mattress and padded to the window. She felt as though a truck had hit her. Worse. Every muscle ached, every limb felt heavy, and her stomach rolled. She had to press the back of her hand to her mouth, fearful she was about to lose last night’s meager offerings.

The nausea passed after a moment, though she still felt awful. She glanced about the room, hoping for something to distract her. Maybe if she had something to occupy herself, she could forget how dreadful her entire body felt. But there was nothing other than clothes left that Jayne had promised to leave her.

Holly shuddered as the memory of the woman entered her head. It had been a surprise to see the woman Pat had been married to. She was so nasty to him. Though she’d been kinder when she’d tended to Holly, her self-control had been stretched. For no logical reason, the woman didn’t like her. Holly was used to that, though. Used to the angry nurses who treated her like she wasn’t even a human being with feelings. They wanted nothing more than to stab her with a needle and move on with their day.

The house was quiet. Pale early morning light trickled through the window. She hoped it was early enough that Pat and Jayne were still sound asleep. As she got dressed, she glimpsed Butler watching her with his big brown eyes, head tilted to his usual left side. It felt like he could read her mind. Holly knew little about dogs, but she guessed by his markings and size that Butler had some Jack Russell in him. Her aunt Lydia—her dad’s sister—used to have one called Eddie.

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