The End of Hope (The End of Everything Book 4) by Nate Johnson

Author:Nate Johnson [Johnson, Nate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-03-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Mia

Our world had become a cold dark place full of empty stomachs. A miserable way to live. And Jake hadn’t come back. Three weeks since he’d driven off on that snowmobile and no sign of him.

I sat on the couch, my arms wrapped around my knees as I stared into the fire. The air smelled of pine smoke, enough to burn my eyes. For the thousandth time, I thanked Jake for cutting all that firewood. We were already halfway through the woodpile.

Was I going to have to ration our firewood like I did everything else? But then what good had that done me? We had scrimped and sacrificed only to die of starvation anyway. I’d tried everything but it hadn’t been enough.

Collecting pine nuts, the hours of winnowing oats. I’d even tried to save on hay by having the three of us clear the snow off the front lawn and staking out Benji. He’d used his hooves to break the ice and tug at the grass.

We’d finished the last of our deer jerky two weeks ago and butchered our last chicken a last Sunday. Somehow I’d made the stew last for three days. But now we were down to one bowl of oatmeal a day. All the flour was gone. The cellar was empty. There was nothing left.

A tight pain pinched my stomach demanding food. I’d never known just how all-consuming hunger could become. I’d spent my life with food always available. A cookie from the jar. An apple out of the bowl on the dining table. A hearty meal produced three times a day.

Never had I really thought about how lucky I was. I’d just accepted it as my due. God, what a fool I had been. Taking a deep breath, I tried to ignore the pain in my stomach.

We’d moved our mattresses out to the living room and hung a blanket across the hall to block off the room and make it easier to heat.

Brad sat on his, looking at nothing with that gaunt, haunted look of a boy who has almost given up. My heart ached for him. I knew he felt guilty that he couldn’t find rabbits or fish. I had repeatedly told him we wouldn’t have made it this far without all he had brought to the table.

Lilly lay curled up under three blankets, sleeping. It seemed we did that a lot, sleep. Our body’s way of saving energy. Burning fewer calories. Nellie lay next to her helping to keep her warm. I had noticed that Nellie was spending more time with Lilly. Was that because the dog knew she needed her?

The fire cracked as a pocket of sap exploded but no one flinched. A tear slowly formed in the corner of my eye. I had tried everything.

Taking a deep breath I said to Brad, “I think we should stop using the generator. We’ve only got about a gallon of gas left. We should save it for an emergency. What do you think?”

“What about water for the toilets?” he said.

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