The Light: Who do you become when the world falls away? Book 1 of The Light Series by Jacqueline Brown

Author:Jacqueline Brown [Brown, Jacqueline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-07-06T05:00:00+00:00

Eleven

The days passed hard and slow. Things that once had taken minutes now consumed hours. The primary focus of every day was securing enough food and water, and not freezing.

The snow melted after only two days. We gathered as much as we could the first day, when it was clean and fluffy. We filled everything we could. The stream was no longer an option for us or the horses. We never knew when Mick would try and poison us again. We did use it for washing our clothes. Though it was so cold my hands turned numb before I finished washing even one pair of underwear.

The diagram Quint had been drawing on the legal pad the first day I met him was for a meat smoker. Smoking meat was the only way we had of preserving it. Everyone worked with him to build it; even Quinn and JP contributed in their own ways. Once it was finished we began smoking the meat, first from Charlotte’s freezer and then from Nonie’s. Each batch took two days of almost constant attention to ensure the fire was smoking the right amount. Two good-sized batches were completed. We were fortunate—the freezing temperatures bought us time and kept the meat from spoiling.

At every meal we ate some kind of meat and whatever vegetable was most likely to go bad first. We saved items from the pantry as a last option. We always had enough food to survive, though never enough to feel satisfied. Charlotte and Quint ate the least of any of us. They would take their allotted servings but would never eat it all, always saving some for JP and Quinn.

It had been only a week since the light, but already our bodies were changing. The softness was gradually leaving, replaced by harder muscle. Faces were slimming, adhering more closely to the bone structure beneath the skin. All of the men had beards in various stages of growth. The hair on my own legs had gone beyond the initial cactus stage and was now soft. Before the light I would have thought this gross; now I was happy for the small amount of insulation it offered.

When I wasn’t working I was keeping an eye on Talin and Fulton, shepherding them away from the stream if they ventured near it. We all took turns doing this, but Jonah and I spent the most time watching over them.

I did my best to avoid Jonah. I was polite when he was near, but tried not to look into his eyes or notice how sweet his smile was beneath his light brown beard. When all else was done and he was watching the horses, I sat by the fire in the house, trying to stay warm. The days were tolerable, but the nights were brutal. The temperature was often below freezing. The Pages’ house was modern, with an open floor plan and high ceilings. Their fireplace put out some heat, but not enough to overpower the blanket of cold that engulfed every room.

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