Torn Apart: Shattered Dawn Book 1: (A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller) by Kenny Soward & Mike Kraus

Author:Kenny Soward & Mike Kraus [Soward, Kenny & Kraus, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muonic Press Inc
Published: 2024-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Bob Summers, Daytona, Florida

Bob dreamed he was running through chaotic streets on the heels of a crowd in rock T-shirts, swimsuits, and bikinis, concert goers running with one shoe off, one on, staggering across a murky field of steaming, stinking ponds, putrid water covered in scum, swaths of wilted grass in between them. Bob clawed and fought his way through the crowd, swimming over people, pushing them aside, shoving them into a smoking pond, sending ripples of flame to wash across the surface. Jimmy was calling him from somewhere up ahead, his light hair bobbing in the crowd as they swept him away, his pale-faced expression of panic twisted as he reached back for Bob.

“Dad! Help!”

“I’m coming, Jimmy! I’m coming!”

The crowd of people shoved Bob back, sending him stumbling off balance, staggering barefoot through the flaming grass to plunge headlong into a stinking pond. He hit the water face-first, the liquid steaming, covering him like scalding hot oil, blisters exploding across his exposed skin and singeing off his hair. He crawled to the edge, dragging himself in a desperate attempt to escape the burning torture. Holding his hand up in front of his face, Bob watched his fingers melt to the bone, flesh and fat rolling off in sizzling heat. He opened his mouth wide in a guttural scream that ripped from his chest.

Bob bolted upright in the soft, leather office chair, loose tennis shoes hitting the floor, thrusting him forward toward the window where Daytona still burned atop a bed of hot coals. His visibility was cut to a few blocks, the edges of the buildings forming rough shapes in the haze, smoke curling up around the rooftops in an ominous cloud. Swallowing dry, he placed his hand against his chest to steady his breathing, closing his eyes and letting the cool air conditioning dry the sweat glistening across his bare scalp. Standing, shifting on shaky legs, he checked to see that Jimmy was still sleeping on the couch, lying on his left side with his burned arm resting out away from his body.

Bob turned back to the window, hand pressed against the glass, staring straight down through the gloom to catch shadowy figures sprinting and fighting. Headlights blazed as cars raced down the middle of the street, taking the corners hard in squeals of tires. Wrecked vehicles sat unmoving, their headlights pointed at awkward angles, destined to keep shining until the batteries ran down. Squinting, studying the scene for five minutes, he came to the conclusion that the situation was only slightly better than the day before, though not by much. The thickening smoke and raging flames told him their time in the office building had run out. His queasiness and headache had passed, but it was clear to Bob that they needed to keep people well beyond arm’s length to avoid being contaminated. That meant no more close fighting or helping those who could be sick. And with less than a half day’s worth of water, he had to move fast.

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