by Vince Byrd
They all gathered into the living room, “Listen everyone, I want you to make yourselves at home. There are three bathrooms and plenty of hot water. You can get cleaned up, and we’ll figure out the rest later. Ginger, we need to redress that head of yours after you have a shower. Larry, I want to check your shoulder also. There are towels in the hall closet and in here,” he pointed to the bathroom. “There’s food in the fridge and in the cupboards.”
“Dad, there’s not much food in the fridge or the cupboards. We’ve been here eating all week and weren’t able to buy any more. Plus, that crazy lady stole some, and the appliances are on the fritz,” Paige announced.
“Okay then, we’ll eat after everyone gets cleaned up. We’ll figure it all out. Go people, go,” Jesse urged. He turned to Paige and asked, “What about the storm shelter?”
“I haven’t touched it. It’s all there.”
Jesse took Paige and Ethan outside and explained what had happened in the west, the solar storm, the tsunamis, and the state of the nation. Paige plopped to the ground on her bottom and cried into her hands. Ethan sat beside her and his eyes watered as the news sank in. After the initial shock and they calmed down, Jesse asked Paige, “Have you heard from your brother?”
“I called Jacob the Sunday it happened. He said he was coming stateside to the east coast and moving supplies to the west. He didn’t know if he would get to come home or not. He did say that something big was coming, and the brass was all tore up about it. I guess the government knew this was coming.”
“I had thought maybe so, but you just confirmed it for me. I’m afraid it will get worse before it gets better.
“Mr. Gibson, I…”
“Please Ethan, call me Jesse.”
“Yes sir, Jesse. I can figure out some way of communication via radio. I saw some old ones in your basement. I should be able to put something together once the radiation clears.”
“Radiation? You didn’t say anything about radiation,” Paige worried.
Jesse put his hand on Paige’s shoulder, “By what I’ve read, the radiation will begin to make people’s immune systems weak. We could see some epidemics forming soon. I have some Super C, B complex, and some Omega 3 supplements we can start taking to combat it for now. After that, I hope it’s cleared and hasn’t already done damage. Kat is the only one that knows about the radiation. Let’s keep it to ourselves until after tomorrow. Today is Christmas Eve, so let’s try to put it all out of our minds and enjoy tonight and tomorrow with our new family. Santa comes tonight; Ava expects a stocking, and I’m going to give her one.”
Afterword
It’s not always the destination that’s most important. Sometimes, it’s the journey. But when you reach your destination, you look back and see what all you’ve gained and lost, you realize the growth. Though the journey was long, you know it was worth it. That’s how I feel about the Shadows of the Apocalypse series. These characters will continue to live on in my mind and heart, for they have impacted my life. It has been my privilege to share them with you.
Finally, Jesse makes it home and is reunited with Paige, but their world has changed. Now with the threat of a radiation poisoning, the country being vulnerable to invasion and the weather patterns distorted, they face even greater challenges and worries ahead. They fear for Jacob, as he sails to the U.S. from Germany, and the economical balance has been greatly disrupted.
Can Jacob come home and be reunited with his dad and sister? Should Ginger and Larry leave to start their lives together? When is it a good time for Henry to venture home alone to join his family? How will Ava adjust to her new home, and what happened to Makayla? Will they all survive this apocalyptic shadow that hangs over their lives? You can find out the answers to these questions in book three, set to be released in winter of 2020.
Vince Byrd
September 26, 2018
About the Author
Vince Byrd took world literature three times in high school. It was not because he loved the class or the curriculum. It was because he failed it twice and had to have that credit to graduate. He had a difficult time with reading and comprehension. But today, Vince believes that almost anything is possible with hard work and determination.
Vince is published in Love is a Verb, The Upper Room, is the author of a children’s book and Shadows of the Apocalypse: The Beginning. He enjoys fishing and watching movies and resides in Acworth, Georgia with his wife of thirty-two years.
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