by D C Little
“Mommy!” Ethan came running into the dwelling and came up short with his mouth in a surprised O. “You look different.”
“You’re supposed to say pretty,” Kris nudged into him.
“No, different. Will you always look like that now that you will be a wife?”
Laurie laughed and squatted down to hug her son. “No, Honey. It’s a special day. On weddings, the women like to get all fancy. I’ll still be your same old mommy.”
“Except my old mommy never left me.” He stuck out his lower lip.
“I know. Tonight is going to be hard on me, too, but you’ll have fun with Tucker.”
“Yeah,” Kris said, squatting with them. “Tucker is super excited. He already made a place for your bed right next to his and has come up with a load of games to play with you. It will be a fun slumber party.”
“What’s a slumber party?” Ethan cocked his head.
“It’s where friends spend the night with each other to have fun,” Laurie told him.
“Oh, so that’s what you and Arland are doing tonight!”
“Yeah, something like that,” Laurie said, rising and ducking her head, but her bright red cheeks still showed through.
“Well, the Survivalist told me to tell you that they are waiting for you.” Ethan puffed out his chest like Tucker did when he had accomplished something important.
“You can call him Blake, you know,” Kris told him as she stood and ruffled his hair.
“I like the Survivalist,” he said with a shrug and turned toward his mom. “Come on. I’m supposed to walk you down the aisle. What’s an aisle?”
While Laurie explained to Ethan, Kris couldn’t help to wonder if some nouns might be dropped out of their vocabulary. These kids with no memory of the old way of life would have no experience with things such as grocery stores, cars, large four thousand square foot houses, water from a faucet, and hot showers. Kris sighed. So much to miss. The kids might be better off not knowing what had been.
Yet, as Kris watched the ceremony, she realized that some things would always stay the same. The love between a husband and wife, families growing, celebrations, and the bond of a community were all things that wouldn’t change. They would make sure of it.
Blake caught her eyes from his place as best man while the preacher led Arland and Laurie through their vows. His gaze said it all. Those vows, the same that so many swore to live by for the rest of their lives, lived between them.
They had been through better or worse, richer and poorer, sickness and health while learning to fully love and cherish each other. They had survived, both in person and in their marriage. In fact, if anything their bond had strengthened.
Though she knew their troubles were far from over, with Blake by her side and a community of friends to support them, they would survive. Actually, they would thrive.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Thank you for reading Installment Seven. I hope you enjoyed the continuation of the Chantrys and New Forest Glenn’s struggle to survive against all odds.
Stay tuned for Installment Eight where an epic battle means life or death. Will this be the end, or will the story continue?
Secure your copy HERE to find out!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0872KNFMY
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
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Blake had imparted some of his knowledge with the Arland in Installment One. In Installment Three you saw a new side to Arland. Want to know what caused him to transform?
Read this exclusive story!
Grant Us Mercy:
Arland’s Transformation
read now!
https://mybookcave.com/d/d22b818b/
Next in Grant Us Mercy
Grant Us Mercy:
Installment EIGHT
What do you do when your way of life is threatened?
The epic survival journey of the Chantrys continues as they work to create New Forest Glen a community of safety and solace. Have they become too comfortable in their haven?
The real battle for survival begins when an old friend returns. What will Blake and his family do to when faced with the ultimate decision. Will this be the end, or will the story continue?
Join Blake and Kris on this action-packed eighth installment of the hair-raising journey in the post-apocalyptic serial novel, Grant Us Mercy.
Grab now!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DC Little writes what she loves, incorporating survival techniques within action-packed natural disaster stories. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are her playground, both for adventure and scheming up new plots.
If DC is not attached to her computer typing out her latest novel, then you will probably find her on some sort of adventure with her husband and son. Whether white-water kayaking, backcountry skiing, dirt bike riding, or finding the next bug-out hidden oasis, she feels most at home in the trees and granite wonderlands of her home county.
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