Shattering Humanity (Surviving For Humanity Book 1)

by Kip Nelson

  He continued walking while wondering what life had been like before he had returned. His family seemed to be in good spirits despite what had happened. Morelle was always fragile, especially after her last relationship with Jessica's father. She wouldn't take the absence of Jessica that easily. Tillman doubted it was anything too serious. Jessica probably just had been a bit thoughtless and time had passed without her realizing that anything was wrong. Teenagers often had higher priorities than their families.

  But while her actions could be excused, he wasn't able to wait and let her come home of her own accord. He thought of Ron and his sons. There would be other men like him out there, and a sixteen-year-old like Jessica would be a very tempting target. She probably wouldn't be aware of all the dangers that waited out there either. She would be too trusting, and she wouldn't have a gun.

  Although Tillman had been wrestling with his conscience for the better part of a day, the thought of Jessica being in danger focused his ethics and made him confident that he would kill again if he had to protect his family. Despite disagreeing with his father on many things, he was glad that Fernando had approved of what he had done. At least his father hadn't disagreed with everything he'd done.

  It was difficult for Tillman to forget about the past. There was a lot of bad blood between him and his parents, although he had to admit that the ire was mostly from his father's side. The man was too principled and stubborn for his own good. Was it so difficult for him just to apologize to Tillman?

  His entire demeanor was strange, really. Fernando seemed far too relaxed given everything that had happened. He was surprised that Fernando wasn't out there searching for Jessica as soon as he knew she was missing. It was as though they were waiting for her to return of her own accord, as though she was a dog that would find its way back home.

  Tillman knew that they shouldn't be so complacent, though. He doubted they were fully aware of the dangers that the new world presented to those who wandered across its wilderness. They had been tucked in bed, isolated in this small pocket of the world, while he had been out there on the front lines. He was quite sure they wouldn't believe that planes had fallen from the sky or that trains had been derailed. The apocalypse was an abstract thing out here, which was both good and bad, in a way.

  It was one of the reasons Tillman had come out here, after all. He had hoped the apocalypse would stay abstract and distant, and that they could remain untouched by the rigors of this new world. Somehow, he knew it was a vain hope, however, and that, whether he liked it or not, the danger was always there.

  As he walked toward the nearby town, Tillman looked at the world in all its sunlight glory. He could see more easily the shadowy nooks and crannies that evil people could use to hide in. He was conscious of the surrounding area, and he kept an ear out for any sign of wild animals. He still had his gun, and that would be enough to hold off most animals and some men, but only while he still had ammo. It was a finite resource, and he would have to be careful with it.

  His ankle began hurting again, and he cursed himself for not bringing the painkillers. It had been fine most of the way to his parents’ house, but now the sharp ache had returned. He would have to endure it, though. He couldn't afford to waste any more time.

  Tillman walked along a little more when, a little way down the road, he saw a girl walking. Her long dark hair shimmered in the sun and she looked a lot like Jessica. He increased his pace in an effort to catch up with her, but she was walking very quickly. Tillman lumbered forward and closed the distance between them.

  “Jessica!” he called out. “Jessica!”

  The girl froze a moment, but she didn't turn around fully. She started to sprint away at full speed. Tillman grunted as he pressed forward, wincing every time he pounded his feet into the road. He stepped it up to full speed. His long strides ate up the distance between himself and the girl. He couldn't understand why Jessica was running away from him.

  He called out her name again, but still she did not respond. Tillman ran after her and got within an arm's reach. He tugged at her jacket and pulled her back. This caused her to slow down. She struggled against him and screamed. When she turned around Tillman saw that he had made a grave mistake. It wasn't Jessica at all, but an ordinary girl. Tillman had no idea who she was.

  “Get off me!” she cried. She was stricken with terror and looked much the same as Penelope had when Ron had threatened her. The girl backed away slowly, trembling all over.

  “I'm so sorry,” Tillman said, “I thought you were my niece.”

  “Just go away! Leave me alone!” the girl said, continuing to back away. When she thought she had enough distance between them she ran into the forest, putting as much distance between herself and Tillman as possible.

  Tillman stayed still and watched her disappear. His heart weighed heavily. To think that he could be mistaken for a man like Ron gave him much to think about. It was too easy in this world to slip into villainy, and for others to assume that your intentions were not pure. He would have to be more careful, and more cognizant of how his actions were perceived.

  He was just one man on the road, and anyone who was already in a fearful state of mind would see him as a threat. He felt like a fool for assuming that girl had been Jessica. The odds of it had been astronomical, but he was exhausted, and wasn't thinking that clearly.

  The night had been a long one. He'd only had had a few hours of sleep. The walk during the morning had been long. Soon enough again it would be night, the second night of this new world. There would be more people walking among the world, more people who were scared and panicking. Tillman thought about the city that he had left, and all the people within it. All those who had children younger than Jessica, all those who had wives and girlfriends, all those who were caring for older people. How many of them already had suffered the loss of those they loved?

  The main thing that Tillman was scared of was finding that something had happened to Jessica. He didn't know how Morelle was going to cope if something happened to her daughter. It was better not to consider that option. Tillman wasn't going to stop searching until he found her, even if it took another night.

  The town, with its buildings, began getting closer. Tillman felt a sense of apprehension overwhelm him as he entered a populated area again. It seemed quiet. The streets were empty, but he couldn't shake the sense that he was being watched. He glanced at the windows but didn't see anything behind them. He walked by a few stores and suddenly his stomach began rumbling, and his throat ached. He could do without eating until he got back to his parents, but he would need something to drink soon. He took a detour from his route to go into a store to try finding something to drink.

  All was quiet, so Tillman went to the non-functioning cooler and pulled out a bottle of water. He took a few gulps and then went to leave, but as he stood at the door he heard movement behind him.

  “What the hell do you think you're doing, thief?” the store owner asked. He was a dark-skinned man with a sing-song accent. The voice by itself wasn't threatening, but when it was married with the shotgun and the icy look in his eyes, Tillman knew it was natural to be scared.

  “I'm not a thief. I'm sorry, I was just really thirsty,” Tillman said.

  “And you think you can just come into my store and take what you want? That sounds like a thief to me.”

  “I know. I'm sorry, but given what's happened--”

  “You mean the power outage?”

  “It's not just a power outage,” Tillman replied slowly, and explained to him about the solar flare. “I didn't mean anything by it, but money doesn't matter anymore. It's all worthless.”

  “You might think that, but you do not own this store. This is all I have. I cannot let you steal.”

  “Okay, okay,” Tillman said, and pulled out a few bills from his pocket. He only had a twenty dollar bill on him. It seemed steep for a bottle of water but, like he said, it was just paper now. He threw the bill on the floor. “There's twen
ty, okay? That should be enough to cover it, and the distress.”

  The store owner narrowed his eyes at Tillman, then ushered him out with his gun. Tillman backed away slowly, then increased his pace as quickly as he could. Being held at gunpoint was not an experience he wanted to repeat.

  It disappointed him that the man still was holding onto the past. The old world was dead. He likely wasn't the only one, but life couldn't carry on as normal, not when so much had changed. Tillman kept a close eye out for any other danger and quickened his pace to get to Tanya's house as quickly as possible.

  He made his way down the main street, then turned off onto a smaller road. There was a row of houses, each one of them the same size. Sunlight streamed down, pouring over the town. This place should have been busy, but it was like a dead zone. Had all the people left already, or were they just hiding? Tillman longed to return to the safety of his parents’ house. He was hungry, he was exhausted. He also was armed, but he didn't want to rely on his gun to get him out of trouble. Eventually, he would come across someone who had a bigger gun, and he would be in Ron's position.

  Tillman froze when he heard the sound of a trash can being knocked over. He pressed himself against a nearby wall and reached his hand back, placing it over his gun. He looked around for the source of the noise and released his breath in one slow exhale as he saw the cat diving through the trash, looking for food. It meowed as it saw Tillman, and then moved off. Tillman shook his head and continued on his way.

  He looked up at the house numbers. There was no way to avoid looking conspicuous, and he only hoped that nobody would take any rash action as they saw him peering at their houses.

  So far, so good.

  His heart thundered in his chest as he knew that anyone with a gun would have his life in their hands. Then he saw Tanya's house. Number 47. He cleared his throat and walked up to the front door. He knocked loudly. The silence of the town was broken. He heard footsteps behind the door. It opened a crack. Inside was dark and shadowed.

  “Where's Jessica?” he asked.

  Find out what happens in part two! Coming Soon!

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