Seeking Hope: Book 2 in the Seeking Saga

by Becky Poirier

  Copyright © 2021 Becky Poirier

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9781234567890

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Art Painter

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Preface

  Seeking Hope

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-FIVE

  Chapter Thirty-SIX

  Chapter Thirty-SEVEN

  Chapter Thirty-EIGHT

  Epilogue

  About The Author

  Books In This Series

  Books By This Author

  Introduction

  Summer, and her sister April, have survived these past six years of the devastating plague that seperated them from their family and all that they had known. After all that they lost, all that they survived, it would be a stupid piece of rusted metal that would put an end to their streek.

  Just as all hope seemed lost, a saviour approached them in the woods, offering them sanctuary. Trusting others isn't something easily done in this new world, but they had little choice.

  The village of survivors they met, seemed relatively untouched by the chaos of the world Summer and her sister had known. Could this be the hope they'd been searching for? Or would it end up being too good to be true?

  Preface

  Six years ago the world decended into chaos. A brutal virus ravaged the human population. Those infected turned into mindless monsters, hell bent on the proliferation of the virus. Those uninfected, now fight to hold onto what humanity they have left and search for hope for the future. But perhaps humanity has always been doomed for this outcome.

  Seeking Hope

  Book 2 in the Seeking Saga

  Becky Poirier

  CHAPTER ONE

  It was so stupid of me. All these years, I’d been so careful. We’d managed to survive on our own, running from survivors who would do us harm and of course the monsters that sought us out at night. Six years we’d managed to survive, only to be taken out now by a damn rusty piece of metal. All because I hadn’t bothered to watch where I was stepping. So stupid.

  I felt cold all over. My body wouldn’t stop shaking, but at least my leg didn’t hurt anymore. That was probably a bad sign. At least I was beyond caring now. I guess I was just too tired to worry anymore. The tree against my back, was the only thing holding me up now. It smelt nice, like old memories of camping trips we used to take as a family. There were crunchy golden and red leaves strewn all around me. They were beautiful. Several leaves hung in the trees still, the sunlight peeking through the webbed canopy created a hypnotic sight, making it hard to focus on anything else.

  The animals were still out, making their little noises. The birds were chirping. The sounds would cease as soon as night fell. For now, the sounds were so peaceful, it almost helped me forget what a scary situation we found ourselves in. My body was too weak to stand, and the daylight was running out. There wasn’t much time left. She had to leave soon, or she’d die with me.

  “Get up Summer. Now.” My sister’s voice sounded like an echo coming from a distance, instead of right in front of me. I was vaguely aware that she was shaking my body. Her soft strawberry blonde hair had come loose from its normally tight bun. She looked very pale. Her brown eyes were rimmed with tears.

  “You need to leave April. While you still can,” I managed to croak out, even though my throat felt like sandpaper. If I was going to die, this wasn’t a bad place to go out. It was the most beautiful place I’d seen in such a long time. How long had it been since I’d felt at peace like this? I couldn’t remember anymore. It felt good. I wasn’t even afraid anymore, well maybe a little, but not for me. My only concern now was for my sister. She’d protected me all these years, now it was my turn to return the favour.

  “I’m not going anywhere without you. Now get up and stop being so stubborn.” She started yanking feebly at my body again. I was dead wait and going nowhere, but that wasn’t stopping her futile efforts.

  “I’m the stubborn one?” I tried to laugh, but it turned into a horrible hacking cough. She looked down at me, unable to conceal the fear on her face. Her eyes fought off the tears that she so rarely shed. Her fair skin glistened with sweat, from all the effort she’d exerted so far, carrying me around. She’d been looking after me for so long, that at some point our sisterly relationship had changed. She treated me like I was her child. I’d never really noticed just how much she mothered me, until now.

  “We’ll argue over who’s the more stubborn one when we’ve found shelter. The sign said there was a town just up the way. Ten more miles. That’s all.”

  I looked at her with disbelief. We had maybe another two hours of daylight left. If we were lucky. Even when my leg was in good condition, I was never that great of a distance runner. April was. She had run track in high school, up until she’d dropped out. Could have gotten a scholarship for it too. If she hadn’t gotten pregnant. She could make it, but not trying to carry me.

  “You and I both know I’m done for. It was over when I cut my leg.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. We can make it to the town and find a pharmacy and…”

  “And what? We’ll find medicine there? Pharmacies were one of the first things people looted. There’s no cure for me. I’m dying. And you’re going to die too if you stay here.” It was harsh, but she needed to listen to me. I was okay with dying. I’d, on more the one occasion, considered ending my life. Apparently, fate decided to help me out with that decision in the end. April had a real shot of surviving this world. She was so much stronger than I ever was.

  “No, you’re not. Now get up.” She yanked me off the ground against my will. It had been so long since I’d seen her so passionate about anything. For months now she’d been walking around like she was the dying one. When she lost her husband, Andy, she’d lost all hope. But when I cut myself, something snapped in her. She was her old, annoyingly stubborn self again.

  April was struggling with all her strength to hold me up when we heard the cracking of a branch beneath someone’s foot. April dropped me back do
wn to the ground. With my inability to control my body, I ended up smacking my head right against the tree trunk. My sister didn’t notice. She was too busy placing herself between me and whoever it was that had snuck up on us. The impact of my skull smashing into the tree should have hurt, but instead my head just felt heavy like the rest of my body.

  Great, I thought. It was one thing to get myself killed, but now my sister was in danger. All because I was too stupid to watch where I stepped. I couldn’t see who our new threat was. April was blocking my view and I couldn’t move my body without fear of falling over.

  “Was she bitten?” the stranger asked severely.

  “It’s none of your business. Just leave us,” my sister spat out forcefully. I wanted to shove my sister out of the way to see the threat that was before us, but I was too weak to even attempt a mild swat at her leg.

  “Was she bitten?” another man asked, more gently this time.

  My sister hesitated for a moment before answering. “No. Just cut. I think it’s sepsis.”

  “We have a village not too far from here. We have medicines and…” the kind one tried to offer.

  “We don’t need your help. We’re doing just fine,” April snapped back. Of course, she would react like this. The last humans we’d run into, had ended her husband’s life. She’d just so happened dispatch two of their own before we lost Andy. Our hands weren’t exactly clean either. You really couldn’t trust anyone these days.

  “Ha!” The other guy laughed harshly. “That’s funny, because from here, it looks like your sister is dying and you’re going to die trying to save her on your own.”

  Even though I couldn’t see them, it was clear that they could see me. April and I looked a lot alike, the same wavy strawberry blonde hair, same brown eyes. Only difference really was that I was six inches shorter, and thirteen years younger.

  “SHE’S NOT DYING,” April screamed back at him. She only ever yelled to keep from crying. She was scared. I wasn’t. Not anymore. I doubted very much that these men could help me, but they were in the position to help my sister. If they could be trusted and that was a very big if. I just had to convince her to let them try. The rough one didn’t seem too friendly, but the other man’s voice had kindness in it. It was probably completely ridiculous to trust someone just because of his voice, but I did, and I didn’t know why.

  “April,” I said, tugging as hard as I could on the back of her pant leg. She turned her back to the men. Something she never did when confronted by strangers. I looked into her eyes. She was prepared to die here with me, and I wasn’t going to let her do that. She knelt beside me, brushing the sweaty strands of hair out of my eyes. “I am dying,” I whispered. The tears she’d been fighting so hard to supress, sprang out in an instant.

  “You’re going to be fine,” she lied as she stroked my cheek, while trying to contain a sob.

  “Not if we stay here. I think it’s worth the risk…trusting them. We don’t have a choice. I have always followed your lead. Listened to whatever you told me to do and never questioned it. You’ve always kept me safe.” April looked away from my eyes. I knew she was putting the guilt on herself, though she had no reason to. I was the one hadn’t bothered watching where I was walking. “I need you to have faith in me this time. Trust me when I say, I feel like we can trust these guys.”

  “We’ve thought that before and been wrong.” Her face was contorted part way between rage and sorrow.

  We hadn’t talked about the old group since we left. We hadn’t even talked about Andy since we lost him. The last few months, we’d been walking around trying to pretend that the events never happened. I didn’t know how it was for her. She’d shut down, not talking, barely eating. For me, I was afraid to bring up painful memories for her. She’d always been so fierce, but for the first time in my life, I’d seen the vulnerable side of my sister. The time for letting her hide from the past was done. We needed to accept it and move on.

  “No, we didn’t. Andy thought that before. He was the one that was wrong. You and I didn’t trust them. We knew something wasn’t right in that situation. But this time it’s different. Please trust in me now. I don’t want you to die for me. What would be the point of us surviving this long, just to give up and die now?” I’d already given up. I doubted any amount of medicine now could help. I’d passed the point of return a couple days ago. But I knew that April would only agree if she thought I was trying to survive. For her, I could fake it.

  My sister looked into my eyes, like she was searching for the little girl she used to tuck in on the road at night. The one she used to sing soft songs to, to block out the screeching noise of the monsters outside. The child she’d raised, protected from all the evils of the world. That little girl had gone a long time ago. There were no more children in our world anymore. Only small adults and I ceased being one of those years back.

  “Listen, daylight’s wasting and we need a decision now?” The gruff man said.

  At that, April stood up to face our company, finally unblocking my view. The kind one swatted at the other man, who was taller and bulkier. “Billy seriously, give them a moment.”

  “Jack, we don’t have a moment. Either they’re coming with us or we’re going on our own. As it is, I doubt we have the time to make it back to the village before sunset. We’re going to have to try and make it to the safe house before dark. I told you not to follow the tracks.” Tracks? We’d been off our game, but then April had been half dragging me all day. Normally there’d have been no tracks to follow.

  My sister moved away from me, now heading towards Jack and Billy. Billy backed up a little on her approach. Clearly Billy wasn’t as tough as he thought he was, though few people could match my sis when she was pissed.

  The three of them started whispering and with my head being as foggy as it was, I couldn’t hear a thing and I was quite rusty on my lip reading. The men looked well fed and kept. Unlike April and me. We were skinny. Not that we’d ever really been big boned or anything, but we rarely ate a decent meal. Once and a while we’d get lucky and catch a rabbit and feel full. Most of the time we lived off canned fruits and veggies, that we scavenged from homes, and we always rationed our food in case of hard times.

  Billy and Jack looked like they ate three square meals a day, at least, and their clothes were clean. My clothes hadn’t been washed in at least a week, which was the last time we’d been near a significant water source. And neither man had facial hair, which was a rare sight for our world. Most men had at least a month’s worth of growth on their faces.

  As I looked at the men, I started noticing similarities between them. They were both tall, but then I was short, so everyone seemed tall to me. Billy was a good four inches taller than Jack and he had chin length dark curly hair and was built like he worked out in a gym. Jack on the other hand was a little leaner than his brother…or at least I was assuming they were brothers. They had similar bone structures in their faces. It was their eyes that made me think they were related. They had the same shade of golden brown. Jack’s hair was straight, brown, and shaggy.

  “Fine, we’ll go with you,” April finally spoke loud enough for me to hear. “But if either of you make any threatening moves, know that I won’t hesitate to kill you both. And trust me when I say that I’ve killed stronger men than you, before.” I don’t know if either man believed her, even though she was telling the truth.

  Billy opened his mouth to make a retort, but Jack silenced him with a simple tap on his shoulder. “We promise, all we want to do is help,” he said to my sister.

  April huffed in reply as she stalked back towards me. “Are you sure Summer?” She whispered to me. I nodded back in reply. My throat was so dry now, I didn’t want to risk talking. April went to put her arms beneath me to try and lift me off the ground, but she wasn’t strong enough to lift my dead weight and I no longer had anything left in me to help her out.

  “It’s okay, I can carry her,” Jack said, sneaking up beside m
e. He was so close now. I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful he was. I was grateful that I was already flushed from illness, otherwise the blushing that ensued might have been really embarrassing. Jack looked at my sister waiting for her permission. April hesitated for a moment, before relinquishing control and nodding to Jack.

  Jack slid his one arm gently underneath my legs and the other around my back. I held onto his neck as he lifted me up with ease. I felt even smaller in his arms. His body felt warm compared to the coldness of my own. I leaned into his chest to avoid eye contact. My face was already red enough. He smelt so familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. His scent stirred some distant memory in me, that I couldn’t quite reach.

  We couldn’t have walked that far through the brush, but at some point, exhaustion must have taken over because I didn’t even remember us getting into a vehicle. The next thing I knew, I was being jolted awake by the impact of the truck against the uneven earth.

  I stared up at the canvas roof of the truck as it billowed a little against the air moving past it. My body felt heavy now and every bump we hit in the road, only seemed to drive me deeper into the hard floor of the vehicle. It had been so long since I’d been in any kind of automobile. It wasn’t like gas was easily available, and most major roadways were jammed with so many abandoned cars, that it made it difficult to travel that way. Obviously, these people had found a way around it.

  As we hit another bump on the uneven dirt road, my head slammed hard into the floor, barely cushioned by the lumpy jacket resting underneath it. It didn’t hurt, but it did make my head feel foggier than before. “Sorry,” Jack whispered. His eyes were staring into mine and I felt dizzy and not from the fever. It was crazy, but I thought, if this is the last face I see, then I think I can die happy.