* * * * *
Sam watched and listened to the exchange primarily between her brother and the rider, and felt uneasy beyond belief. She didn’t know how, but she knew what the man was saying was true. They were in danger. They did need to leave. Regardless of the argument she had given Jack the previous day, now she wanted to leave. Right now. But it was too late.
Out of the darkness behind the rider, something leapt upon his back, driving him forward as he tumbled down the stairs with a startled yell. The shotgun discharged, making her ears ring as smoke filled the small space, making everything look surreal. Looking across the floor she clutched Will to her, rolling to cover him as much as she was able with her own body.
When the rider settled at the bottom of the stairs, the thing was on top of him striking and beating him about the chest and face; the rider, barely able to defend himself from the barrage of blows, raised his hands trying to defend himself. The thing atop the rider was odd, and yet familiar. She had seen one just a few nights before, fleeing the shadows beneath the overpass.
Looking like a cross between an ape and a man, the skin-toned creature pummeled the rider relentlessly, seemingly bent on the rider’s destruction. But it appeared to Sam that Jack had different plans.
Out of the smoke Sam’s brother appeared, wielding the shovel he had claimed from the wall of tools. Swinging it once, he struck the creature as the metal head of the shovel rang like a tuning fork. As if in slow motion, the creature slumped to the ground beside the rider, who used his arms to scoot back and raise himself up against the stairs. Looking at the odd angle of the rider’s leg, it was apparent that he wouldn’t be going anywhere without help. Even a crutch would be of little use now. Rising cautiously as the rider began coughing violently, Sam pulled Will up with her and joined Jack in inspecting the odd attacker. It was almost like a man, but wasn’t. Instead of four fingers and a thumb on each hand, it had three. Instead of a pointy human nose, it was longer and flat, like some species of ape. It had larger, more bulbous eyes and a wider jaw, but that was all Sam was able to note, as their inspection was cut short.
“Listen, kids. You grab what you can and go now. They would have heard that gunshot and they will be coming. Go south. “
“What about you?” Sam asked.
“I’ll try and keep them busy a while. Give you a head start. You three just get some supplies and go. Keep moving all through tomorrow. They hide during the day, they don’t like the sun. They have some kind of thermal vision or something. Can’t see you if you’re inside an insulated space, or behind certain kinds of glass. That’s why they break it all. They’re strong and fast, but don’t seem too smart. Just keep moving and hide good. Go south and find help.”
That seemed like enough information for all of them, and Sam sought her pack, noticing as Jack handed his shovel to the rider. It was going to be a long night.
* * * * *
With more mixed emotions in his head than he could ever recall, Will rushed about the small confines of the cellar collecting jars of food and dropping them into his bag. The world had been ruined by monsters. Monsters! Neither Jack nor Sam had even considered it when he had suggested it months ago and in several conversations since, but he had been right. Pausing momentarily, he looked back over his shoulder at the thing on the ground. It was still breathing. He could see its chest moving. He put his pack on his back and picked up his police light.
Within seconds, they were headed towards the stairs and the door above it, but Will couldn’t just leave. Turning, he was nearly bowled over by Sam following behind him, but he didn’t even flinch. Looking to the rider, who was not only injured but obviously exhausted, he placed his hand on the man’s shoulder in the darkness.
“Thank you,” Will whispered to the stranger.
“You’re welcome, son. Now you kids get going.”
Without another word, Will turned and ran up the stairs, grabbing Jack’s waiting hand as Sam took his other arm from behind. Into the night they ran, a strange whooping sound calling to them from the forest behind from dozens of locations. Moving as fast as they dared in the dark, it was all Will could do to keep focused on running, his mind seeking to go over all they had heard. Distracted, it was maybe a half an hour later when two shots split the night time air, echoing off the trees all around them. Will knew two things. He would never see the rider again, and there was still much more to learn about what had happened in the world around them.
-End
Begin Book Two Now:
Children of the After: REVELATION
Books by Jeremy Laszlo
Clad in Shadow (Poetry for a Burdened Soul)
The Blood and Brotherhood Saga
(Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy, Ages 15+)
The Choosing (Book One of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Chosen (Book Two of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Changing (Book Three of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
Crimson (Book 3.5 of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Contention (Book Four of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Champions (Book Five of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Crowned (Book Six of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
Orc Destiny Trilogy (A Blood and Brotherhood series)
(Dark Fantasy, Ages 13+ for gore and violence)
Twisted Fate (Orc Destiny, Volume I)
Fallen Crown (Orc Destiny, Volume II)
Three Kings (Orc Destiny, Volume III)
The Beyond Series
(Adults only due to extreme mature content)
Beyond The Mask (The Beyond Book One)
Beyond The Flesh (The Beyond Book Two)
Beyond The Soul (The Beyond Book Three)
Children of the After series
(post-apocalyptic, Ages 10+)
Children of the After: AWAKENING
Children of the After: REVELATION
Children of the After: EVOLUTION
About the Author
I live in southern Louisiana with my wife and children, and work full time as a civilian employed by the federal government. I like to spend time with my family and am excited that we will soon have a new addition in February of 2014.
I spend as much time as I am able writing, but also enjoy downtime with the wife and kids, and am a bit of a movie buff as well. I thrive on sarcasm and nerdism and am currently addicted to The Big Bang Theory amongst other things.
Fantasy has always been my reading genre of choice, though I am picky about who and what I read, and I refuse to read a series out of order. I have been known to devour entire sagas in mere days, emerging only when necessary for survival.
I love to hear from all of my readers, and hope to chat with you on my Facebook Fan page here:
Facebook
Or feel free to contact me through my website and send me an email, here:
http://www.wix.com/jeremylaszlo/author
Children of the After: Awakening (book 1) Page 13
