This world has changed everything about us, and ended innocence as we once knew it. I just hope I can give her a happy life.
I glanced up when the light rotor wash of a Skycrane flew over us, headed for the city. A cargo container was swinging slightly below the giant chopper. “More supplies for JBLM?” I asked Kim, and she nodded.
“Yep. Marcie and Dalton have been working at expanding their territory.”
It had taken longer than she would’ve wanted, but Marcie Thompson had finally gotten through to the sergeant, and was soon to become Marcie Gaines. Kim and I were both quite happy with that particular turn of events, and how happy they had made each other.
So happy, in fact, that Kim had set Gaines up as the head of the new Expeditionary Forces, or ExForce, headquartered at the old airstrip.
“Good,” I said. “Maybe now we can concentrate on other things.” Kim sighed, and I smiled to take the sting out of my words. We’d been taking our time in developing the intelligence and a strong plan for dealing with Dagger once and for all. Using Maxwell’s network of spies and saboteurs, we’d just about put the finishing touches on our strategy.
And there was always Bunker Nine, the one full of monsters that were, at least for the moment, contained. We’d convinced Bunker Ten to send out a recon party to check out Nine, although convincing them they couldn’t open the bunker without telling them why had been a challenge and a half. They’d confirmed that the bunker was still sealed and didn’t appear to have been opened in years. Somewhere, amidst everything else, we were going to have to find a way to take care of them, too.
“We’ll get to all of that soon enough,” she said, and I let the matter drop. It never paid to argue with her. She touched her Bluetooth, answering a call. “Go for Blake. Oh, hi, Sabrina.”
At least I finally won that battle, I thought. I got up and came over as she motioned, handing Eden to me and walking off a little ways. Something big must’ve happened.
I took our daughter off to the other side of the safe area, glancing around for the protective detail. Since we’d established the ExForce, they’d moved the bunker’s perimeter defenses to the bottom of the mountain, and we’d been able to use the former minefield as a park of sorts. The electrified fence was gone, as were the sentry guns. It was a very different sort of place now, but the guards I’d finally spotted were always going to be necessary.
Eden and I ran back and forth, each pretending to be a walker and chasing the other. I was getting older, and I knew it because I could feel the stiffness and soreness in my joints after only a few laps back and forth. I tackled my daughter gently and she laughed, giggling as I tickled her.
“What’s wrong, mama?” said Eden as Kim walked back up, and I could see that she’d been crying. I quickly stood, crossing to hold her hand as she wiped the tears with the other, looking down at our daughter.
“Nothing, baby girl. Go play for a minute so Mommy can talk to Daddy.”
“OK, Mama. Don’t be sad!” Eden whirled away, off on some new mission.
“What’s wrong, babe?” I asked.
She began crying again, and I held her close, letting her get whatever it was out of her system. After a moment, she sniffled, and sighed, laying a hand on my chest. “I know what we’re going to call him, David.”
“Him? You know for sure?”
She nodded. “Sabrina told me. It’s definitely a boy.”
“OK, I picked the first one, you get the second. That was the deal. What’s his name?”
She leaned back to look up at me. “George.”
Suddenly, it all came crashing in on me, and I knew without a doubt why she’d picked the name. I remembered the unexplained sadness in the old man’s eyes when he and Mary had visited with their daughter Rachel last year. I struggled not to break down too, knowing that one of us had to be strong. I gripped her tightly, the tears coming unbidden to my eyes. “Was… was it peaceful?”
Kim nodded again. “In his sleep. He didn’t feel a thing.”
I held on tight. “And Mary?”
“She’s a wreck. That’s why Sabrina called. But she’ll be OK. Eventually.”
Eden came walking back over to us, slowly, looking up at us with questions aplenty behind her eyes. She didn’t ask them, though, just hugged us both around the legs, as far up as she could reach. “Don’t be sad, Mama, Daddy. Don’t be sad.”
We both smiled and laughed, a small, brittle laugh, and I knelt down to pick her up. She scrubbed at her eyes, beginning to cry, too, and not knowing why. I smiled my biggest pretend smile, and with one arm around Kim, we began walking back inside.
“Baby girl, you remember Grampa George?” She nodded. “Well, let me tell you about how he and I met. It starts in this little town called Fall Creek…”
Afterword
In the immortal words of the Grateful Dead, what a long, strange trip it’s been.
Nearly two years ago now, I finished my first novel, The Dying of the Light: End, and published it myself, hoping to garner some small interest in the book. It was the acid test of my life’s question: was I meant to be a writer? Now, with thousands of copies of the book sold, numerous short stories published, the sequel in your hopefully eager hands, and having started a publishing company in the meantime, I think the answer to that question is clear.
Thank you, reader, for sticking with me on this trip. Your interest in my books and those of the rest of the Grey Gecko authors are what keeps me telling stories. In a very real way, moreso than any other industry, your support of small press as well as independent publishers and authors leads directly to our continued existence. In the end, it’s not for myself that I write these stories. After all, I already know them! No, it’s for you that we toil, slave, and sweat our life onto these pages in the hope that we have, at least for a moment, given you some enjoyment.
As to the future of The Dying of the Light, the third book in the trilogy, Beginning, will conclude the story of AEGIS, of David, Kimberly and their children, and of the rest of the world. Light will come from darkness, both literally and figuratively, and we will see our world born anew—but not without a great and terrible cost. A fourth volume, The Dying of the Light: The Walker Chronicles is in the planning stages, and will include short stories set before, during, and after Z-Day.
Thanks again for reading, and for supporting indie authors and publishers!
Jason Kristopher
Katy, TX
December 2012
About the Author
Jason Kristopher was born in Waco, Texas, and spent the first years of his life moving with his family around northern Texas and the Panhandle, including Lubbock. After settling with his family in northern Colorado, Jason spent nearly two decades there soaking up the creative energy and enjoying the beautiful weather, before moving back to Texas for “real” work.
Jason currently lives in Houston and enjoys reading, writing, movies, music (live and not), the Houston Astros (winning and not), singing karaoke and the Texas hill country, especially the vineyards.
Contact Jason Kristopher
Facebook: Author.JasonKristopher
Twitter: JasonKristopher
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.greygeckopress.com
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