by Steve Wands
Walter and Jeff went out to the porch, beers in hand, and looked up at the sky. It was almost dark.
Walter looked at his son. "Let's take a stroll around the house. Give it one last look." He put the beer up to his lip and kicked it back.
Jeff followed suit and they both took a casual walk around the house. All the boards looked good, and there was nothing in the distance besides the faint scent of smoke. A drop of rain fell, then another. A line of cars passed the road in the distance, Davis's pickup leading the way. A rumble was heard in the sky, lightning struck and thunder rolled.
Jeff and his father finished up their walk around and ended right back on the porch. Walter looked up at the sky and Jeff looked at his father. Jeff's son, Tommy, came out to the porch as well. Jeff put his arm around him and pulled him closer. He had no idea what was going on, but he sure loved a thunderstorm.
Everyone one was back in the family room with their stomachs full. The rain started to come down heavier, it wasn't pouring, but it was more than a trickle on the roof. The kids were getting antsy, so Maria decided to bring them upstairs. She took a big flashlight and led the way. She lit a few candles on the way to the room as well, and another inside the room so the kids wouldn't get too scared. Just for peace-of-mind she left the flashlight with them. Tommy grabbed it and gave it to Sandra, and then Sandra gave it to little Wally.
They weren't quite ready for bed so they started building a fort and playing with their toys. Maria sat in the room and just watched. She loved them so much, and couldn't bear to think about what may lay ahead for them.
They started building a fort around her as Sandra sat on her lap making goofy faces with the flashlight under her chin. Maria started laughing and crying at the same time. Maria wrapped her arms around Sandra and tackled the rest of them into the halfway-built fort and brought the sheets down with her. You could hear the laughter from the family room. The others smiled. The rain continued to fall.
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About the author
Steve Wands lives in New Jersey with his wife and son. He's a comic book letterer by day, and an artist and writer by night. He drinks massive amounts of coffee, and sleeps very little. He is the author of Stay Dead, Words Like Daggers, Modern Nightmares, Damaged, and plenty of short stories. He also co-edited and contributed to Dark: A Horror Anthology. Visit his blog here: http://www.stevewands.blogspot.com
Discover other titles (Stay Dead, Dark: A Horror Anthology) by Steve Wands at http://www.smashwords.com
Check out the Stay Dead blog:
http://www.pleasestaydead.blogspot.com
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: Dark days
About the author
