Final Dawn: Season 1 (The Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Series) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Mike Kraus
basement. Whatever had caused its destruction had completely leveled the house, obliterating the upper levels and ripping huge holes in the concrete and rebar structure that surrounded the basement. Fortunately for her, though, most of the debris had been sucked up and out of the basement instead of crashing down on top of her. Light from a full moon filtered down through the swirling dust overhead as thick clouds floated past, causing the stars to appear as a vague glow instead of their normal bright points.
Sam licked at her face again and Rachel cracked a slight smile, returning the favor with several pats on his back. "Didn't we teach you to stay out of the basement?" Speaking these words sparked her memory and she froze, remembering what had transpired in the seconds before she blacked out. Struggling to her feet, Rachel fought off a wave of nausea and a pounding headache, moving towards what was left of the stairway leading up into the main section of the house. Like the rest of the basement, only parts of the stairway remained, the rest having been sucked out with the blast. Rachel pushed aside the remains of the door and worked her way upwards, climbing the mound of concrete and wood that used to be the stairs. A hole roughly the size of a door was at the top of the pile, and she pulled herself up through it, blinking as a sharp wind bit into her tearstained face, speechless at the devastation that surrounded her.
Her once beautiful two-story house and idyllic neighborhood were no more, having been replaced with a scene out of Mad Max or one of the video games that Jeremy liked to play on the weekends. Rubble, burned trees, scorched earth, shingles, wooden boards and every other type of building material imaginable was laid out as far as she could see. A cold wind shocked her bare shoulders, carrying smoke and dust along the ruins. After her initial shock at the sight wore off, she remembered again why she had come out.
"Jeremy? Julie??" Rachel called softly at first, and then her voice rose to a fevered pitch, screaming the names of her husband and daughter as she made her way across the broken remains of the foundation of her house, stumbling across the wreckage in search of her family. The rational part of Rachel's mind knew what the truth was, but her heart couldn't accept the evidence that surrounded her. Regret for over a thousand nights away from her home and her family flooded over her as she fell to her knees and sobbed. In the blink of an eye her family had been wiped from the earth and she felt, for the first time, the pain of a loss that had started years ago and was only now made painfully obvious. Rachel curled into a ball in the space where her kitchen once stood and sobbed uncontrollably as Sam gently pawed at her feet, whimpering along with her.
10:19 AM, March 29, 2038
Marcus Warden
Bursting out of a stand of trees, Marcus raced down the last hill towards the gravel parking lot where he had left his car. He had made good time, better than he first thought, arriving at the parking lot in the mid-morning. Unsurprisingly, the parking lot was still filled with the same six cars that had been there when he had arrived. There was no doubt that anyone else in the national forest would have had the same difficulties, or worse, getting back to their vehicles as he had encountered. Marcus grabbed his keys from his pocket and pushed the unlock button as he jogged towards the car. Instead of the familiar chirp and the soft click of the locks disengaging, there was no response from the SUV. Marcus frowned, considering what the issue could be. I couldn't have left the lights on... I double checked that. Maybe the battery in the key fob is dying. That must be it.
The car unlocked manually as he expected and he climbed in, tossing his backpack into the passenger seat. The familiar flashing security light on the dash was dark, along with the clock that normally shone a pale blue on the
Sam licked at her face again and Rachel cracked a slight smile, returning the favor with several pats on his back. "Didn't we teach you to stay out of the basement?" Speaking these words sparked her memory and she froze, remembering what had transpired in the seconds before she blacked out. Struggling to her feet, Rachel fought off a wave of nausea and a pounding headache, moving towards what was left of the stairway leading up into the main section of the house. Like the rest of the basement, only parts of the stairway remained, the rest having been sucked out with the blast. Rachel pushed aside the remains of the door and worked her way upwards, climbing the mound of concrete and wood that used to be the stairs. A hole roughly the size of a door was at the top of the pile, and she pulled herself up through it, blinking as a sharp wind bit into her tearstained face, speechless at the devastation that surrounded her.
Her once beautiful two-story house and idyllic neighborhood were no more, having been replaced with a scene out of Mad Max or one of the video games that Jeremy liked to play on the weekends. Rubble, burned trees, scorched earth, shingles, wooden boards and every other type of building material imaginable was laid out as far as she could see. A cold wind shocked her bare shoulders, carrying smoke and dust along the ruins. After her initial shock at the sight wore off, she remembered again why she had come out.
"Jeremy? Julie??" Rachel called softly at first, and then her voice rose to a fevered pitch, screaming the names of her husband and daughter as she made her way across the broken remains of the foundation of her house, stumbling across the wreckage in search of her family. The rational part of Rachel's mind knew what the truth was, but her heart couldn't accept the evidence that surrounded her. Regret for over a thousand nights away from her home and her family flooded over her as she fell to her knees and sobbed. In the blink of an eye her family had been wiped from the earth and she felt, for the first time, the pain of a loss that had started years ago and was only now made painfully obvious. Rachel curled into a ball in the space where her kitchen once stood and sobbed uncontrollably as Sam gently pawed at her feet, whimpering along with her.
10:19 AM, March 29, 2038
Marcus Warden
Bursting out of a stand of trees, Marcus raced down the last hill towards the gravel parking lot where he had left his car. He had made good time, better than he first thought, arriving at the parking lot in the mid-morning. Unsurprisingly, the parking lot was still filled with the same six cars that had been there when he had arrived. There was no doubt that anyone else in the national forest would have had the same difficulties, or worse, getting back to their vehicles as he had encountered. Marcus grabbed his keys from his pocket and pushed the unlock button as he jogged towards the car. Instead of the familiar chirp and the soft click of the locks disengaging, there was no response from the SUV. Marcus frowned, considering what the issue could be. I couldn't have left the lights on... I double checked that. Maybe the battery in the key fob is dying. That must be it.
The car unlocked manually as he expected and he climbed in, tossing his backpack into the passenger seat. The familiar flashing security light on the dash was dark, along with the clock that normally shone a pale blue on the
Readers choose
Leslie Leigh
Harold Schechter
Eryn Scott
Wanda E Brunstetter
Sherry Thomas
Julian Stockwin
Jo Robertson
Wessel Ebersohn
Scott Weems