Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Knowing he was just as worried about me makes my chest ache.
“Wayne had to physically restrain me,” Aaron admits, bitterness on his tongue. “It’s also why he has a black eye.”
My gaze drifts to where Wayne sits, head tilted back and mouth hanging open while he sleeps. His eye is bruised, but he’s a brute of a guy, so I’m sure he handled the punch just fine.
“Wasn’t exactly rainbows and sunshine from my end either,” I grunt, suppressing a shudder. “Had I not got stuck in the elevator minutes before the tsunami hit, I’d have been toast.” Like Tabby.
Aaron’s jaw works as he considers my words. His eyes water, which makes my own burn with emotion. We miraculously survived this catastrophe and somehow were reunited. Just like the last catastrophe we faced when Dad killed Mom. We’re survivors both in and out of the apocalypse.
“You were right,” Aaron admits. “You had a bad feeling and—”
“If you’d listened to me, we wouldn’t be here right now.” I pin him with a firm glare. “You’re the big brother for a reason. Your instincts matter too.”
He relaxes at my words. “To think this is the one time Jesse’s bullshit attitude actually worked in his favor. If he hadn’t been suspended from school…”
Too many what-ifs for my comfort.
“No sense in thinking about the terrible things that could have happened,” I rasp out. “All we can do is move forward with our ragtag group here.”
Aaron follows my gaze, both of us glancing over each person. “Who are they anyway?”
“Kellen here was my customer. We got in an argument over my being late, which ended up saving me in the end. He’s a cool guy.”
My brother grins at my downplay of just how cool I think this guy is. “Sometimes your bullshit attitude works in your favor too.”
I can’t argue that one.
“The older guy there is Gerry and the younger one is Kyle.” I then motion to where Hope has Elise tucked into her side. “The blonde is Hope and the brunette is Elise. The unconscious woman is Barb. Banged up her head pretty badly and hasn’t recovered.”
“Too bad Dan is a dentist and not a medical doctor,” Aaron mutters.
“When we reach the shore, we’ll get her to a hospital. They’ll fix her.”
Aaron’s eyebrows bunch together and he gets that sad look on his face when he’s about to break bad news to me. My stomach twists in anticipation.
“What?” I croak out. “Don’t tell me the whole damn planet is flooded.”
Aaron shakes his head and motions to the helm. “I’ve been listening to transmissions. They’re spotty because of the distance, but I was getting multiple reports of catastrophes happening all over the globe. It’s not just here.”
For some reason, I hear Dad’s mocking voice in my head. “I told you so. I told you the world was ending. You could have had the easy way out like me and Mom.”
“What kind of catastrophes?”
“Sinkholes all over the damn place. Entire cities wiped out—big ones too. Seismic activity, fires, volcanoes…” he trails off and scrubs a palm over his scruffy face. “Honestly, we don’t know what to expect when we reach land.”
“There has to be aid, though, right? The National Guard? FEMA? American Red Cross?”
“I heard there are some refugee camps in the Great Plains, which seems to be less affected thus far. Maybe we’ll head there.”
We both grow quiet as we contemplate what our future may be. I’m not sure it’s going to be great, but it’s a lot better than our recent past. I’d rather take my chances on dry land, that’s for damn sure.
“How much fuel do we have?” I ask, though I’m not sure I want to know the answer.
“Not enough.” Aaron grunts and then stands. “I’d hoped to use the storm to steer us to land because I know we’ll need the last of the fuel to actually make it ashore. As soon as we make visual contact with anything besides more water, I’ll do what I can to get us there.”
He dips inside the helm to pore over a map, effectively ending the conversation. Knowing my brother is capable of handling things, I finally allow myself to crash. Within seconds, I’m fast asleep.
A sharp whistle jolts me awake. It’s dark on the vessel and Kellen is no longer sleeping on my leg. I scramble to my feet, slightly disoriented. The lights of the Angler-traz illuminate the way ahead of us as Aaron steers the boat. I follow Aaron’s gesturing.
Land.
In the darkness beyond the Angler-traz’s lights, trees can be seen. Kellen appears from out of nowhere, a firm hand landing on my shoulder.
“Aaron told me about the radio transmissions,” Kellen says with a heavy sigh. “Texas has fallen.”
I turn my head to study him in the dark. His face is slick from rain and pale. I notice his plump parted lips, wondering, though briefly, what they’d taste like.