Children of the After: Awakening (book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

backside.
    “Didn’t like the nickname Scratchy, huh?”
    To this all three laughed, before turning more serious once
more.
    “I think we should go get some clothes from our rooms and
good shoes or boots too. If you can find a backpack or duffel bag, grab it too.
That way we can free up our hands,” Jack instructed.
    “Sounds good. I’ll take Will to his room after I get my
stuff. OK?” Sam inquired.
    “Yeah, that’s good. Let’s get moving, we don’t want to be
out in the open at night, especially if another storm comes. After we get our
stuff we are going to have to look for a way downstairs, our door and the fire
escape are destroyed.”
    Both Sam and Will nodded their understanding, and all three
stepped out into the apartment together.
    Leading the way, Jack paused as both Sam and Will ducked
into Sam’s room, and he heard when she spotted her laptop and gasped excitedly.
Shaking his head, knowing that it was unlikely the device still worked let
alone not knowing if an internet even existed anymore, he retraced his steps back
to the bathroom, assured that his siblings were safe.
    Entering the small room, Jack carefully pulled the medicine
cabinet open as shards of the attached mirror rained down into the sink with a
symphony of shattering glass. Once it was open he sifted through the contents
and collected what he considered the necessities. A bottle of Tylenol, some
cough drops, and most importantly, one of Will’s inhalers were added to his
makeshift pack as he began pulling the drawers on the vanity open one by one.
    Digging through the contents of the drawers he added a pair
of tweezers in case one of them got a splinter. He knew the simplest infection
now could be fatal. Other than that, however, the only things he added were a
pair of scissors, dental floss, and some unopened tooth brushes and tooth
paste, along with a couple bars of antibacterial soap. Nothing more, nothing
less.
    Leaving the bathroom behind, he witnessed as Sam and Will
vanished into Will’s bedroom, nearest the one that used to belong to their
parents. He was impressed. He had expected to have to remind them to hurry. Ducking
into his own room, he regarded the devastation briefly once more before yanking
the closet door open wide. Quickly selecting a pair of jeans and hiking boots,
he changed his clothes and grabbed a handful of assorted garments before
rummaging around on the shelf above his head. Finding last year’s backpack, he
pulled the zipper open and stuffed in the clothes he had gathered inside, before
dumping the contents of his pillow case in as well. Rising, he looked about
once more at all the items in his closet and room that had meant so much to him
before the event, but now they were just things he was discarding in order to
keep his family alive. Stuff was no longer important.
    Turning towards the door, his heart stopped as a pair of
blood curdling screams arose in the hall as the building began to shudder
beneath him.
    * * * * *
    Guiding Will by the hand, Sam stepped into her room for the
first time in what felt like an eternity. Here and there upon the walls were
posters of her favorite punk bands and dub step icons. On the bed her laptop
sat, still opened, just as she had left it when called to the living room by Dad
so many months ago. She had been in the middle of writing Mom an email when it
happened, but she couldn’t focus on the past now. Jack said they were leaving
and needed to go. She couldn’t dwell on such things, and as such she scanned
around her room once more.
    Dolls with X’d out eyes littered the floor, and dark makeup
lay scattered about the carpet around her dresser in shades of crimson, purple,
and black. They weren’t important nor vital, but just looking at the small
containers, compacts, and vials made her feel more normal, and as such she kneeled
for a brief second and collected a handful of beauty products for later use,
which she deposited in her pocket.
    Turning her attention to