Eden's Promise Read Online Free PDF

nearby—he was always afraid something like this would happen. And after Kelly left, well, I didn’t want to hurt them by leaving.”
    “Ah, Kelly.” His expression softened. “How is she?”
    “We don’t know. We hadn’t heard from her for awhile before everything hit the fan. We only know she was in Washington. No idea now.”
    He glanced over, sympathy in his eyes. “Sorry to hear that.”
    She wanted to ask him what that meant, if Kelly had a chance of surviving over there, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask it, yet.
    “What about you?” he asked. “Did you get married? Have kids?”
    “No.” Marriage seemed like such a far-away concept now. She missed sex, she missed companionship, but marriage in these times seemed outdated and indulgent. And kids were out of the question, not adding more mouths with such limited supplies. “You?”
    “Married, no kids, thank God. She died last fall in the riots.”
    “I’m sorry, Aaron.” She’d heard about the riots from others who’d come, how people invaded homes and killed the owners to raid their supplies, how neighbor turned on neighbor. She shuddered to think of what his wife must have suffered.
    He shook his head, indicating he didn’t want to talk about it.  
    “So who’s this?” She motioned to the dog.
    “That’s Huck. We met up in about Arizona. He was a pretty scrawny fellow, not quite full-grown. He came up on me when I was eating in a gas station. You could tell he hadn’t been around people, but he knew people could help him. I opened a couple of cans of bean dip and sausages for him. He’s been with me ever since. Good guard dog.” He scratched the dog on the top of his head.
    People emerged from houses and storefronts when they saw the entourage passing. Some murmured Aaron’s name, others coming forward, clapping him on the back, embracing him. Eden eased back to watch as he slowed, smiled and greeted each by name. Not only was he a returning hero, he was hope for the families who had been cut off from their loved ones on the mainland.
    A cry made the crowd separate, and Mary Jenkins made her way through the hole they created, edging sideways until she stood in front of her son. She stumbled and he caught her up in his arms, holding her tight, swinging her in a circle while Huck barked wildly. Tears blurred Eden’s vision and she covered her hand with her mouth as the woman clung to Aaron, her face buried in his shoulder, sobs wracking her body. Aaron murmured to her, stroking her hair, his own eyes wet. He set her down on shaky legs and had to steady her. She pressed her hands to his cheeks as if she couldn’t believe she was seeing him, and he held onto her hands.
    Then his father pressed through and wrapped them both in his arms. The crowd, so eager to hear his news, eased back, allowing the family this private moment. Eden was one of the last to turn away, and when she did, she returned home to hug her own mother.
     
    ***
     
    That night they held a celebration in the town square, complete with the lard lanterns and a roasted pig and desserts someone had made with one of the last cans of condensed milk. Even amid the celebration, Eden worried about their stores. They needed to go for supplies soon. And they needed to start thinking long-term. Could they stay on the island forever? Did they want to?
    Damien and his team ate in shifts, then returned to patrolling the shore. Eden wanted to tell Damien to take a day off but they couldn’t risk it. If Aaron had found the island, others could, too.
    After the dinner, where rumors bounced from one table to another about what Aaron had said he’d seen, Aaron stood near the buffet table, arms folded over his chest, and began to describe his journey. The town grew silent as his low voice carried across the square.
    “My understanding of what happened was that it was a terror attack,” he began. “Not just on the United States but all of Europe, designed to topple the world