In the After Read Online Free PDF

the trap had not yet returned. I placed my note closer to the fallen refrigerator, glad that the creature underneath was almost entirely covered. Its feet stuck out awkwardly and I thought of the Wicked Witch’s sister from The Wizard of Oz . We’re sure as hell not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
    I had to suppress a laugh, but then the creature’s leg twitched and I realized that its slaughter was recent. I backed away, cautious that others could be close by. I walked home, slightly disappointed but also hopeful, knowing I could return the next night.
    For two days I waited, with no one in sight. I wondered if they kept track of time or owned a watch. I still wore my dad’s old-school digital. More for the memory of him than anything else. I wanted to wear my mom’s Cartier, but the ticking was too loud in the absolute quiet. Each night I began to doubt my plan. I wondered briefly what the person or people were like; what if they were avoiding me on purpose? What if they were unfriendly? The thought of being able to interact with another human being made me desperate.
    On the third night, there was someone waiting, crouching in the bushes. I was used to watching for Them, so I spotted him at once.
    “I can see you,” I told him in the loudest whisper I dared. “Hello? Please come out.”
    He stood and looked me over. I couldn’t see him well in the dark, but he was tall and his shaggy hair framed a face I couldn’t quite make out. Backing away, he waved for me to follow. I almost couldn’t believe that there was another human alive. I wanted to yell or hoot, but I swallowed my enthusiasm and tried to calm myself. Even so, I was shaking slightly as I trailed behind him to an apartment building a few blocks away. He unlocked the entrance door and motioned me inside.
    We went up several flights. Some of the stairs creaked, making me uncomfortable. It wasn’t long ago that I would never have dreamed of following a man to his apartment.
    At the top floor, the man unlocked the door and went inside. I looked up and down the hall, hesitating for just a moment before going in after him. He shut and locked the door with a click . Then he flipped on a switch and I was startled by the sudden brightness. I looked to the windows but they were blacked out, keeping Them from spotting the glow. A gentle hum sounded from another room.
    “You can talk. They won’t hear us,” he told me.
    I looked at him clearly in the light. He wasn’t young, but he wasn’t old either, probably about my father’s age. Fortyish. I wrinkled my nose. In his enclosed condo, I could smell him for the first time. It was likely he hadn’t showered since Before. His shaggy, blond hair almost covered his eyes and an unkempt beard framed his face. I guessed he hadn’t shaved since Before either.
    “Who are you?” I asked. “I mean, what’s your name?”
    “Jake.” He held out his hand and I shook it. His hand was firm, his skin rough. It was strange to touch another person.
    “I’m Amy,” I said, my voice unsure. He still hadn’t released my hand, so I pulled it away awkwardly.
    “Sorry.” He grinned. “I’m just surprised to see another live human around. It’s a shock.”
    “How . . . You set that trap by yourself?” I asked.
    “Construction worker by day.” He grinned again. “Drummer by night. Well, I was a drummer. There’s no band anymore.”
    “There’s not anything anymore,” I said quietly.
    “Whoa, negative Nancy.” He ran his fingers through his greasy hair. “We’re still here.”
    I bit my lip, ashamed. I didn’t want to alienate my first human contact. “So, you were in a band? That’s fan.”
    “Fan?” he asked.
    “Fantastic . . . It’s what my friends and I used to say,” I explained. Sabrina and I started it as a joke, to make fun of the people at our school who insisted on talking in text-speak. Sabrina and I had whole conversations where we pretended to be bubbleheads and only used the first