Storm Orphans: The Beginning Read Online Free PDF

monster kept at it, but eventually, it tired of the task and wandered off in search of an easier meal.
    Jenny stayed in her spot until she had to pee so badly she was afraid she was going to go in her pants. If she’d seen or heard any sign of the Afflicted, she’d have done just that, but it seemed the creature had left long ago so she slowly inched her away back out of the culvert and looked around. She was alone. There was no sign of the monsters or even one of the noisy crows. Jenny wiped her eyes then did her best to wipe off her stuffed bunny as well before she pulled down her shorts and squatted to urinate in the ditch.
    Relieved of one problem, Jenny considered the larger one. All she wanted to do was sit down and cry over the loss of her parents, but she knew this wasn’t the place. She needed shelter and she had to be quick about it. The monsters that had attacked them had seemingly come out of nowhere. There was no telling when or where she might run into another one and now she had no one to help protect her.
    Jenny considered trying to make her way back to the apartment, but the thought of staying there knowing her parents were dead brought on another bout of sobbing. She didn’t think she could do it and it was probably too far to travel alone anyway.  With no particular destination in mind, she set out down the road in the opposite direction from whence she came. Her immediate goal was to put as much distance between herself and the abominations that had killed her parents as possible.
    Although she didn’t realize it, Jenny was wandering toward the highway. After taking a couple turns through the lonely streets full of their abandoned buildings and wrecked vehicles, she saw a motel in the distance. She hadn’t stayed in a motel since she was a young girl. Vague memories of a trip to Disney World with her parents filled her head and she sniffled as a single fresh tear ran down her dirt-streaked face. This motel didn’t look anything like the impressive high-rise she’d stayed in on that long-ago vacation, but it looked better than her current alternatives. She quickly made her way up the street, her feet sore but her mind set. As she reached the motel’s entrance, she looked up at its neon sign, four of its five letters still lit in bright pink color, and breathed a small sigh of relief. In a world where nearly everything looked like death, she thought this place looked like it might just be home.
     
     
    The End
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Author’s Note
     
     
    I hope you enjoyed this short sneak peek into the back story of two characters featured in my debut novel of the zombie apocalypse, Storm Orphans. If you did, please consider purchasing that book online at Amazon.com and write a quick review of this novelette while you’re at it. Help spread the word!
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