The Other Life Read Online Free PDF

had only spread through parts of Canada and the southwest when we went into the shelter. The military should have managed to destroy the virus before
it could get any further.”
    “But what if they didn’t succeed? What if it spread all over the world?”
    Dad shook his head. “No.” He paused. “No, that isn’t possible.” He sounded uncertain and that didn’t help to soothe my worries: the recorded message blaring
out the same warning for years, deserted streets, no sign of other people. Panic rose up in my throat.
    “How do you know? Maybe they’re all dead!” I could hear my voice becoming hysterical.
    Dad pulled into the Walmart parking lot and stopped the engine before he turned to me. He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. “Sherry, there are…there were six
billion people on this planet. They aren’t all dead. It just seems like we’re the only people because Los Angeles is such a mess. We’ll look for food and then we’ll try to
find out what’s happened and where everybody’s gone.” He smiled. “Okay?” His hand shook when he pulled the key from the ignition.
    I took a deep breath. “Okay.”
    Nothing was okay, and we both knew it.
    “Good.” He let go of my shoulder and opened the driver’s door, checking our surroundings before he got out with the shotgun in his hands.
    I followed him and let my gaze stray over the deserted parking lot. At least the store hadn’t been hit by bombs. Maybe we’d actually find some food in there. Close to the entrance of
the Walmart I noticed one lonely car – an old silver Lincoln.
    Dad had parked in the middle of the lot, a fair distance away from the building. Anything out there would be able to see us. The confusion must have showed on my face.
    “I want to get an overview of our surroundings, so we don’t get ambushed,” Dad said, sounding like an army officer.
    Ambushed?
    Our steps echoed in the silence as we made our way towards the huge glass doors. My hackles rose. It felt like we were on display. I flashed a glance at the Lincoln, then stopped. Slowly, I
turned back and took a closer look at the old car.
    “Sherry?”
    The Lincoln was clean – it wasn’t covered with soot. I looked at the windows of the Walmart, where a thick layer of black filth obstructed the view into the store. So why
wasn’t the car covered in soot too? It didn’t make sense.
    “Sherry?” Dad’s steps came closer. He stopped beside me and followed my gaze.
    “Someone used the car after the…” I swallowed hard. “…after the bombardment.”
    Dad looked around, as if he was expecting the owner to be nearby, but everything was silent, except for the cooing of a group of pigeons sitting on the roof of the building. My body began to
prickle, as if millions of ants were crawling over my skin.
    “Let’s look for a way into the store,” Dad said, with a nod at the grimy glass doors.
    As we stood before them, I cleaned the soot from a section of glass and peered through. It took my eyes a moment to focus. Shelves were thrown over, and packaging littered most of the floor. The
store was a mess.
    “Others have been in there,” I said as I stepped back. Hopefully they hadn’t taken all the food.
    Dad tried to open the doors but they didn’t budge. “Let’s go round the back. Maybe there’s another entrance.” He led the way and I followed a few steps behind.
    On the other side, the doors were destroyed. Shards of razor-sharp glass covered the ground and glittered in the sunlight. Something red caught my eye. I took a closer look. Bloodstains
splattered the concrete and some of the shards were smeared with it. I held the pistol a bit tighter. Maybe a stray dog had injured its paws.
    Sure .
    Chills ran down my back.
    Dad didn’t acknowledge the blood. Maybe he didn’t want to worry me.
    Too late.
    He was focused on the inside of the building. I took a step forwards, but he raised his arm, palm out.
    I stopped and