Children of the After: The Complete Series: A Young Adult Postapocalyptic Action and Adventure series (49 page)
Authors: Jeremy Laszlo
“I think we should,” Tammy answered Will.
“Yeah, we might as well,” Jack agreed.
Turning to cross the field, they began walking at an easy pace. There was no telling what the people ahead had been through in the last months, and the last thing Tammy and her friends wanted to do was scare them into running away.
They were nearly half the distance when Will froze in his tracks, leaning his head to one side and squinting.
“What is it, Will?” Sam asked, as all of them turned to look at the small boy.
“Mom? Dad?” Will shouted, ignoring the question, sprinting off across the charred earth without a second’s hesitation.
It took no time for Jack and Sam to follow on his heels, running as fast as they were able across the barren earth. Tammy ran too, though not as quickly as her friends. The discovery of her friends’ parents filled her with mixed emotions. Her own family was gone. Of that she was certain. She alone had survived their exile on this planet. But she was happy for her friends, only now she wasn’t certain how she would fit into the equation.
Watching as Will leapt into the air to be caught by the man ahead, Tammy witnessed as their family was reunited and all gathered into one another’s arms as sobs and tears ran free. It was a little embarrassing to watch as they exclaimed things and hugged and cried, their joy evident in everything they did.
Tammy supposed that after believing your family gone, it must be overwhelming to be reunited once again after you had already come to terms with the worst.
It was several long minutes, perhaps fifteen or more, while Tammy stood aside watching the occasion unfold, when Will took his father’s and mother’s hands and dragged them towards her with a grin on his face.
“And this is our friend, Tammy. She’s an alien, kind of, and she saved our lives from these big monkey guys that wanted to have us for dinner!” he exclaimed as only a seven year old could.
“No, Will,” Sam said, stepping around her family to hug Tammy tightly. “Tammy is much more than a friend, she is our sister and we all love her.”
Both Jack and Will came forward then, wrapping their arms around her as well, to be joined just a moment later by their parents too. They shared one great big hug, before finally allowing her to breathe again, though Tammy had been fine without air. She had finally found her place. Her worry about being an outsider was gone.
Reaching out to accept their father’s outstretched hand, Tammy shook it, introducing herself.
“Well, guys,” John Francis, her friends’ father began, “What do you suppose we do now?”
“We’re going to Florida,” Will answered happily.
“Is that right?” their dad asked.
“Yup. We’re going to live on the beach and fish and swim every day.”
“It seems you have everything worked out. How do you suppose we get there from here?”
“We gotta find a car that Jack can push with his telekinetic powers, and we’ll drive the whole way if we can.”
“Wait, what?” John asked.
“Oh, right,” Will began.
“There’s a lot to explain,” Jack interrupted, “but we’ll have plenty of time to talk about it on the way.”
“Good, I want to know everything,” their dad said.
“Me too,” added their mom, “But first I want hugs. Lots and lots of hugs. You too, Tammy, you’re not getting out of this.”
Looking out across the sand, Jack watched as Sam and Tammy worked together to toss Will into an oncoming wave. It was almost just as they had imagined it. They lived right on the beach, in huts that had once been part of some sort of cabana resort. Lacking electricity, the huts had survived, and although not ideal, they worked for the time being.
Having settled in northern Florida, they chose to live along the Gulf in what was once Pensacola. Though they had plenty of time to relax and play, Jack worked every day with his dad to clean and clear part of the concrete building that remained of the resort’s hotel. There were other people helping too, and not all of them were human, though many were young.
One day, when they were done, the plan was to house more than fifty people here, and have a small school too. Jack looked forward to it, but took every moment he had to be thankful for what he already had—friends, family, and a place to call home. It wasn’t always easy, but life never was. Without all the complications of his former life, he had learned a great deal about himself. Family and friends were more important than things and ambitions. Hard work paid for itself, and the end result was just a bonus. Time spent with those you loved was time you would cherish forever. They were lessons hard learned, but worth the sacrifice.
Turning back to the rubble he stood upon, he scooped another shovelful and tossed it into the makeshift wheelbarrow Dad had built. The world was going to be fine. They all just had to learn to live together, work together, and love together.
Staring at a small chunk of concrete in the pile before him, he focused on it intently. He missed the ability to move things with his mind. Before him, the small pile shifted as chunks rolled this way and that.
End.
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Clad in Shadow (Poetry for a Burdened Soul)
The Blood and Brotherhood Saga
(Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy, Ages 15+)
The Choosing (Book One of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Chosen (Book Two of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Changing (Book Three of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
Crimson (Book 3.5 of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
The Contention (Book Four of the Blood and Brotherhood Saga)
Orc Destiny Trilogy (A Blood and Brotherhood series)
(Dark Fantasy, Ages 13+ for gore and violence)
Twisted Fate (Orc Destiny, Volume I)
Fallen Crown (Orc Destiny, Volume II)
Three Kings (Orc Destiny, Volume III)
The Beyond Series
(Adults only due to extreme mature content)
Beyond The Mask (The Beyond Book One)
Beyond The Flesh (The Beyond Book Two)
Beyond The Soul (The Beyond Book Three)
Children of the After series
(post-apocalyptic, Ages 10+)
Children of the After: AWAKENING
Children of the After: REVELATION
Children of the After: EVOLUTION
Children of the After: REBIRTH
Left Alive series
(Zombie Apocalypse, Adults only due to extreme mature content)
The Detective King Trilogy
(Adults only due to Extreme Mature Content)
Stand Alone Novels
I live in southern Louisiana with my wife and children, and work full time as a civilian employed by the federal government. I like to spend time with my family and am excited to announce our newest addition, my only son, recently born in February of 2014.
I spend as much time as I am able writing, but also enjoy downtime with the wife and kids, and am a bit of a movie buff as well. I thrive on sarcasm and nerdism and am currently addicted to The Big Bang Theory amongst other things.
Fantasy has always been my reading genre of choice, though I am picky about who and what I read, and I refuse to read a series out of order. I have been known to devour entire sagas in mere days, emerging only when necessary for survival.
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© 2014 by Jeremy Laszlo.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.
All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.