After the Downfall

Ten Years Ago Concern sparked through me at the sight of my father sprinting towards the driver’s side of the vehicle, my eight-year-old mind not comprehending the extent of what was happening around me, but I was already on edge from being roused in the middle of the night. My mom hurried over the center console as soon as the truck came to a standstill, fumbling with her seatbelt due to her shaking hands, but my dad didn’t waste any time, tearing off down the road as he closed the door behind him. The stench of burning rubber and gasoline filled my nostrils, and I couldn’t stop my right leg from bouncing up and down as I watched our surroundings whiz by in a blur, blaring horns and wreckage following in our wake. “What’s going on Daddy? Mom?” The questions spilled out at last as fear began to set in, but they remained unanswered as my dad weaved through traffic, blatantly ignoring the stoplights as we barreled through the semi-crowded streets. I was terrified of what would make

I’d braced myself for the bitter cold beforehand thanks to my dad’s warnings about what to expect in this new world, but it didn’t stop the shivers from wracking through my slender frame as gusts of wind washed over me. The sky should’ve been lit up by the sun at this time of day, but it was as dark as if it was still nighttime due to the radioactive dust and ash still clinging in the atmosphere. My father had been an environmental scientist before the downfall of society, but all his knowledge hadn’t been enough to save him in the end. Numbness threatened to take over as despondency crept in with the memory of my parents’ deaths still raw, and I considered simply giving up for what seemed the thousandth time since I’d started losing my family members. Howbeit, some tiny portion of my head reminded me why I had to carry on, the promise I’d made to my dad replaying in my mind as I forced myself to take one step after another. On some subconscious level, I’d been imagining a complet

I was tentative the second time around when it came to gripping Gage’s waist without the danger obliterating my boundaries to smithereens, but he only chuckled, grabbing my arms and yanking me forward until I was plastered against his back. My body was reacting in ways that I hadn’t experienced before, but I deflected, asking the first thing that popped into my mind, “You’re not worried about someone taking off with your stuff?” “Nah, it’s rare that I come across anyone this far out. I have a few spots all over the place for when I’m too far from home. No one has messed with any of them for the months I’ve been out here, but I also have some silver hidden near the entrances to deter shifters from investigating.” I was left with the distinct impression that he was leaving something out, but I trusted him, just the same. He’d already saved my skin after all, and he seemed to be in a hurry to leave now since the rain had forced us to take cover through the night and well into the next

I awoke with a start, the banging of the door slamming shut behind someone startling me up into a seated position, but I saw Gage’s familiar visage before I could freak out too much. “Hey Zoe, still in bed, I see?” He teased, but I was more distracted by the sight of what I was assuming was engine grease spotting nearly every surface of his visible skin. That was, until it dawned on me why he’d frozen in place, his voice turning husky at the end, and his hazel eyes zeroing in on my stiff nipples in the thin, black tank I’d gone to sleep in. I wasn’t planning to address why I’d fallen asleep in his bed, but I did need to muster up the courage to ask him about Robbie’s demands before he went gallivanting off again. Heat flooded my face, and I knew my chest was just as flushed as my reddened cheeks with Gage’s gawking. My brain was moving slow as I struggled to wake up, but it kept churning as I jerked the blanket back over my chest. Then, it hit me. “Still in bed? Is it morning?” I

I wasn’t sure what to expect when Gage had pledged to teach me to become a scavenger, but I knew I was ready to get started as soon as possible, in any case. So, I wasn’t thrilled the next day when he revealed we wouldn’t be departing until the following morning, even if I wasn’t in tip-top shape. “Gage.” I whined, hating the childish note in my voice, but not having a better way to express my frustrations, “What am I supposed to do here?” I groused, disregarding the detail that I was still huddled under my blanket. “There’s plenty to go over before then, and I want to make sure the wolves have time to deal with Vance before we go trekking through the forest.” He muttered the last part darkly, diverting my attention as he began methodically packing for our trip, his gait stiff as he hunted for the items he needed. I hadn’t known the name of my assailant before now. I mean damn, I didn’t actually know what the guy looked like, but it didn’t appear to matter bearing in mind what Gage