Storm of the End: Book One

Chapter XXI.VI: Glimmer of Hope

After we used one of the first aid kits we found to treat my wounds, I walked over to Sarah, "Oh yeah, Sarah. I really have to thank you for back there. You're a good shot."

She scratched her neck, "Hey, don't mention it... We have to stick out for each other like that, or we won't make it."

Jared piped up, "When that thing came at us after you got thrown down the stairs, I went right for the rifle. I tried to shoot at it, but... With only one arm, it was hard to aim the damn thing and the recoil made me drop the gun. It's an older model than that shotgun I was using. I was shocked to see Sarah come running and take the gun from me. Two shots took that thing out... Where'd you learn to shoot like that anyway, Sarah?"

She blushed, "Well, my dad taught me how to shoot... he had a gun, even though you're not allowed to... Kept it really well hidden."

I thought back to her father in the crazed state he had been in when we found him, aiming the shotgun at us. In the end... that gun had ended up saving our lives countless times until it was crushed by the invisible thing. Sarah's face darkened for a moment at the memory of her dead father.

Sarah and I went downstairs to salvage what we could while Jared stayed upstairs with Aaron, trying to get the radio working so we could send out a transmission of our own.

As we picked up the last of the guns we found downstairs, I saw a tear fall down from Sarah's eye. I didn't know what to say, or why she was crying. I guessed it was the corpses. Anyone who hadn't seen something like that before wouldn't be able to keep calm. Hell, even with what I've seen already, I can't bear to look at the corpses for too long.

"So cruel..." she said, staring down at the corpse of a young woman covered in boils, "It doesn't feel right to leave them here like this."

"Jared said it's best if we burn the place down. We don't know if those two creatures are even dead for real... though they haven't shown any signs that they're alive. You can never tell," I said as I glanced back at the corpse of the creature. "It worked with the sadist, so I don't see why it wouldn't work with them. Anyway, you can think of it as us cremating the people... yeah. With the state they're in... I wouldn't want my corpse to be left like that if it were me."

Sarah nodded, "That's a good idea..." she hugged her arms up to herself, "Hey... speaking of..." she seemed hesitant to ask, "What did you do... to my parent's bodies?"

She looked at me expectantly. When we told her our story, we said the sadist used them as puppets, but we didn't go into full detail about what happened to them. I decided it was best not to tell her just how much their bodies had been desecrated, "We put the bodies in the cellar, next to each other. We thought it would be the best tomb we could give them. I... I said a prayer for your parents too."

I don't know if that was the right thing to say, but to me... I don't think she needed to hear the whole story. It would have been too hard on her, and her knowing it wouldn't have helped any.

She put her hand to her heart and smiled, "Thank you... I'm glad."

She looked back at the pile of corpses, "I guess we should do the same for these people too. Pray for their souls to find rest..."

I nodded, and we went upstairs with the last of what we could salvage in hand.

There was so many supplies... that we ended up leaving a good portion of it across the street outside, for other survivors to find.

I looked at all we had decided to keep:

Three shotguns, two machine guns, five handguns, two rifles. Three boxes full of different types of ammunition. Seven grenades. Two axes. Two first aid kits. Six boxes full to the brim with food. Four cans of gasoline. Matches. A HAM radio.

We were absolutely loaded with supplies now. We had more weapons than we knew what to do with and enough food to last us for at least a month. We were as ready as we'd ever be to try to make it through the city, and yet... it felt hollow, knowing that all those people who could have been our comrades were wiped out probably not even hours before we arrived.

"I sent a message out, telling people what we found here, telling them to forget about coming here," Jared said, "It's on loop, though I don't know if it will keep looping or not once we burn this place down. Probably not. Let's hope that if there was anyone else coming this way, they get the message. Oh... and I picked up a few other messages from the city..." he shook his head, "All of them... were saying to stay away."

The four of us gulped, "But we don't have a choice."

We moved all the stuff we had gathered into the van, then went back into the radio station to perform the "funeral".

Jared threw the corpse of the creature down the stairs, used two of the cans of gasoline to coat the basement, and we all went a safe distance away. Then, he tossed a lit match down the stairs.

The basement erupted into flames. Sarah brought her hands together, I imagined she was praying for those who had died. I did the same. I didn't really know what I was doing or why, it just felt like the right thing to do.

It wasn't the best grave for them, but it would have to make do. My wife... she didn't even get a grave. Her body probably doesn't even exist anymore, it was most likely reduced to nothing when that nuclear bomb erased Arborline.

If there's such thing as an afterlife, I hoped that their souls would find a resting place their bodies were robbed of. I hoped that Jessica, Jared's brother and Sarah's parents were at peace, too. If we don't make it to the bunker... I guess we'd see them again soon, huh?

But we'd make it there for sure. We'd make it there, and we'd live and survive for as long as we could. Our time had not yet come. We had to fight for the future.

Because if there was no hope after death... we had to create a hope in this world.

But maybe... that was just a pipe dream.