Read Online Aftershock: A Collection of Survivors Tales by Valerie Lioudis, Kristopher Lioudis - Free Book Online
Authors: Valerie Lioudis, Kristopher Lioudis
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get a better vehicle for long travel, gather all our supplies and scavenge the area for more. We also have the herd of dead outside scratching their way in to our house right now. We need to give them time to get bored and find another place to get a meal. That’s if we decide to go at all.”
“You’re freakin’ kidding me? You don’t know if you want to go? We have to go! This is our chance to find other people and get the hell out of this attic!”
“I agree that the goal now needs to be to get out of the attic, and find other people. We can’t hide here forever. I understand all of that, but it’s not as simple as it was months ago. We can’t just jump in the car and gas up at a gas station. We can’t shoot through a drive thru if we get hungry. We can’t stay at a hotel overnight. We can’t even drive down the road without getting attacked. That’s reality now, and in order to survive we need to be prepared before we leave. We need to think before we act. You and the girls are all I have left now. I won’t risk your lives by rushing out that door. Help me prepare, all of you. Think of everything we will need. We need to make a list, do it right. It’s our lives on the line.”
The children took in what I said for a minute, but they came around. Zoe was first. She came to me with a pen and notepad. She had already sectioned off pages for each thing I mentioned. There were pages for fuel, food, places to sleep. Hannah curled up under my arm. She whispered that she would do everything she could to help, then drifted off to sleep. The chase she watched from the rooftop must have worn her out. Garett was last to come back, but the most helpful for that exact moment.
“I’m going back on the roof to check the situation. I promise I’ll be quiet. If we aren’t breached then I am going downstairs to get a few days worth of water and food. Then we start planning.”
I thought about pointing out that I was the one in charge, and that he was only a child but that had two issues. One, he wasn’t a child anymore, and two, I needed the help. After he scouted the roof for 15 minutes, he came back down and told me they were clawing at the door but it was only 3 of them now. That was good news. That meant that in the attic we were quiet enough for the dead to get distracted by another meal. Garett snuck downstairs and made three trips bringing up the supplies we needed. His last trip he checked the door I went out of to see if it was holding, and it was. He then grabbed our first aid kit, and some toys for his sisters. He may be mouthy at times, but he has taken over the father role for his sisters, so I let it go. I’m not a mother, never have been, and there are things he thinks of that I would have never entered my mind.
My ankle hurt for a solid week. Bad enough that I laid there with it elevated, and read a book that I had been holding onto for the last five years with every intention of getting to, but never found the time. The children were wonderful. The girls played quietly with the toys that Garett had brought up for them. Garett took care of meals, and watch. He really has grown up since this all began. Before the illness he was a spoiled American kid, just like every other kid his age in this country. He grew into an adult in a few months, right before my eyes. It was like watching grass grow with sped up film.
After a week I began to stretch my legs, and walk on my ankle. We were going to have to scout the neighborhood for a better vehicle and supplies, so I needed my legs to be in tip top condition before we went out there again. During my week of bed rest we compiled a long list of items we believed we needed for the long trip to the address. All of the items listed on the flyers were on there, plus a few of our own. We then debated for several days what kind of car would be best. An RV would be great for comfort, but would burn through gas. A gas efficient car was going to be too small.
In the
“You’re freakin’ kidding me? You don’t know if you want to go? We have to go! This is our chance to find other people and get the hell out of this attic!”
“I agree that the goal now needs to be to get out of the attic, and find other people. We can’t hide here forever. I understand all of that, but it’s not as simple as it was months ago. We can’t just jump in the car and gas up at a gas station. We can’t shoot through a drive thru if we get hungry. We can’t stay at a hotel overnight. We can’t even drive down the road without getting attacked. That’s reality now, and in order to survive we need to be prepared before we leave. We need to think before we act. You and the girls are all I have left now. I won’t risk your lives by rushing out that door. Help me prepare, all of you. Think of everything we will need. We need to make a list, do it right. It’s our lives on the line.”
The children took in what I said for a minute, but they came around. Zoe was first. She came to me with a pen and notepad. She had already sectioned off pages for each thing I mentioned. There were pages for fuel, food, places to sleep. Hannah curled up under my arm. She whispered that she would do everything she could to help, then drifted off to sleep. The chase she watched from the rooftop must have worn her out. Garett was last to come back, but the most helpful for that exact moment.
“I’m going back on the roof to check the situation. I promise I’ll be quiet. If we aren’t breached then I am going downstairs to get a few days worth of water and food. Then we start planning.”
I thought about pointing out that I was the one in charge, and that he was only a child but that had two issues. One, he wasn’t a child anymore, and two, I needed the help. After he scouted the roof for 15 minutes, he came back down and told me they were clawing at the door but it was only 3 of them now. That was good news. That meant that in the attic we were quiet enough for the dead to get distracted by another meal. Garett snuck downstairs and made three trips bringing up the supplies we needed. His last trip he checked the door I went out of to see if it was holding, and it was. He then grabbed our first aid kit, and some toys for his sisters. He may be mouthy at times, but he has taken over the father role for his sisters, so I let it go. I’m not a mother, never have been, and there are things he thinks of that I would have never entered my mind.
My ankle hurt for a solid week. Bad enough that I laid there with it elevated, and read a book that I had been holding onto for the last five years with every intention of getting to, but never found the time. The children were wonderful. The girls played quietly with the toys that Garett had brought up for them. Garett took care of meals, and watch. He really has grown up since this all began. Before the illness he was a spoiled American kid, just like every other kid his age in this country. He grew into an adult in a few months, right before my eyes. It was like watching grass grow with sped up film.
After a week I began to stretch my legs, and walk on my ankle. We were going to have to scout the neighborhood for a better vehicle and supplies, so I needed my legs to be in tip top condition before we went out there again. During my week of bed rest we compiled a long list of items we believed we needed for the long trip to the address. All of the items listed on the flyers were on there, plus a few of our own. We then debated for several days what kind of car would be best. An RV would be great for comfort, but would burn through gas. A gas efficient car was going to be too small.
In the
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