Read Online Children of the After: Awakening (book 1) by Jeremy Laszlo - Free Book Online Page A

away.
    Accepting the small package with the pair of yellow spongy
cakes inside, he ripped it open with his teeth, the way Dad had showed him, and
pulled out the first cake. Mushing it into his mouth, he savored the rich
sugary taste a minute before more or less just mashing it with his tongue and
swallowing the bite whole. His Twinkies vanished before he even realized what
happened, but that left him with another treat to enjoy. Selecting a bottle of
orange Faygo from their newly acquired collection of drinks, he twisted the cap
as Jack nodded to his wisdom and took a bottle of soda for himself. Hearing the
bottle hiss as the seal broke, he watched the bubbles rise through the orange
liquid in the bottle before completely removing the top. He had learned the
hard way, on more than one occasion, what could happen if you opened a pop bottle
too hastily.
    Lifting the bottle to his lips, he savored the both cooling
and burning sensation the carbonated liquid had upon his mouth and throat. Taking
several big gulps, it felt as if he could actually feel layers of ash and grime
he had been breathing all day get stripped away as he drank.
    With little to no conversation, all three sat around their
collection of supplies for a while, each daydreaming about whatever memories
these flavors recalled unto each of them before they decided it was time for
sleep. Waiting until both his big brother and sister were upon their cardboard
beds, Will switched off his light which each of them had taken turns shaking
over the last few hours. It wasn’t long before dreams of candy stores and cakes
drifted him off to a deep restful sleep.

Chapter Seven
    Jack awoke stiff but refreshed, and looking about his
surroundings he found Sam already awake, quietly shaking Will’s light while
sitting upon one of the shelving units with her back against the wall. It was
apparent she had been awake for some time, as she had somehow managed to apply
her makeup, which although was becoming more acceptable prior to the event,
still detracted from her natural features too much for his own taste. He didn’t
know whether her style was considered punk or goth or some other form of
leather-clad trend that he didn’t have a name for, but it was who she
identified with and as such he did not usually weigh in with his own opinions.
The key word being ‘usually’.
    “So… you’re up awfully early, crow,” he mocked her, with a
reference to the nineties movie starring Brandon Lee.
    “Har har. Your originality is stunning,” she retorted. “So… jerk,
what is the plan for today?”
    “Keep walking, but this time we check for supplies along the
way.”
    “Still heading to Grandma’s, then?”
    “Why? Do you think we should go somewhere else?”
    “I don’t know,” Sam admitted. “I just really don’t want to
see it like the rest of the city. I mean, that’s where we have had every
Christmas and Thanksgiving for my whole life. I just don’t want to have that
memory ruined for me. For Will either.”
    “I know. Me too. But without any more information, I just
don’t know where else to go. I had thought about heading over to the Great Lakes,
but if there were any military still in the area, I think the city would be
crawling with them. You know?”
    “Yeah, at least a helicopter or something.”
    They sat in silence for a few moments and Jack couldn’t help
but let his mind wander. The lack of any sign of a human presence bothered him
to no end. Questions swirled in his mind that he had no answers for. He feared
the answers. They had gone a whole day without a single sign of life in the
huge city. They had walked miles and miles and found nothing. Not one thing.
    “Do you think there is anyone else left?” he asked his
sister.
    “I don’t know. There has to be, right? I mean… billions… to
just us? It just doesn’t seem possible.”
    “I know. But we haven’t seen a thing.”
    “We kind of have, though. All this stuff is gone, right? All
the