Read Online Dark Days (Apocalypse Z) by Manel Loureiro - Free Book Online
Authors: Manel Loureiro
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first living beings to make it here from Europe in over eight months.”
A heavy silence filled the cabin, broken only by the occasional crackle of the radio. The silhouette of Mount Teide appeared on the horizon. We’d reached Tenerife.
We were returning to civilization.
Whatever
that
was.
11
The conversation died out. We were mentally and physically exhausted after what we’d been through over the last several hours. Most of our new
countrymen
weren’t very talkative either. Pauli babbled nonstop but Marcelo glared at us, mute and deeply suspicious. A glum silence soon spread through the tense atmosphere in the cabin.
In a matter of minutes, we were flying over land: the island of Tenerife. The crew on the helicopter said it was totally free of Undead, but after fighting those monsters for so long, I found that hard to digest.
The first buildings on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de Tenerife came into view. The sun was sinking slowly, casting the first shadows of night. The air had cooled considerably; heavy yellow clouds were forming in the distance. The drone of a half dozen conversations over the radio broke the silence in the cabin. Most were military transmissions, but chatter occasionally came over the airwaves, too.
Suddenly, over the loud speakers came a catchy song that had been popular about a year before. The radio operator must’ve liked it, since he let it play for a while before switching over to a military frequency for landing instructions.
“What’s wrong?” Lucia asked, alarmed, grabbing my arm.
“With me? Nothing. Why?”
“You can’t fool me.” She took my head in her hands. “You’re crying.”
Embarrassed, I wiped my hand across my eyes. Fat tears were rolling down my cheeks, leaving long streaks in the cement dust that still covered my face.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that that song…” My voice broke.
“Makes you think of someone, right? That happens to me a lot.” Lucia’s face darkened. “We all lost loved ones.”
I slipped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. I stroked her hair, inhaling its sweet scent.
“That’s not it. For the first time in nearly a year, I’m listening to music. I’d forgotten what that was like.”
Prit broke in. “You’re right. I hadn’t realized that until just now. A year without music. That’s strange… really strange,” he murmured to himself.
And it’s a good sign
, I thought.
Here’s a place where a radio station can broadcast music, any kind of music, a place that isn’t plagued with those monsters, where people live normal lives, where they want some entertainment. A good place, all things considered.
Just then, I detected movement on the ground below. My hand instinctively reached for the sheath strapped to my leg. Then I remembered they’d confiscated my spears when I got onboard.
I peered into the fading light and tried to make out the scene below. A group of about fifteen people was walking slowly up a hilly, winding road. That was all I saw since the helicopter was flying at full speed. I did notice that they were all armed.
As we rounded one last hill, the port of Tenerife appeared before us. The helicopter flew swiftly over city streets, where thousands of people were going about their daily lives. Ecstatic, we crowded around the helicopter doors, gazing down at a scene that was rare in the world now.
“Look, Prit! People! People as far as the eye can see!”
The Ukrainian laughed loudly and a smile spread across his face beneath his immense mustache. “We did it! We did it!” A childlike joy lit up his face as his eyes darted from one place to another.
Sister Cecilia laughed like a little girl, giving thanks to God and to a long list of saints. Lucia pointed out everything, trying to absorb the images forever.
After a few minutes, we had left that urban sprawl behind. My anxious eyes refused to relinquish that image of vitality, which fell away too soon.
The helicopter flew back over
A heavy silence filled the cabin, broken only by the occasional crackle of the radio. The silhouette of Mount Teide appeared on the horizon. We’d reached Tenerife.
We were returning to civilization.
Whatever
that
was.
11
The conversation died out. We were mentally and physically exhausted after what we’d been through over the last several hours. Most of our new
countrymen
weren’t very talkative either. Pauli babbled nonstop but Marcelo glared at us, mute and deeply suspicious. A glum silence soon spread through the tense atmosphere in the cabin.
In a matter of minutes, we were flying over land: the island of Tenerife. The crew on the helicopter said it was totally free of Undead, but after fighting those monsters for so long, I found that hard to digest.
The first buildings on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de Tenerife came into view. The sun was sinking slowly, casting the first shadows of night. The air had cooled considerably; heavy yellow clouds were forming in the distance. The drone of a half dozen conversations over the radio broke the silence in the cabin. Most were military transmissions, but chatter occasionally came over the airwaves, too.
Suddenly, over the loud speakers came a catchy song that had been popular about a year before. The radio operator must’ve liked it, since he let it play for a while before switching over to a military frequency for landing instructions.
“What’s wrong?” Lucia asked, alarmed, grabbing my arm.
“With me? Nothing. Why?”
“You can’t fool me.” She took my head in her hands. “You’re crying.”
Embarrassed, I wiped my hand across my eyes. Fat tears were rolling down my cheeks, leaving long streaks in the cement dust that still covered my face.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that that song…” My voice broke.
“Makes you think of someone, right? That happens to me a lot.” Lucia’s face darkened. “We all lost loved ones.”
I slipped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. I stroked her hair, inhaling its sweet scent.
“That’s not it. For the first time in nearly a year, I’m listening to music. I’d forgotten what that was like.”
Prit broke in. “You’re right. I hadn’t realized that until just now. A year without music. That’s strange… really strange,” he murmured to himself.
And it’s a good sign
, I thought.
Here’s a place where a radio station can broadcast music, any kind of music, a place that isn’t plagued with those monsters, where people live normal lives, where they want some entertainment. A good place, all things considered.
Just then, I detected movement on the ground below. My hand instinctively reached for the sheath strapped to my leg. Then I remembered they’d confiscated my spears when I got onboard.
I peered into the fading light and tried to make out the scene below. A group of about fifteen people was walking slowly up a hilly, winding road. That was all I saw since the helicopter was flying at full speed. I did notice that they were all armed.
As we rounded one last hill, the port of Tenerife appeared before us. The helicopter flew swiftly over city streets, where thousands of people were going about their daily lives. Ecstatic, we crowded around the helicopter doors, gazing down at a scene that was rare in the world now.
“Look, Prit! People! People as far as the eye can see!”
The Ukrainian laughed loudly and a smile spread across his face beneath his immense mustache. “We did it! We did it!” A childlike joy lit up his face as his eyes darted from one place to another.
Sister Cecilia laughed like a little girl, giving thanks to God and to a long list of saints. Lucia pointed out everything, trying to absorb the images forever.
After a few minutes, we had left that urban sprawl behind. My anxious eyes refused to relinquish that image of vitality, which fell away too soon.
The helicopter flew back over
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