The Darkest Days (Death & Decay Book 0.5) (8 page)

In one swift motion, he stepped out of the room
and slammed the door shut. His stomach jumped into his throat and
he bent over to release the small amount of bile that rose through
it. The serene scene he had created had been twisted into horror,
so much like the rest of the world.

Wyatt heaved a few more times before he pushed
himself upright again. The sudden reminder of all he had lost over
the last few days had sapped every bit of strength from him.

This house held nothing for him anymore. Yet, he
found himself clinging to it as he desperately tried to hold onto
anything he had shared with the person he was five days ago.

The deranged had spread over many miles and
cities. If he walked out the door, he might never be able to
return. If he walked out the door, he would leave behind everything
he and Sarah had worked for. If he walked out the door, he would
leave behind Sarah and Ben.

How could he ever leave them? They were
everything to him. How could he continue any form of life that did
not include them? How could he have ever thought of leaving
them?

Wyatt stumbled into the living room and dropped
himself onto the couch. The weight of the future, both the future
he faced and the future he would never have, crushed his soul.

He pulled his gun from its resting spot on his
hip. His hands glided over the cold, dark metal. There weren’t many
bullets left now, but he didn’t need many. He would just need
one.

His heart fluttered at the thought. Fear and
excitement. No one really knew if anything waited after death. But
the thought that perhaps he might be reunited with those he loved
most was enough to make him yearn for the embrace of a final
rest.

I hope you’re on your way.

His grip tightened on the gun. Olivia needed
help. If help from the government was coming, it should have been
here by now. If he didn’t help her, who else would?

From across the room, Sarah’s smiling face
looked down at him from a large sixteen-by-twenty framed photo. All
three of them were holding each other in a joyous family photo.
Tears slipped down his cheek as he stared back at the picture of
that happy family. The family that loved each other. The family
that needed each other. The family that had no idea how short their
time together was. The family that had no idea of the horrible end
that was coming.

That family was gone. His family was gone.

And someone else needed him. There was a family
he could still spare the pain he suffered.

I hope you’re on your way.

About the Author

R. L. Blalock’s love of reading started young, but
her love of zombies started later in life. In 2008, when R. L.
Blalock first watched the remake of Dawn of the Dead she instantly
fell in love with the genre.
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, R. L. Blalock now lives
in St. Louis, Missouri with her loving husband, precocious
three-year-old daughter, two dogs, and a bird.
Stay connected with R. L. Blalock at rlblalock.com!