A World Alone (Dead World Series Book 1) Read Free Page A

Nathan asked skeptically, dropping his backpack on
the ground and looking to our father for confirmation.
    "Of course this is it!" Dad snapped, quickly plastering a fake
smile across his lips as he looked down at the both of us with what we easily recognized
as forced enthusiasm. "This is the perfect place to go camping. Come on,
first thing we'll do is start a fire. Nathan you go get us some sticks, Stella,
you see if you can find us some moss or dry bark."
    It wasn't long before the three of us were sitting on the forest floor, our
father cursing under his breath as he struck two rocks together. The warmth of
the sun had receded behind the trees a while ago and the cold air of night was
beginning to settle upon us. Nathan and I shared a miserable look as our father
persisted in lighting the fire. Each failure emitting a new curse word we had
yet to learn.
    "Dad?" Nathan asked, staring at the small make-shift fire-pit in
front of us.
    "What is it?" Dad huffed, striking the rocks together with more
intensity.
    "Why isn't Mom camping with us?"
    The question silenced all sound in the forest. The birds stopped their caws,
the wind stopped its howl and even the branches of trees stopped their creaking
groans. The rocks in our father's hands came to a halt as he stared at the
unlit fire-pit, his lips pressed into a thin line.
    "Because your mother has a new family now."
    The rest of the camping trip was just as miserable. Even more so now that we
had realized our mother abandoned us with no intentions of ever coming back. On
the second day, when the atmosphere hadn't lifted any, our father gave up and
took us home. Camping has never really appealed to me since then. Lying here
however, with a crackling fire to warm my frozen fingers and thick greenery
shielding me from the world outside, I'm beginning to understand its appeal as
a form of escape. Seeing the cloudless sky through the branches you can almost
forget what the world has become. I think I would be able to forget, or at
least pretend for a while, if it weren't for the dying howl of that infected.
    The water's been boiling long enough that it should be clean by now. Moving
the pot away from the fire I put out the flames and wait for the water to cool.
Once it has, I begin tipping it into the clean water bottle, grimacing as a few
drops spill over the edge. It's still a little murky, and I wonder if maybe I
didn't boil it for long enough. But I've already put out the fire and I'm not
willing to risk lighting another one. One sip of the water is all I allow myself
before I begin stuffing everything back in my bag. I zip it up, glancing
through the bushes in case the sound has attracted any attention. Only when I'm
certain that the street around me is still do I turn the bag into a make-shift
pillow. Propping it up against the trunk of the tree, I lay my head down on it
and stretch out in the grass. 
    My muscles manage to loosen some as the hands of the meadow embrace me,
massaging the knots from my joints. With the grounds soft hold imitating the
warmth of a bed, I feel almost safe as I stare up at the swaying branches and
dancing leaves.
    It feels almost like this small park is a bubble, protecting me from the
world around it. Everything seems so serene, like a small taste of paradise. For
the first time in what seems like an eternity, I’m comfortable enough to let my
guard down.
    I've just begun closing my eyes when a woman screams and the bubble of the
park bursts.

CHAPTER
FOUR
    Stella
     
    I'm running before she screams a second time.
    The camouflage of the trees is abandoned, the bubble of the park shattered
as I sling my bag over my shoulder and sprint out onto the street. Her cries
pierce the night, like lightning, the silence that ensues imitating the
overbearing force of thunder.
    I pause in the middle of the street, flustered. My cheeks are hot as I
struggle to breathe quietly.
    She shrieks again.
    I start running in the direction of the noise, like a wolf