Day Beyond the Dead (Book 1) Read Free

gives a nod as she wipes away the tears. She knew he was right. The world may be falling apart around her but she couldn’t afford to fall apart with it.
         “We will head to your mother’s house to see if anyone is there and then we’ll make raids for provisions. Okay?” As they got further out of town they came to the road in which Christa’s mom lived on. They traveled slowly to make sure they wouldn’t get hung up anywhere. The closer they got to her house the more knots that appeared in Christa’s stomach. She could see it from a distance. She could make out the porch where she would play on as a child. It was strange seeing it now. Usually when she saw this house it gave her a sense of peace and security, but today it was anything but.
          The car came to a stop and Gerard turned off the ignition and looked over at Christa. “Please, stay in the car. I don’t want you to see anything if there is indeed anything to see inside there. Once you see something you can’t unsee it. I don’t want that image in your head.”
         Gerard got out of the vehicle and walked towards the front door, grabbing the shovel that was resting on the side of the railing of the front porch stairs. He approached the door, turned the knob and disappeared inside. Christa’s heart raced and her stomach turned. It was like a bad movie playing out in front of her eyes only she wasn’t sure of the setting inside and that fact got to her.
         The minutes felt like hours as there no sign of Gerard, but then she saw him come outside on the porch with shovel by his side and his head down. He looked up at her and motioned her in. She got out of the vehicle and ran over to him. He opened the door and on the couch laying under a mound of covers was her mother. She ran over to her side and embraced her.
         “Mom! I’m so happy to see you are okay. Where’s sis?” Christa could tell by her mother’s demeanor that she was dead. Suddenly she heard a thud near the back of the house and she turned her head immediately in the direction of the noise. She glanced up at Gerard and his sympathetic look filled her with confusion. She then turned her attention to her mother and she knew that noise was her sister. “She’s back there isn’t she. When did it happen mom? When!”
         She went into town to go to work and the clinic was filling up with people who had these intense flu-like symptoms and one of them bit her. That was just before the situation spiraled out of control here. She fell ill and I found her dead in her bed the next morning. As I went to leave the room she woke up and came after me. It was all I could do to close the door in time and she’s been there ever since. Eventually I got really low on food and the gas ran out. Then I got really sick. I can feel the pneumonia in my chest Christa. I’m so weak.” Her words ended there due to the coughing fit that ensued.
         “You sound awful mom. We need to get you out of here. We can get you some med-“
         “I’m not going anywhere.”
         “What? What do you mean you’re not going anywhere? That’s nonsense mom. Come on let’s go. Get your stuff.” Christa got up and took a cover off of her mother.
         “No Christa. I love you with all my heart and I am beyond glad that I made it long enough to see you one last time but I’m in no shape to go anywhere. I’d be dead before you got to the end of the road and you know this. I can feel myself dying.”
         “Stop it! Stop talking like that mom. You’ll be fine but we have to go now.”
         Christa’s mother just gave a smile and touched the side of Christa’s face. She looked over at Gerard, “Please take care of her Gerard, her and my grandbaby.” She turns her attention back to Christa. “I didn’t tell you yet but I heard from Daimon and Bree. They called here trying to get a hold of you. Last I heard he was stuck in his apartment in