DeadEarth: Mr. 44 Magnum Read Free Page A

the last time she was in there. The walls were
still barren and white. A long, Spartan dresser dominated the
longest wall of her bedroom while a futon occupied the smallest.
The only thing that added any life to the room was the loaded 9mm
that sat on the window sill. And if it wasn’t for the abundance of
natural light and fresh air pouring in from the open window, the
room would have looked no different from an asylum’s dorm room.
Living frugally was just another part of her father’s lesson.
    “I saw the last leaf fall,” Shade said.
    “Do you think it will grow back?”
    Shade turned and looked out the window. There
was no green anywhere. She never realized how colorless and bland
the world looked without the green of grass or trees. Even the
birds and the crickets stopped singing their harmony. She found
herself searching the grazing pastures to see if her father put out
a bale of hay for the horses. Then she remembered the blood on her
hands.
    “No. The world’s dead. I don’t think it’s
coming back.” She looked back at Lou. “But don’t worry. We have
enough food and medicine in the bunker to last us a while.”
    “Fifty-five years,” Lou clarified. “I’m going
to ask dad how long the horse meat will last.” Without another
word, she skipped out of the room.
    Shade pulled her hands from under her pillow
and rolled out of bed. She followed Lou out, but turned left into
the bathroom instead of heading downstairs.
    An endless stream of news poured out of the
TV. Shade tried her best to ignore it as she washed the blood from
her hands, but when the anchorman announced a personal plea from
the President, she paid rapt attention.
    “President Arsenaught is calling for all
reserve and able-bodied ex-military personnel to report to the
nearest recruitment office to assist our overwhelmed forces in
keeping the peace...”
    The television went silent. Except for the
running faucet, the entire house was silent. Shade cut off the flow
of water and reached for a hand towel as she listened, waiting for
the slightest sound. She stepped out of the bathroom and looked
over the balcony and into the foyer. Rikka stood in front of the
door with the remote in her hand staring up at Shade.
    After a full minute of silence, the storm
came. Their father tore through the back door and beelined to the
stairs without so much as a glance at his daughters. Lou followed
him in but stopped just short of the staircase. He brushed past
Shade and walked into his room, closing the door behind him.
    Pissed, Shade cursed her father under her
breath then walked to her room and slammed the door. She paced for
a moment, searching the cell she called a room for something to
throw. There was nothing, so she kicked a hole in the wall instead.
Her father always found new and exciting ways to get under her
skin.
    Shouts sounded from the other side of the
door as Rikka confronted her father.
    “So you’re leaving, just like that.”
    “I have a duty to my country, Rikka—”
    “Yeah? And what about your family? You’re
just going to leave us here? The world turns to shit and you just
up and leave?”
    “Watch your mouth. And I’m leaving to protect
you. If the government fails, everyone’s screwed. The President
herself asked for —”
    “Fuck the President,” Rikka screamed. Dad
fell silent. Shade listened as his thick boots pounded the ground
as he walked past her door.
    “There’s plenty of food, water, and weapons
in the bunker. Just stay on the farm until I get back—”
    “And if you don’t come back?”
    “I’ll be back in two months, tops.”
    “But if you don’t come back,” Rikka pressed.
“What are we supposed to do?”
    There was a pause. Shade walked over to her
door and stared at it, waiting for her father’s response. Her
breaths were deep, but soft as she strained her ears to hear his
response.
    “If I don’t come back, I taught you
everything you need to know to survive. Use it. You’re in