《House of Monsters》 House of Monsters Chapter 1 Twenty years ago, the veils of reality were torn, and everything went wrong. In an instant, creatures from the realms beyond poured in and wrecked havoc on their new neighbors. For those of this world who survived, life had become decidedly worse.
¡°You are to show up here at eight o¡¯clock in the evening, every Tuesday through Sunday. If I hear about any slacking, or showing up late, or putting false information on your time sheet, I will not hesitate to fire you. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yeah it¡¯s, I mean, it sounds pretty straightforward. So, wait, I am officially hired, right?¡± The facilities manager, Felicia, typed a few more notes before looking up. ¡°Yes.¡± She glanced at the screen of her sleek CommPad communicator, looking over the newly-signed contract, and turned it so the device was facing her again. ¡°Orientation starts tonight at six. Make sure you pick up your uniform before you go.¡± She pushed the CommPad between herself and Terrence and began tapping on the screen. After a few minutes of silence, she raised her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re excused.¡± Still, Terrence couldn¡¯t help but sigh with relief when he made it to the bus stop. Sweeping up a power plant during the night shift wasn¡¯t quite his dream job, but at least it was something. That time next week, he¡¯d be receiving a real paycheck, pure digital proof that things were going to be okay. He wasn¡¯t going to screw up, he wasn¡¯t going to let down his family, and he was feeling great. Reaching his apartment, Terrence nearly crashed into one of his roommates, who was on his way out. ¡°I just locked it,¡± the man apologized, glancing back at the door. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± shrugged Terrence, ¡°I¡¯ve got it. Hey, if you¡¯re free this Monday maybe we can¡­¡± The roommate was already halfway down the hall. Sighing lightly, Terrence dug through his pockets for his key card. He swiped it once, twice¡ªthis card reader was the worst he¡¯d ever seen¡ªuntil the door beeped and creaked open. He held onto the doorframe, gazed upon the mess that was his apartment, and then closed the door and collapsed onto his bed. Light filtered through the dusty window, and his eyes slowly traced the spiderweb of cracks on the ceiling. Exhaling heavily, he realized he¡¯d almost forgotten about his new work orientation. He powered up his CommPad, exiting out of the screen that held the punctuation-free reminder to get food fridge is empty, and set an alarm for that evening. Then he closed the shades, flopped back onto the bed, and didn¡¯t sleep a wink. Six hours later, Terrence was once again gazing up at his new workplace. The grimy walls effectively blocked any view of the sunset, and the black logo of a toothy blob roaring inside of a glowing lightbulb was the sole break in the field of grey. The painted slogan ¡°Turning Problems into Power¡± completed the image. Heart pounding with excitement, or perhaps just with the two caffeine pills he¡¯d taken, Terrence stepped in. The person in charge of his orientation was waiting by the drinking fountain. A pudgy man with a generous helping of grey hair, he was dressed in the same company-issued blue shirt and work overalls that Terrence was wearing. He introduced himself and waved Terrence to the elevator. When he saw the wall of buttons and watched the man press one for floor B-102, Terrence remarked, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty far down.¡± The man grunted indifferently in reply. Having somehow already forgotten his guide¡¯s name¡ªit was either Sairo or Saidrie or something of that sort, he remembered that much¡ªthey reached their floor and got off.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡®Sai¡¯ walked briskly to a side room and turned around. ¡°Back here¡¯s the closet. All the supplies you¡¯ll need are in it, and all those supplies go back into it at the end of your shift. Your ID card¡¯s your key,¡± he said, pointing to his own company identification card, ¡°so make sure you don¡¯t lose it. You punch in and out over there.¡± He went on to point out the different cleaning chemicals and tools and explained what they were used for, and then Sai waved him on. Further down the hallway, something growled menacingly. Sai ignored it and looked at his CommPad. ¡°So, the brains in charge have this new thing where they want everyone to get inspired about how great this company is. Not too sure why they feel the need to blow their horns any louder, since they already know they¡¯re the only power company on this side of the planet.¡± He scoffed and scratched the side of his nose. ¡°But hey, they figured out that this ¡®aberrant monster energy¡¯ stuff was a good source of power, so who am I to complain if they jack up our electric bills? It¡¯s better than no electric bills and no electricity like most of the world, eh?¡± Terrence sighed. ¡°Well aware of it.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sai stretched and turned around again. ¡°Well, we¡¯re not getting paid overtime for inspirational speeches, so if anyone asks, just say it was great. Come on.¡± His guide went on to show Terrence how to clean the hallways and bathroom, informing him that if he had any questions about what to do with something, he should just spit on it and give it an extra good scrub. After a few hours of helping him clean, Terrence was beginning to figure out how to do things. The procedures were simple enough, just tedious. ¡°Okay, last thing,¡± Sai said, checking his notes again. ¡°Some of the monsters are only active for our graveyard shift, so you¡¯ll need to feed ¡®em. Pantry¡¯s right here, and¡ª¡± ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Terrence cut in, hoping to stop him before he skipped to the next topic. ¡°What are these monsters supposed to eat?¡± ¡°The feeding schedule¡¯s on that wall. Now, at the¡ª¡± Terrence was studying the list intently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but where do you get all this meat from?¡± His guide glanced at the schedule. ¡°I dunno. Lots of places. They breed mice and rabbits upstairs, so mostly from there, I guess.¡± ¡°Okay, but, er,¡± he took a deep breath, wondering how best to phrase the question, ¡°none of these things eat people, right?¡± Sai leaned against the wall. ¡°If you¡¯re asking if you¡¯ll end up as dinner for showing up late one time too many¡­¡± Terrence rolled his eyes. Realizing he hadn¡¯t gotten the desired reaction, Sai shrugged and looked over his shoulder. ¡°Damn, nobody falls for that one anymore. But jokes aside, what type of a place do you think this is? Some human sacrifice cult?¡± Terrence winced automatically. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± ¡°All right, all right. It was another bad joke.¡± Still, Sai¡¯s expression remained serious. ¡°Course, that doesn¡¯t mean half of the things in here wouldn¡¯t jump at the chance to eat someone. Even the ones that don¡¯t are still a bunch of psychos. As long as you aren¡¯t stupid and you don¡¯t go messing with the monsters, especially the intelligent ones, you should be fine.¡± Grimacing, Terrence replied, ¡°It seems like a great job we¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°Sure does. Especially after fifteen years of it,¡± Sai laughed. He checked his watch. ¡°Well, would you look at the time. Our shift¡¯s already over.¡± He went to scan his ID card at the console for punching out, and then he leaned against the wall, pulling out his CommPad to play a game. When he noticed Terrence expectantly looking towards the elevator, he shook his head. ¡°Forgot to say, they have this policy with lock-ins. All the doors are sealed at night to prevent anyone from breaking in with the reduced staff. The morning shift opens them when they get here. Just sit tight for an hour and they¡¯ll let us out, okay?¡± Terrence didn¡¯t answer for a moment, mostly due to surprise. ¡°Wha¡ªSo we¡¯re stuck here? What if something happens?¡± ¡°We deal with it. What else?¡± Sai, obviously long-since resigned to his fate, went back to his game. At a loss for what to do, Terrence leaned against the wall, exhaling. Getting locked in with a bunch of monsters wasn¡¯t exactly something he was thrilled about, especially since it hadn¡¯t been listed anywhere in the application process. Still, a job was a job, and unless he wanted to scramble for another one, he was stuck. House of Monsters Chapter 2 There was an hour waiting to be killed and Sai certainly didn¡¯t seem in the mood for further conversation. Well, there they were, surrounded by monsters. As unnerving as it was, it sounded a whole lot cooler than any game of digital checkers that Terrence might load onto his CommPad. Taking a final glance at Sai, he got up and started wandering. There were a number of cells on floor 102-B. A spiderweb of tubes protruded out of them, carrying energy to refineries on the floors above. Peering through the reinforced glass of one cell, Terrence could see the monster within. It stared back with too many eyes and then hissed. Terrence moved away, looking at the other monsters in the hallway. Some of them were asleep, but many were watching. In the middle of the hall, he found a closed cell that appeared empty. Confused, Terrence peered into the darkness. Seeing nothing, he brought up one finger and tapped it a few times against the glass. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. her¡ªI¡¯m rambling, aren¡¯t I?¡± Seamstress sighed. ¡°I really do apologize. It is just that, well, it¡¯s not often that people stop to chat.¡± House of Monsters Chapter 3 The next evening, Terrence woke to the sound of his alarm. Shutting it off sleepily, he took in his surroundings and blinked himself awake. The soft glow of the CommPad illuminated a roach on the wall. Wiggling its feelers, the creature scuttled away. Terrence saw that he had one message waiting. In the bed a few feet away, one of his roommates groaned softly and rolled into a deeper layer of sleep. Terrence turned the CommPad¡¯s light away from the man and looked over the message. It was from home. Quickly, Terrence rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and typed up a short reply. He figured it wouldn¡¯t be read for a while, since his mom worked late and his little sister tended to have an early bedtime, but to his surprise, a response came a few secondsHave time to talk? Fumbling with the straps of his overalls with one hand, Terrence slipped out of the room and locked the door behind him. The hallway was cool, with one flickering light providing illumination. He waited for someone to pick up the call, and when it was answered, it was more relieving than he¡¯d thought to hear the familiar voice. ¡°Terrence?¡± The words caught in his throat. He took a deep breath and tried again. ¡°Hey Aure.¡± There was palpable relief in the reply. ¡°I¡¯m glad I got a hold of you. One more day of radio silence and I was ready to freak. Is everything okay?¡± Terrence leaned against the wall. ¡°Yeah. I got a job,¡± he reported, trying to sound cheerful. He took a deep breath. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s been a little crazy, moving in here. Er, how¡¯ve you been? Is Mom home?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just fine. Mom¡¯s still at work, though,¡± Aurelien replied. ¡°I¡¯ll let her know you called.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He watched the light flicker. ¡°How¡¯s school?¡± ¡°Pretty regular.¡± She paused, and Terrence could tell that his sister was carefully planning how best to phrase her next thought. ¡°Terrence, you don¡¯t have to do this. Are you sure you can¡¯t come back?¡± Terrence lowered the CommPad. For a girl of eight, Aurelien was surprisingly in touch with the world. If she¡¯d been a little older, Terrence didn¡¯t doubt that his sister would have attempted to go to the city in his place. In all honesty, Terrence wished he could have stayed at home, but space in New Jericho was scarce and between Aurelien, his mother, and himself, he was the best candidate to send. Besides, he was old enough to get a job, and the city offered better opportunities for someone able and young. If all went well, he could pay for his family¡¯s passage into the city, and then they could be together again. Until then, the hard work was up to him. He put his hand on the door to his apartment and tried to sound confident. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not so bad. Aren¡¯t you happy to have my room?¡± There was some grumbling on the other end of the call, but the girl finally replied, ¡°I still wish you ¡°Well, I have been initiated into the very glamorous, absolutely fantastic profession of,¡± his voice dropped conspiratorially, ¡°cleaning.¡± Aure laughed, and Terrence¡¯s gaze wandered to the time display on his CommPad. ¡°And it starts in ten minutes!¡± ¡°Shit!¡± He didn¡¯t have time to wonder who hung up first. He just ran. Second day on the job, and he was already making a terrible impression. With the hope of redemption in mind, Terrence quickly made his way through his work for the night, cleaning and disinfecting his parts of the facility. In spite of how interesting the idea of monsters sounded, the job was fairly monotonous. Most of the floors he was assigned to had the same layout of cells, and cleaning up monster waste was about as exciting as it sounded. B-100 was a little more interesting, with a few offices and a bathroom. He paused his work to look around Felicia¡¯s desk. It was perfectly organized, betraying nothing about its owner¡¯s personal life. Above it hung a tiny security camera, which watched the scene impassively. Quickly, Terrence went back to looking busy. Back on the monster floors, Terrence checked his schedule. He still had some monsters to feed. Making his way to the storage room, he loaded up his carts with various foodstuffs and a list of what each monster needed. He looked it over. Most of the list was fairly standard, just greens and slabs of meat, but some of it was more interesting. He wasn¡¯t sure, for instance, what type of a creature could survive off of ¡®one small cube of salt¡¯ each night. Chalk that one up to more monster weirdness. He found the first monster on the list. He couldn¡¯t quite say that the creature was watching him, seeing as it was just a ball of arms and hands, but it pounced quickly on the mouse he gave to it. Terrence wasn¡¯t too sure where its feeding orifice was, but he didn¡¯t really want to find out. Moving quickly to the next cage, Terrence peered in. This monster inspired a lot less terror. It resembled a small, hairless rodent that shuffled about purposefully, and every few seconds, it would reappear elsewhere within the cage with a small pop. The monster across from it, a short humanoid with black eyes and feathers, was watching the rodent monster hungrily. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m feeding you soon enough,¡± Terrence muttered, looking at the humanoid monster, while dropping a few food pellets through the service slot for the ¡®phase mole¡¯ thing. Something tapped for his attention. Terrence looked up. In the cage next to the teleporting rodent, the ball of arms was rapping on the glass. It presented the mouse¡¯s tail, which it had tied into a single, messy knot. Terrence blanched. ¡°You monsters, uh, sure like being weird, don¡¯t you?¡± he murmured. The collection of limbs continued squishing the knot against the window excitedly. It was very enthusiastic, albeit in a kind of unsettling way.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what possessed him to do it, but Terrence rummaged through his pockets for a spare piece of string. Opening the service slot again, he dropped it in. The monster fell upon it instantly. Limbs attacked the string from every direction, tangling it as the creature ecstatically rolled onto its, well, it didn¡¯t really have a back to roll onto. Terrence cracked a smile, and the ball clapped happily. A low, warning growl echoed from around the corner, sobering the mood once again. ¡°I¡¯ll, er, just leave you to that, little guy.¡± The arms flailed contentedly in reply. Terrence¡¯s stomach wasn¡¯t quite in the mood to watch any more monsters feed. He turned back toward the bird-like monster, which was watching him with more intent than a supposedly non-sapient creature should, and deposited a mouse in its cage before leaving. It gave one chirp in reply, and the echoes of the arm ball¡¯s play followed him to the end of the hallway.
As promised, Terrence sought out Seamstress when his shift was over. He thought about other options, of course. Usually, he would have called Aurelien or one of his friends and either chatted happily or played digital checkers until he could get home, but the wee hours weren¡¯t exactly an ideal time to call people. Putting his back to the wall, he powered on his CommPad and looked at the screen, feeling tremendously alone. At any rate, he had an appointment with the monsters to keep. Whether or not it would be better than staring at a screen for the next hour was about to be decided. Nervously, he made his way back to the correct hallway and looked around. ¡°Hey Seamstress, I¡ª¡± On the other side of the hallway, there was another Terrence. The doppelg?nger stood, mouth agape, just as the real Terrence did, and mirrored him in every way. Surprised, Terrence blinked, and suddenly he was staring at his own bloody corpse. The zombie rose and leered at the glass, tongue hanging out. ¡°You lookin¡¯ at me?¡± the other him grinned. Terrence took a small step back and didn¡¯t take his eyes off the expectant corpse. The monster grinned. ¡°Wow, Seamy, I think I broke him already.¡± Seamstress, within her own prison, looked up. ¡°Prismec, I have told you several times to never refer to me as that again. Excuse me, Terrence, I need to deal with this cretin.¡± ¡°Refer to you as what, Seamy?¡± Prismec smirked. ¡°You know perfectly well what forsaken alteration of my name I am speaking of,¡± Seamstress glared icily. ¡°Yeah, fine,¡± Prismec huffed. Then she grinned. ¡°Make me stop, Seamy.¡± Terrence, unsure of what to do, looked on awkwardly. ¡°Um, guys?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Seamstress and I like being called Seamy! La la la!¡± Prismec shouted, having morphed into the spitting image of the other monster. The real Seamstress¡¯ arms waved wildly as she screamed back. Terrence backed away, hitting another cell. Its occupant stood up, revealing himself to be a tall, middle-aged man. Or at least, a monster that looked just like a middle-aged human. He was stocky and strong, but his eyes were rimmed with dark circles. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said before Terrence could apologize. ¡°We¡¯re lucky if they can go a week without screaming like that. Seamstress, just ignore her, won¡¯t you?¡± Seamstress hissed and Prismec stuck out her tongue. The two monsters continued bickering. The man sighed. ¡°I apologize for that rather unconventional introduction, but there¡¯s not much we can do about it, I¡¯m afraid. I take it you¡¯re Terrence?¡± ¡°That¡¯s him!¡± interrupted Prismec. ¡°But he goes by Terry, T-man, T-poser, or whatever other honestly insulting nickname you can come up with.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Terrence,¡± Terrence cut in quickly. He looked back at the man. ¡°Just Terrence.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± he smiled wryly. ¡°I am Caliax. I would shake your hand, but¡­we can¡¯t do that here.¡± Caliax¡¯s gaze drifted past Terrence and he put a hand on the glass. ¡°It¡¯s all right, Sirena. He won¡¯t bite you.¡± Terrence followed his gaze to the cell next to Prismec¡¯s. The monster who¡¯d been watching them, a creature that looked like a giant snake, coiled back shyly. A translucent frill ran along the length of her body and flopped over one of her eyes. She gave a small smile, just barely revealing several rows of teeth. ¡°It¡¯s really nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Um, same to you.¡± Sirena¡¯s smile widened and she laughed. It was a quiet sound, hardly more than a whisper, and Terrence noticed that the glass on her cell was noticeably thicker than it was for the other monsters. She recovered and looked up again. ¡°Um, Terrence, you¡¯re going to stay with us, right?¡± Before Terrence could answer, a new voice drawled out from a cell behind him. ¡°Let¡¯s hope not. The last thing we need is another dying animal for you to whine over.¡± Sirena¡¯s slitted green eyes widened. Then, ¡°Ceeeeeelia! Nobody asked you to be so mean!¡± ¡°So what, if it¡¯s the truth?¡± The monster sighed and shambled forward. House of Monsters Chapter 4 Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. House of Monsters Chapter 5 The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. House of Monsters Chapter 6 The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
House of Monsters Chapter 7 Pull yourself together. He took a deep breath. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Terrence. I, um¡ª¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. should have been Caliax, and then at the guard who was smiling at him pleasantly. Terrence¡¯s hands were shaking. ¡°You killed them.¡± House of Monsters Chapter 8 If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Pleeeeease¡ªHey!¡± House of Monsters Chapter 9 A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Help. ¡°Look, Chi-Chi, I¡¯m happy to help you out, but I draw the line at being a blood buffet.¡± He scooted backwards, board still in hand, and found himself against a wall. Guards, he realized, listening to the things they shouted. That was better than monsters, although it was hard to forget that a pair of guards had wanted to shoot him. Still, it was probably better to take his chances facing the authorities than to try explaining why he had run away from them. But then he remembered that he was with Chi-Chi. House of Monsters Chapter 10 If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. House of Monsters Chapter 11 Cody. His legs were trapped under a pile of rubble. When he noticed Terrence, he shrank back, wheezing. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you,¡± Terrence said gently, kneeling down to inspect the rubble. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. how? Oh wow! I just stepped on a mite. I must be so great¡ªah!¡± Terrence felt his insides twist and he cried out in pain. ¡°Hey I¡¯m so powerful and great and I can¡¯t take an insult¡ªargh!¡± House of Monsters Chapter 12 You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. lackey? I¡¯ve heard larvae give better insults,¡± Caliax scoffed. House of Monsters Chapter 13 Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Apocalypse Mom Chapter 1 It wasn¡¯t the end of the world that bothered Quill so much as the way it had been handled. In her opinion, they should have had ample time to prepare, being that the first dimensional rifts had opened a good fifty years before stuff had really started to get bad. But no, it had all been Russia¡¯s problem or China¡¯s problem or someone else¡¯s problem on the other side of the world until one day, Quill had woken up with ten billon other people and gone to sleep in a damp hole as part of the one percent that had survived. Since then, if the monsters weren¡¯t trying to kill her then the bandits were, and even a city like Havenport couldn¡¯t keep them all at bay. If anything other than pure desperation could have driven her to take two kids across acres of desolation towards the allegedly secure city of New Jericho, it would have to have been madness. ¡°Mom, can I have the water? I¡¯m thirsty.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She paused in her walking to set down her pack and fish out one of the bottles. Handing it to her twelve-year-old son, Terrence, she took a seat against one of the trees. It was pine, one of the few species the monsters hadn¡¯t outcompeted or predated to extinction. It looked almost normal. In fact, other than the fact that the road was fifteen years overdue for maintenance, it was all almost normal. In another lifetime, they could have been on a family hike. ¡°It looks like it might rain later,¡± Quill mused. Terrence was too busy gulping down water to reply. He¡¯d put down his three-year-old sister, Aurelien, and she was blinking groggily in the midmorning grayness. ¡°Me too!¡± she chirped, noticing the water. Quill poured some into a cup so she wouldn¡¯t spill it, and then indulged in a few swallows herself. By that point, little Aure was standing on her tiptoes with arms outstretched, looking up at her mother. ¡°Not now, sweetie,¡± Quill murmured. Terrence stretched and reached down for the water pack. ¡°I can carry that for now,¡± Quill cut in, stepping over to pick it up. Terrence was already slinging it over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mom. I can take it.¡± Quill frowned. It was obvious that Terrence hadn¡¯t slept well last night, and he¡¯d been carrying his napping sister for a while. ¡°You look tired. You don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired,¡± he said, the reply coming too quickly. Quill¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s been a long¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he snapped. ¡°You¡¯re not tired and¡ª¡± he cut himself off and his expression hardened. ¡°I¡¯m not tired. I told you I¡¯m not.¡± He adjusted the strap once more and took off. He hadn¡¯t said it, but it was obvious what was on Terrence¡¯s mind. You¡¯re not tired and Dad wouldn¡¯t have been either. It was true: if her husband had been alive, he would have been at the front of the group and encouraging the family onward, just as he¡¯d been when they were traveling to Havenport. But Renn was dead, shot by bandits two years ago, and Terrence was striving to fill his oversized shoes. It wasn¡¯t right and it wasn¡¯t fair and Quill wished more than anything that she could pause for a moment and get it all sorted out in her head. But her children¡¯s needs extended beyond just being extra mouths to feed, and Renn wasn¡¯t coming back.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The afternoon was fading and the sky had deepened to a stormy grey when they stopped again. By that time, Terrence needed more water and Quill had started carrying Aurelien. Eyes waited hungrily in the shadows, and though they drifted back when given a second glance, their gaze always seemed to fall back upon the smallest party member. Quill was relieved when the trees thinned out and an abandoned town made itself visible. ¡°We¡¯re stopping here for the night,¡± she said, turning off the main road. Terrence, already a few steps ahead of her, was heading toward the closest of the weathered doors. He knocked once, twice, and then broke the window open. He entered carefully and the next moment, the door was swinging open. ¡°You coming, Mom?¡± Quill was past having qualms about robbing the dead. With the house secured and its abandonment by both humans and monsters made certain, they could finally relax. Terrence, efficient as ever, was raiding the kitchen for canned food. Little Aure pulled at Quill¡¯s shirt and said, ¡°I¡¯m tired, Mommy. When do we get to the ci-tee? Quill, who was checking the window they¡¯d broken once again to make sure it was blocked, looked down. ¡°Soon, love. We¡¯ll turn off this road early tomorrow, and after that, it will be two days at most before we get to New Jericho.¡± ¡°Yeah, and then it¡¯ll be at least three years before they actually let us in,¡± said Terrence from inside the pantry. Quill put the water cup into Aure¡¯s grasping hands. ¡°At least a town near it will be safer than here,¡± she reminded him. At the very least, the proximity of a strong civilization meant laws, safety, and a stable source of food. Often, one could even find luxuries like milk, turkey, real butter, and wool. Living there, one could almost pretend that nothing had changed. New Jericho was crowded because it was good. Terrence finally returned from the kitchen and plopped down next to them. His hands were empty. ¡°You didn¡¯t find any canned food?¡± Quill asked with surprise. Terrence shook his head. ¡°None.¡± He sighed. ¡°I guess we picked an unlucky house, huh?¡± In the dead house within the dead village, the corners of Quill¡¯s mouth twitched down for a moment. ¡°Well, at least this lightens our load for tomorrow.¡± She reached into the pack and picked out a can of beans. ¡°Who¡¯s hungry?¡± Outside, the rain had started to fall. With a fire blazing merrily in the fireplace and the tent set up in the cozy living room, it almost felt safe. Quill spooned beans into each of their cups and prepared to help Aurelien with her meal. The small girl shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t spill, Mommy. See, I¡¯m a li¡¯l lady,¡± she declared. Quill smiled wryly. ¡°Yes, I see.¡± The sky outside was dark and the wind groaned miserably. Aure was sated and already asleep, and Terrence was well on his way to following her. The fire, Quill knew, would keep away any monsters that might be prowling around at night. Still, out of habit, she checked the window one more time. Only then did she give in to sleep. Apocalypse Mom Chapter 2 ¡°I heard something.¡± Quill pushed off sleep and sat up. The fire still glowed dimly, and shadows flickered over Terrence¡¯s face as he crouched over her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Outside. I think there¡¯s something out there.¡± Quill didn¡¯t waste time questioning if it had been a nightmare. Suddenly alert, she stood up and looked through the window. The light inside made it difficult to see through it, and all she could hear was the soft patter of rain. Her eyes narrowed and she strained her ears. The sound was so quiet that she almost missed it, almost passed it off as just another sound of the night, had fifteen years of fear not sharpened her senses. Almost imperceptible, it was the sound of boots on mud. ¡°Go. Hide. Do it now,¡± she whispered frantically. Scooping up Aurelien, she cursed her naivety. The fire had indeed warded away the monsters, but it had been a beacon to any intelligent being with an eye out for easy prey. Now, they were in trouble. She ran, leaving the tent and everything in it behind. Bitterly, she thought of how Havenport had confiscated all firearms, the city¡¯s final sin following the ration cut, the fires, and the attempt at covering up how a sea serpent had decided that sailors were its new favorite snack. It was no wonder that people had been rioting. If Renn had been there, he¡¯d probably have fought back too. Instead, Quill had taken her children and fled. Terrence, ten steps ahead of her, was already out of sight. Quill followed, shushing Aure as she started to whimper. It was difficult to be fast and quiet, especially with a child in her arms, and she was running out of time. She pried open an old closet door just off the hallway and leaned against the back, closing it carefully behind her. Fifteen years worth of dust found themselves dislodged, and little Aure sneezed. Quill shushed her and peered through the slits. They offered a poor view of the living room, but it was better than nothing. The coats around her were a soft curtain of fabric, almost shielding them from the outside world. Quill closed her eyes and forced herself to relax, forced her breathing to go even. Her hand pressed gently across her daughter¡¯s mouth, and she held her still, willing calmness to take hold. A heavy pair of footsteps threatened to break her composure, but it held firm. Finally, she opened her eyes. There were two boots, one black and one brown, standing just meters away. Quill could see the mud caked into them. The man they were attached to paused, bent down, and opened the tent. She forced herself to remain calm, to quiet her breathing and slow her traitorous heartbeat. Finding no one inside the tent, the man discovered the pack of food and started rummaging through it. Quill tried desperately to think of some secondary plan. The bandit was close, so close that she could see his eyes and the deer rifle he held at his side. If she¡¯d been alone, Quill might have been quiet enough to escape his notice. But she wasn¡¯t, and the closet air was heavy with dust. Aurelien broke into a fit of coughing. The bandit stopped. ¡°Hey moron! You looking for someone?¡± Terrence had popped out from wherever he¡¯d been hiding to stand in plain view, and the bandit swiveled in surprise. For a moment, it looked as though Terrence was going to throw out another insult, but he seemed to realize he¡¯d garnered enough unwanted attention and took off instead. Ducking under the bandit, he made a beeline for the door. Coincidentally, it was also a direct route to the hands of a second bandit. Quill wasn¡¯t a very strong person, but she was all her family had. A wooden bar held up the ten or so coats in the closet. Its ends were tipped with metal. When it made contact with the first bandit¡¯s head, the coats and hangers slid down and threw off Quill¡¯s balance. The man¡¯s knees bent, but he would¡¯ve been fine with a moment to recover. Quill didn¡¯t give it to him. Her second strike came down harder than the first, and as the dazed bandit staggered to the side to avoid the blow, it caught him on the temple and he fell, knocked out cold.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The second bandit dropped Terrence and fumbled with his weapon. Once again, Quill reacted without hesitation or thought. She didn¡¯t stop until the bandit had quit moving. Breathing hard, she still stood at the ready, prepared to strike again if she was required to. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked quietly. Terrence was still staring at the two bloody, possibly dead men. ¡°I think so,¡± he said. Not taking his eyes off the men, he stood up and put his back to the wall. Now that it was quiet, they could both hear Aurelien wailing in the closet. ¡°We should get out of here, right Mom?¡± Whatever fighting spirit had possessed her seemed to return to its hiding place. Quill¡¯s grip slackened and she lowered the weapon. ¡°We should,¡± she stated. Stepping hesitantly backwards, she retrieved her wailing daughter from the closet. ¡°Come on, we should go quickly.¡± ¡°What about our stuff?¡± She paused and looked back at the tent. It would take time to pack it up, time they didn¡¯t have if more bandits were around. But then again, how could they survive unsheltered in the wilderness? The brief sound of gunshots outside made up her mind. No tent was worth their lives. ¡°Grab something light and run. We¡¯ll get the rest later if we can,¡± she said, knowing that Terrence was well aware that they wouldn¡¯t come back. While he was packing, she knelt beside one of the motionless men and gripped the base of his hunting rifle. Blood still poured from the wound on his head, which was much deeper than she¡¯d initially figured. Lord, understand that I¡¯ve only done what had to be done, and forgive me if I have to keep doing it, she thought silently, pulling. With the gun free, she put it away and took one last look at the room. The tent was still set up on the floor, looking as weathered as ever. The fire had died, with only a few embers glowing faintly in the ash. The second man¡¯s rifle was lodged underneath him. As much as it could¡¯ve helped, they didn¡¯t need another ten pounds of dead metal to carry. That was one burden she hoped to keep Terrence from bearing. It was time to go. Outside seemed to be empty of people. Quill checked through the windows and then creaked open the door, stepping out with her children close behind. She peered around the side of the house, seeing nobody. She stepped onto the driveway¡ªwait. There was a truck parked on the road. It was a little ways away, far enough that the engine wouldn¡¯t wake a family sleeping obliviously in one of the houses, and crouching behind it there was a bandit. He was hiding, but clearly not from her. Terrence gripped her arm, noticing it a second before she did. Quill covered her daughter¡¯s mouth and shrank into the bushes, biting back her own scream. The cold feeling that washed over her was entirely unrelated to the night air or rain. Instinctively, she froze. The monster on the road was reminiscent of a centipede, but far larger than a real one had any right to be. It floated ethereally above them, aberrant energy rippling down its myriad segments. Slowly, it made its way down the road, twisting this way and that. Was it listening for them? Looking for movement? The worst part was not knowing whether she should run, hide, or fight. She felt movement at her side. Terrence had gotten ahold of the deer rifle, and he was trying to use it with as little movement as possible. ¡°No!¡± Quill mouthed with horror, clasping his hand. ¡°Why not?¡± he hissed. Because it might kill the creature, and then the bandits would know where they were? Because the creature might be impervious to bullets and they would only draw its wrath? Because she was hoping the monster might just go away? Maybe she was passing up a golden opportunity by not firing. ¡°Just wait,¡± she finally whispered. The monster wove through the air, twisting back and forth in its bold approach to the truck. It would find the bandit soon, and he seemed to realize it, for Quill could see his trembling fingers fumble with his weapon. When he could take the suspense no longer he leapt up, cursing, and opened fire. A chorus of other weapons joined in from their hiding places around the house, making Quill pull her children closer, as ineffective as a shield as her body might be. But through it all the creature hissed, pestered but barely harmed, and still determined to have something to show for its trouble. It dove, snatching for the bandit, and held him by a leg. His two companions ceased firing to flee into the woods. They had few loyalties. Quill scooped up Aure and grabbed Terrence¡¯s hand. ¡°Come on!¡± she shouted. But Terrence stood frozen, and even as she pulled him along, Quill realized that she was looking back too. The monster was still holding the bandit¡¯s leg, and as they watched, it pried off one of his shoes. When it moved to take off the other, he was still screaming his head off. As she ran, Quill¡¯s overloaded mind wished he would stop. The monster apparently didn¡¯t like it either, because after fumbling with the other shoe for a little while, it flipped the man over and snapped his neck. The transition from life to limpness was too easy, too quick. Quill felt the bile rising up her throat, but there was no time for being sick. There was nothing to do but run, fast and fearful, into the woods and the night.