Emma peered up at Juan. “Daddy One?”
“Juan sounds like ‘one’ to them,” he answered with a grin.
“Daddy One is cool.” Rising, Emma felt just a bit dizzy. It was all too much. There were people still alive, flourishing, and creating new families.
Tiny, sweaty fingers slid around her hand. Looking down, she saw the little boy smiling up at her.
“I like you.”
“I like you, too.” Emma squeezed his chubby hand.
“She said you’d be nice,” Troy said with a conspiratorial smile.
Blinking rapidly, Emma said, “Who said I would be nice?”
Beside her, she saw Juan shift with abrupt nervousness.
“The lady that saved me and my sisters. She’s pretty. She’s an angel.”
“An angel?” Emma felt her face going numb as her stomach fluttered.
“She doesn’t have wings. Not yet.”
Feeling abruptly faint, Emma staggered on her feet. Juan caught her arm and gently guided her to a bench. Troy persistently held onto her hand and slipped onto the seat next to her.
“You okay?” Juan asked worriedly.
“Yeah, just...” Emma shook her head. “Feeling a little overwhelmed.”
“Me, too,” Juan admitted, squinting slightly.
Troy grinned up at Emma, swinging his legs. “You’re pretty. Like a princess.”
Pressing her lips together, Emma found it hard not to cry. “Why thank you, Troy. That’s so sweet of you to say.”
“Aunt Katie had a baby. She’s real little. Her name is Bryce. Do you want to hold her?”
“Maybe in a little bit.” Emma took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She was surprised to hear Juan mirroring her action. People were still having babies. Creating new life. There was still hope in the world.
Juan and Emma exchanged glances.
“A whole town, huh?” Juan said after a beat.
Emma nodded.
Juan tilted his cowboy hat on his head, folded his arms over his chest, and leaned against the back of the bench. “Yep. You belong here.”
Across from them, a small memorial garden drew Emma’s attention. On a wall were photos of people, letters, and cards. One photo stood out among the rest. It was a Polaroid shot of a woman with long black hair and beautiful dark eyes. Standing, Emma timidly approached the wall. Troy shadowed her. When the little boy pointed at the picture, she wasn’t surprised.
“That’s Jenni. She saved me and my sisters. Then she told us that Daddy One would be our new daddy when she got to be an angel. She was Daddy One’s girlfriend.”
“Jenni,” Emma breathed reverently. Tears flooded her eyes as she lightly touched the clear plastic cover that protected the memorial. “Jenni.” Sensing Juan behind her, Emma looked up at him questioningly.
“She did die saving the kids. She died saving a lot of people. But even though she’s dead, she tends to still save people, doesn’t she?” His voice was rich with emotion, both good and bad. His green eyes met hers steadily.
“Yeah, she is.” Emma felt Troy’s hand taking hers again.
“I thought so,” Juan said, nodding slightly.
Standing before the memorial, Emma raised her head to stare up at the hotel that would now be her home.
Almost timidly, Juan placed a hand on her back.
“Let me show you your new home,” he said at last.
“Home,” Emma breathed, loving the sound of it.
“Home,” Troy said with an all-knowing nod of his head.
Together, they walked into the hotel.
Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Tor is reissuing all three As the World Dies novels. You may contact her by sending an email to [email protected] or visit her online at rhiannonfrater.com. You can find out more about the As the World Dies trilogy and world by visiting astheworlddies.com.
–Author photo courtesy of
Mary Milton
As The World Dies Untold Tales Volume 3 Page 16