by SD Tanner
As she watched her unruly boys continuing to fight, she silently prayed for a girl. Realizing the boys wouldn’t stop fighting on their own, she sighed, and was preparing to go outside and separate them, when Ted and Pop strode over. Ted hauled Ant away from Bob. Pop grabbed Bob by his collar and pulled him to his feet. Both boys were being reprimanded, and would no doubt be sent to clean the stables. She smiled to herself, knowing Pop would spend more time cleaning up after their childish attempts to tidy the large stable. Suitably chastised, the two boys began to walk towards the stable, and Ip pulled a face at Bob as he walked by her scuffing his feet. Mac, who she knew was TL, shook his head and joined his brothers, but she could tell from the way they walked together, they were friends again. With a triumphant look at having escaped their punishment, Ip ran and sat on a wooden swing hanging from a large, leafy and gnarled tree, and began to throw her legs back and forth. She swung higher and higher, until her small sneaker clad feet eventually reached over a large headstone sitting over three graves.
Just as they found their bodies outside the main house, Gears and Ip were buried together, with Pax and TL on each side.
EPILOGUE
The brilliant moon cast a shadowy light across the land, and an outline of the crops, buildings and houses was visible in the gloom. Insects were chirping noisily, and a soft breeze tickled the leaves, causing the crops to sway gently, and they made a soft rustling sound. Under a large, leafy and gnarled tree, the light reflected off a large headstone standing above the mounds of three graves. The middle mound was slightly higher than the two on each side, and someone had bordered the three graves with a row of red and yellow flowers. To the left of the graves was a slatted wooden bench, and to the right, a swing hung low on thick ropes, gently swaying in the breeze.
The earth covering the grave in the middle seemed to shiver, and small clumps of earth shimmied from the top of the mound. Shuddering again, more dirt slipped down the sides, and three dirty fingers with mud encrusted nails reached out of the grave. Deep cracks began to appear in the packed earth on top of the mound, and finally a large filthy hand, attached to a strong muscular arm, stretched out. More earth tumbled as another matching arm appeared, and using both arms to lever himself, the dirt encrusted and large head of a man slowly appeared. Caked in mud, the man continued to claw his way out of his grave, and finally using the wide headstone for balance, he climbed to his feet.
The grave next to him began to shudder, and another hand appeared out of the crumbling dirt. The man turned, and bending low, he grabbed the hand and pulled upward, while using his other hand to clear away the earth. Very quickly a muddy face appeared, followed by the body of a stocky man dressed in filthy ACUs. Both men turned to face the third grave, which was now erupting as another man levered himself from his grave. All three men turned and faced the middle mound, and then they began to dig at the dirt with their bare hands. Finally they reached a body bag, and grabbing the corners, they carefully tugged it from the earth, and laid it gently on the grass, crushing the border of flowers around the grave.
Using his hands like claws, the largest of the three men tore the bag open, and inside was a woman with a shock of dirty blonde hair and a heart shaped face. With her eyes closed, she looked as if she was sleeping and the large man gently stroked her cheek. Her eyes slowly opened, and smiling she pulled his dirt covered face to hers and kissed him.
Still smothered in mud, Pax surveyed the Ranch. “Ranch is lookin’ real nice.”
Standing with his hands on his hips, and watching the crops drifting to and fro in the light breeze, TL asked, “It’s never looked like this. How’s Pop growing crops like that?”
Taking Ip’s hand and pulling her to her feet, Gears briefly glanced around and growled, “Gotta go. We gotta promise to keep.”
In the shadowy light of night, all four figures could be seen walking towards the house.
A brief word from your Author
First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to read all six books in the Hunter Wars series. I genuinely hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as I’ve loved writing about this mad world of good versus evil, but our Horsemen didn’t finish the job, and they’ve got another mission.
Book One of the Eden Lost series, Hidden Evil is now available. I hope you enjoy this next series too. As always, please feel free to drop me a line or leave a review.
Please click on the link for Hidden Evil. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015RVWVMG
Introducing Eden Lost, second series of the Hunter Wars
God has restored earth to its perfect state and the land, sea and skies are now replenished with new life. Everything that should have been has returned, and long extinct species have been granted another turn at life. Man is living free of disease and pestilence, and life is good, but man never copes well without adversity. It doesn’t take long before old grudges are reborn along with the earth itself.
The Devil never dies and neither do his enemies, but they will forever battle for the soul of man and the Horsemen’s job is never done. The young Horsemen are born and being raised as men, but man hasn’t learned his lesson and their small society is already fracturing in the absence of a common enemy. Without the leadership of the Horsemen, the survivors of the Hunter Wars have splintered into smaller groups of settlers, living in towns and communities across a land that has become known as Eden.
Living in the refreshed and fertile world of Eden, it should have been possible for all of these small societies to coexist. The land is rich, the weather is temperate, and food and shelter are easy to come by. With distance from their neighboring settlers, man should be enjoying an unbridled paradise, but the joys of heaven are never appreciated. It is in this perfect world that man hears the whispers of the demons, and Eden is slowly being undone.
Eden Lost is the story about man’s battle against his own worst nature. While man struggles to find a way to live in a perfect world, forces are gathering to deepen the divides between the settlers. Our Horsemen made a promise that cannot be broken, but to make it true they must unite man, or the Devil will have his day.
Please leave a review and follow our blog, twitter or contact me directly.
Blog: www.SDTanner.com
Twitter: @sdtanner1
Email: [email protected]
Author page: www.amazon.com/SD-Tanner/e/B00N7EVC3U
Books in Hunter Wars Series
Book One:
EVE OF THE HUNTER WARS (Purchase Now)
Book Two:
HEAVEN MEETS HELL (Purchase Now)
Book Three:
ARMY OF ANGELS (Purchase Now)
Book Four:
GIFT FROM GOD (Purchase Now)
Book Five:
RIGHT TO RULE (Purchase Now)
Book Six:
CALL TO WAR (Purchase Now)
Books in Eden Lost Series
(Series Two of the Hunter Wars)
Book One:
HIDDEN EVIL (Purchase Now)
Book Two
DEAD ALIVE (Purchase Now)
Book Three
BATTLEFRONT
(Release: 2016)
Books in DNA Series
Book One:
THE LOCKE FILES (Purchase Now)
Book Two
TIME TO DIE
(Release: to be scheduled)
Books in NAVIGATOR Series
Book One:
ENEMY LINES
(Release: to be scheduled)
Visit the website at www.sdtanner.com for news, updates and announcements
Follow on Twitter @sdtanner1
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