Brendan snorted. He was sitting on the end of the couch. Mari was tucked underneath his arm. Josh knew he was about to hear some ranting, and prepared himself.
“Yeah, we all persevered without you, ya dickhead. You ran like a pansy to another country,” Brendan called out loud.
Will snorted. “We should impeach him. Surely all the idiots who voted for him were turned.”
Van rocked the infant in her arms. “Maybe this little girl will be the next president,” she remarked wistfully.
“Of course she’ll be the next president. ‘Cause she won’t be an asswipe,” Will retorted. Van slapped him playfully, then announced she was going to take a nap and put the baby down. Will excused himself and joined her.
After the news program, with more of the president droning on and on about recovery and rebuilding the nation, Josh turned the TV off. He lightly chided everyone to get back to their jobs, whoever had to work that day. Simon and Brendan took off to go do their monthly checks of the trucks while Lisa took the children to do their lessons for the day.
Makayla went into the kitchen for lunch clean-up after giving Josh a kiss and grabbing his ass. Things were heating up between them and he felt soon they would be ready to have a little one. West had even started calling him Dad, something that made Josh experience an indescribable feeling.
Josh returned to his study. He still called it Uncle John’s office because to him it always would be. He stood for a long time at the window that overlooked the backyard. He immediately saw three wooden crosses out by the old oak tree. Two belonged to Uncle John and Peter. The other one was for Nathan. Memories from the last seven-plus years flooded his mind, as they often did when he was in Uncle John’s office. Finally, he sat down and got to work. Life at the compound never stopped, but sometimes you had to take a moment and pay respects to what had come before.
Hours later, he heard a knock at the door. Exhausted, and with a headache he glanced up. Lexi stood against the door frame with a smile on her face.
“Hey, stranger.”
Josh smiled. She looked better than she had when she left. The plague and constant worry about death had worn them all out, even the vampires. Now, she was vibrant, her hair fuller and her skin more glowing.
“Hey, yourself. Come in. Come in.” He motioned for her and she stepped in and took a seat in the recliner that had been Uncle John’s favorite. She wore leggings and a T-shirt, her blonde hair up in a messy ponytail, making her look every bit of her seventeen-year-old self.
“Have you seen Mari yet?”
“No, not yet, but I’m excited to. It’s been a little bit.”
“Well, yeah, longer than any of us are used to. It’s good to see you. How are Sienna, Miguel, and Lukas?”
“Oh they’re all doing well. We all took a trip to Brazil and we’ve been there. Miguel’s family survived, of course. They’ve been staying at their house.”
Josh nodded. “I’ve heard you and Will have taken your fathers’ old positions.”
She nodded with a grin. “Yup. He’s a good man. I gave him my blessing. He’s needed. We plan on staying in South America for a while. He’s got to be my eyes and ears around here. You know, keep everyone in control.”
They were silent for a while. Lexi got up and looked out the same window Josh had been at hours before. “I think about him a lot. More so than any human I’ve ever met. Well, except Mari, of course.”
Josh stood next to her. She was talking about Uncle John.
“He reminded me of my father,” she went on. “A natural-born leader, but with a heart of gold. Both smart asses and set in their ways, but with open minds as big as the sky.” She dropped her head for a moment and sniffed. “I miss them both so much.”
She turned her body towards him and reached her hand out to his shoulder.
“I just want you to know that I am so thankful for you. You were always open-minded about us. And you helped us so much more than we helped you. When all this started, I had no idea that this is how we would end up. Miguel and I had determined our fate to be with the rest of the human race. We were doomed, we thought. Then you and Will,” she paused and shook her head. “You two were our saving grace. We survived. Thank you.”
For the first time in all the years he had known her, Josh wrapped his arms around Lexi’s small frame and pulled her in for a hug. She was cold, and it was weird at first, but she smelled of vanilla like Myra, and his body relaxed.
“Thank you, Lexi, for all that you did. You’re a great leader, and I’m glad we found each other,” he murmured.
They released each other and she walked to the door. “I’m going to go find my favorite girl. I’ve missed her.”
Josh smiled and waved a hand. “Come say bye before you leave.”
“Will do.”
Minutes later, he heard Mari’s excited squeals and laughed to himself. He sat down at the desk and a piece of paper caught his eye. It was in Uncle John’s familiar writing, a paper torn from a notebook. It was a letter to him that he had never seen before, dated a week before he had passed. He began reading it.
Dear Josh,
Never in my life would I have imagined that the end was near. But it is, and there is not a damn thing I can do about it. But I have lived a good life. An ordinary life. Not a celebrity or any of that mess, but my life was still important.
So have you. You saved my nephew and great-niece, and your friend. You opened the doors to change when you invited the vampires with you.
I know that once I’m gone and whatever happens in the world that you’ll take care of my place. Of the compound. I have faith in you. And I’m proud of you. You’re an ass-kicker, just like me.
Uncle John
Josh folded up the note and took out the whiskey and shot glass he kept in the cabinet next to the desk. He filled his shot glass and went to the window once again.
He raised it up and whispered aloud, “Damn right, Uncle John. Damn right.”
The End
Acknolwedgements
My first thank you goes to God who gave me the strength and ability to write this book in exactly one month. “Because He bends down to listen I will pray as long as I have breath.” Psalm 116:2.
My second thank you goes to my husband who might love this story more than I do. You were the brains behind it and I truly appreciate all that you did to help me make Midnight Outbreak real. I love you.
The rest of my thank you’s go to the members of my street team Brandy’s Babes: Mama, Mari, Andrea, Lisa, Kristina, Courtney, Wendy, Erica, Heather, Kimberly, Miracle, Darian, Megan, Jenee, Lou, Vanessa and the two honorary members Lexi and JJ. Thank you for helping me share Midnight Outbreak with the world.
Much love to Mari who is truly a blessing. xoxox
Thank YOU for reading this!
Brandy
Please enjoy this teaser from...
The Blind World
by
M. C. Rohweder
While I wait for Cole, I sit on the porch, my legs curled up beneath me. I have the reading assignment next to me on the stand I never brought back inside after the dinner I had with Cole.
Just when I decide to get a head start, I hear a car pull up. He’s early, I think. But when I look up, I see Caleb’s Audi parked in my driveway. I can’t contain my smile at the sight of him.
As he steps out of his car, wearing the same suit he was wearing the day we met, I slip my feet into my sandals and spring up from my chair to walk over to him. “Hi!” I say, waving a little.
“Sorry to drop by with no notice,” he says, leaning back against the car casually.
I wave off his apology. “It’s fine. How was your day?” I ask.
He shrugs, a smirk appearing on his face. “It was fine,” he says. Then, he lif
ts up his hand and beckons me toward him with the crook of his index finger.
My smile widens without permission and I move closer to him, stopping about three steps away. Caleb shakes his head, biting his lower lip, and motions for me to come even closer. I do so, stepping right up to him.
Before I can say anything, he slips his arms around my waist and leans down to kiss me solidly on the lips.
I know I said I wanted to wait, but damn! I can’t help but kiss him back, heat coiling low in my belly. Soon, his tongue begs for entrance, swiping along my lower lip. The moment I allow the kiss to deepen, he turns us around, gently pinning me back against his car.
When he pulls away, I sneak in a breath and shake my head. “Come back here,” I mumble, winding my hands around his neck. This time, he presses against me even harder, reaching down to grip my thigh in his hand.
Not even ten seconds later, someone clears their throat behind Caleb.
“Uh, excuse me.” The newcomer’s voice is gruff with barely-concealed annoyance. I know that voice… Cole! I completely forgot because Caleb showed up.
Caleb steps away from me with a pained expression on his face. He angles himself toward Cole, who is holding two plastic bags, one from Tropical Smoothie and the other from Cold Stone Creamery. His backpack is slung over his left shoulder.
As he takes in Caleb’s face, Cole’s eyes widen in an unusual mixture of fear and anger.
“I’ll let you go,” Caleb whispers. He sounds amused, though I don’t know what’s funny about this.
“Okay,” I murmur back. My arm brushes against him as I go to pass him, and he grabs it gently. When I turn back to see what he wants, he ducks his head and presses his lips against mine.
“Until next time,” he whispers against my mouth.
About the Author
Brandy Jeffus Corona has always been a writer, even before she could wield a pen. She would dictate her stories to her mom, who would type them on a typewriter. Thus began Brandy’s love affair with the written word.
She is a wife and a mother to two awesome kids. Her best friend in the world is her mother. She’s a true Texan, loving the Cowboys even when they suck, and uses the words ‘y’all’ and ‘fixin’ to’.
She reads more than she writes, volunteers at church, her children’s school and with Girl Scouts and sometimes she spends too much time on Facebook.
You can find here here:
www.brandyjeffuscorona.com
bookwormbrandy.blogspot.com
www.tsu.co/brandyjcorona
Twitter:
@bcorona09
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/brandyjcoronaauthor
Midnight Outbreak Page 16