by Lynn Lamb
I knelt down next to him, with the tears that I had begun for Lizzie and her family finally defrosting enough to run down my cheeks.
“Get Malcom, no other doctor,” I ordered Mark.
“Now who is the one lying on the floor?” I said with a sniffle. Mark stayed by the front door, giving directions to someone over the walkie.
“Heh, you got me there,” he said, almost inaudibly.
“Don’t you die on me, you son of a bitch,” I said without meaning to swear at him.
“Language,” was all that he was able to get out at first. And then he said, “We thought we would redecorate while you were gone. What do you think of what we’ve done to the place?”
“Lovely,” I said, smiling down at him. “You’ve done wonders with it. Remind me never to leave again.”
He was trying to smile, but he didn’t even have enough energy for that.
“Jackson, I need to know something,” I said believing this would probably be the last time I would ever get to ask him anything. “Why me? Why did you think that I could lead here?”
He just lay there. His eyes began to stare and my heart dropped.
“Jackson,” I screamed at him, slapping his face.
“Hey, that hurt,” he said. I let out a loud breath of exasperation. “Kick a man while he’s down, why don’t ya? I was thinking.
“I knew from the first time I heard you trying to organize those cockamamie clubs of yours. At first, I thought that you would make a good secretary for me.”
“Ah,” I accidently let out.
“Just wait, I’m not done. Even when we were locked up in our houses, you were able to bring people together. But it’s more than that. I am a man of war, and you are a woman of peace. We are on the brink of extinction because we only knew how to fight. But you are different, Laura. You are extraordinary. You understand humanity like no one I have ever met. I have always underestimated the power of humanity. But not you, not ever. Even after all that we have seen, you still believe in people. Now, you have to believe in yourself and do what you have to do. Laura, you have to get everyone out of here and to the Valley.”
The flood gates of my tears erupted. “I know, but not without you, Jackson.”
“Good, because I’ll be pissed if you leave me behind,” he said. “Ppppt, try and get rid of me… and no more spray painting the wall, either.”
~~~
Malcom rushed past Mark and pushed me to the side. He and Billy got Jackson into the jeep and started towards the hospital.
The snow was coming down heavily, and from my vantage point on the Gianluca’s porch I could see, just above their graves, that the fires that began under Mother Nature’s forces were now being dowsed by those same powers.
The End
Final Notes
Dear Reader ,
Thank you for reading The Survivor Diaries, Monte Vista Village, Book I.
This story has been with me for quite some time and was ready to climb out of my fingertips onto the blank pages. This is my first novel, and it has been a true labor of love. In college, I studied journalism before switching to Film. My dream is still to write and direct the Great American Documentary.
Sounding familiar? Yes, you are right. Laura is also a filmmaker. The main character is based on my life, but we are different in many ways, too. One other thing we have in common, though, is that we both have a love of apocalyptic fiction. Mine started with books like The Handmaiden’s Tale and movies like The Postman and before that, disaster movies like The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake and the Towering Inferno.
If you have enjoyed this novel, you don’t want to leave your favorite characters just hanging. I’ll let you in on a little secret; Jackson was supposed to die in that devastating fire, but I couldn’t kill him off. He grew on me. He was not supposed to be one of the main characters, either, but he insisted; just like he insisted on the love triangle that started to form on the pages right before my eyes.
Please let me know what you think by leaving a review:
http://www.amazon.com/SurvivorDiaries-Monte-Vista-Village-ebook/product-reviews/B00HUHVWZS/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=byRankDescending. Positive reviews are an author’s bread and butter, so I thank you in advance for your time.
In order to stay tuned with what comes next, please like my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thesurvivordiariestalk.page.
Also, visit www.thesurvivor-diaries.com for great extras such as upcoming book releases, character bios, and more. Leave me your email address and I will send you updates, too.
If you would like to reach me, my email address is: [email protected]
One final note: remember that our earth is our only home, so please live everyday knowing that we must protect it and all of our neighbors who dwell here.
Again, I appreciate your time reading The Survivor Diaries, Monte Vista Village, and I hope that you will continue to read on through the end of the series.
Sincerely,
Lynn Lamb
The Beginning at the End of the World,
Book II of The Survivor Diaries Series
For every end, there is a beginning.
Growth must happen— so says Darwin, anyway. I’m Laura, and my Villagers and I continue to make our way through the decay of post-apocalyptic, Coastal California, during the nuclear winter and fallout of the Last War.
The earth is enraged and seeking revenge for our trespasses— with left over surprises in the rubble of our city, dormant can’t rest forever.
When the Plague runs murderously through my Village, and lives and psyches continue to be pushed to their limits, I’m faced with a gut wrenching decision. But are the Villagers ready to take the risk and leave this catastrophic reality for what could be a worse unknown? Should we follow the ambiguous motives of Colonel Jackson?
Growth is hard, but stagnation means certain death.
Links to eBook
Acknowledgements
I need to thank my family, first and foremost, for inspiring the characters in the novel. My husband has been so supportive of me trying new avenues for my creativity. Thank you so much to my mother, brother, and nieces for being such characters.
Thank you to my editor, Jason Weddell, for taking on this gig. I appreciate your help.
And I can’t forget my second editor, Susan Hart. She is wonderful. If you are interested in her editing services, you can reach her via e-mail at: [email protected].
Before Jason and Susan, there was my good friend Hatai, who talked with me for hours and hours about the characters and events as they started to emerge. I also want to send out great thanks to my friend Megan for her help in editing and all of her support from the minute I announced that I had written a book. I am lucky to have people in my life who lift me up so that I am brave enough to follow my dreams.
And, of course, thank you all for reading; for what is a book without readers? Just a pile of electronic files, and that’s all.