After Tomorrow: A CHBB Anthology

by Samantha Ketteman

  Nora smiled, the darkness beckoning as her vision tunneled and her breathing slowed. The sun had taken all it could from her, the landscape unforgiving. Ironic that I made it through being captured by Landers, only to die from exposure. With one last sigh, Nora allowed the darkness to claim her, the knowledge that Avery would be devastated breaking her heart for the last time.

  Piano Man

  Catherine Stovall

  The End

  Eada Janes

  The apocalypse has come,

  This is our last setting sun.

  The powers to be have all fallen.

  The end is here and death is calling.

  Too many chances were taken.

  Too many precautions forsaken.

  The prophets that we called crazy.

  They are like gods now that the future is hazy.

  War and famine, disease and destruction.

  There is no chance for reconstruction.

  Under smoke and ash filled skies,

  The population weakens and dies.

  Fate has raised its bloody hand,

  Bringing the end to the promise land.

  The chances for survival are slim.

  After tomorrow, hell on Earth shall begin.

  Escaping Rapture

  Jess Watkins

  *This book is written in UK English*

  Chapter One

  All the theories of how the world would end were wrong. It wasn’t because of zombies, a pandemic, overpopulation or even an asteroid. It was because of magic, or rather, the people that had it. They called themselves the Divine. Their attack had been coordinated to happen at the same time all over the world. It took only minutes for thousands of people to be wiped out and all before anyone knew what had happened. Chaos ensued as once thriving cities were turned to rubble and dust, and millions of people died as the Divine claimed control of the planet.

  The leaders had one rule: serve them or die. I chose to do neither, which was why I had hidden in a rundown alleyway hoping that I had escaped the Rapture. The faintly pink cloud didn’t look deadly, but as soon as one of its wispy tendrils shot out and touched skin it was the end – the end of choice and therefore the end of freedom. Anyone touched by a Rapture was left standing where they were, overcome by unimaginable joy, until one of the Divine soldiers came. The hair on my exposed arms stood on end. The Rapture was coming. Cursing under my breath, I scrambled to my feet. I examined my surroundings for somewhere secure to hide but all of the nearby buildings were falling to pieces. I knew I shouldn’t have wandered so far from my hiding spot in an abandoned church, but food was scarce and I didn’t fancy eating rat again. Spying the top of the bell tower in the distance, I sprinted. My legs screamed in protest and strands of my dark hair trailed behind me in the air.

  I rounded a corner only to trip over something, scraping my hands and knees on the rough ground when I landed. It was a corpse. I would have thought that after all the dead bodies I had come across in the year since the takeover, I would be used to them, but my nearly empty stomach still threatened to purge itself.

  The woman had been middle aged and pretty if not for her last expression, which appeared to be one of extreme agony. There was a rumour going around among the survivors that The Divine killed people by ripping away their most treasured memories and replacing them with the deaths of their loved ones, which explained the woman’s face. If I’d had the time I would have buried her under some rubble, instead, I ran.

  The tower loomed closer, but I could feel the Rapture gaining on me. I wasn’t going to make it.

  “Bren!”

  The shout came from above. A figure was standing on the rooftop to my left. Despite the area being more stable, it probably wasn’t a good idea to be that far off the ground.

  “Here! Climb up!”

  A long rope dropped to waist height and I grabbed it without a second thought. I was pulled up quickly but I wasn’t sure it was going to be fast enough – the Rapture was far too close. A hand helped me onto the roof, but it was too late. The magical cloud had followed me up and its tendrils extended towards me.

  A piercing shriek forced me to clamp my hands over my ears as the Rapture imploded, leaving only the slight smell of burning plastic behind. Letting my hands drop to my sides, I turned to the young man crouched beside me.

  “What did you do?” I asked numbly, shocked at what I had just witnessed.

  “I threw some iron filings at it.” Ryan grinned, shaking a container with small, grey pieces of metal inside.

  “Where did you get those?” Iron was the only defence against magic, but it was almost impossible to find since the Divine had destroyed most of it.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he replied evasively while returning the container to his grubby rucksack, reminding me that my own bag was several streets away. I’d ditched it hoping that without it weighing me down, I would be able to escape the Rapture. It had been hard to leave behind since it was the only thing left of my parents’ belongings.

  “Bren.” Ryan dragged me from my thoughts. He was standing in front of me with a hand outstretched as if to help me to my feet. “We need to go before more come.”

  “My name is Brenna,” I told him through clenched teeth, not knowing why Ryan always felt the need to shorten my name. Ignoring the urge to punch him, I accepted Ryan’s help. My dark skin next to Ryan’s light skin made him look even paler than he was. As soon as I was standing, I pulled my hand away.

  “Let’s go then.”

  Chapter Two

  After going back for my bag, Ryan and I went to St. Andrews, the church that had become my home for the past few months. Made of strong enough stone that it was still surprisingly solid and didn’t look to be falling down anytime soon, the inside was sheltered and made me feel cut off from the hellish outside world. I had taken to using a small room toward the back of the building that had several exits and no windows. The fact that it was closed off to the outside was the main reason I’d chosen the room. There was a desk and chair in one corner, with a bookshelf in the other, and a cross hung on the opposite wall. A small part of me hoped that it would protect me but I knew it wouldn’t. The faith that God would save me had died with my parents. The only sign that someone lived in the building was a pile of blankets on the floor that served as my bed. That was where Ryan and I sat down.

  “What were you doing so far away from here?” he asked, placing his rucksack between his legs.

  “Running out of food,” I replied, pulling on the too-big jacket that had been stuffed in my bag. “I didn’t fancy eating rat again.” Ryan’s dark eyes danced in the light cast by the candles I’d lit.

  “I don’t blame you. It’s lucky I saw you when I did.”

  “What were you doing up there anyway?” I wrapped my arms around my legs.

  Shrugging, he avoided my gaze. “It’s safer up above. That way you see them coming.”

  Ryan was lying. He was definitely keeping something from me, but knowing that I wouldn’t be able to force the truth out of him, I changed the subject.

  “Have you been staying nearby?”

  He nodded and was quiet for a moment before adding, “There was this supermarket I found. Speaking of which . . .” Ryan rummaged around in his bag before triumphantly presenting me with a can. I snatched the food away, suppressing the squeal of joy that threatened to escape me. No rat for me tonight! I thought happily.

  “Where did you find it?” I examined the ripped label with interest and learned that it contained baked beans. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had them. My stomach growled in anticipation.

  Ryan chuckled, “Go ahead and eat them. There’s more to go around. I found them in the supermarket.”

  “But I thought . . .” My mouth was too preoccupied to form words as I eagerly found my tin opener which revealed my dinner.

  “There was a stash hidden away in an office,” Ryan told me, a tin of his own in his hands.

  Silence was our c
ompanion as we ate. Savouring every bite, I looked at Ryan from the corner of my eye. Without all the dirt and grime that covered his face he was probably good looking. He had the combination of full lips, a strong jaw and messy hair that whipped girls into a frenzy. Ryan’s nose was crooked, probably from a fight, and his dark brown eyes were warm with a mischievous glint. There was no glint now. In fact, he seemed sad.

  Realising that I had been staring at him for far too long, I transferred my attention to my dinner, silently chastising myself. Just because Ryan was semi-good looking didn’t mean I had to go all gooey on him. This whole messed up world was the reason – the loneliness of living through a Divine Armageddon was getting to me. Part of me wished I had someone but the other part feared losing them to the Divine.

  “Mind if I stay here tonight?” Ryan asked when we’d finished eating.

  “Here?” Confused, I licked the remaining sauce from my bent fork. “I thought you were staying with Sam?”

  Ryan had been staying in a bank with Sam, another survivor, since we’d first met. I had been prowling the streets for food when I’d stumbled across the two of them. Ryan and Sam had offered me a safe place to stay but I didn’t believe in safety in numbers, not after the things I’d seen.

  “Not anymore.”

  When Ryan didn’t elaborate, I sighed. “I suppose you can stay for tonight.”

  “Thanks.”

  He wandered off and I washed my face with some rain water I’d collected before snuggling into my make-shift bed. After a while, Ryan returned and climbed under the blankets with me.

  “What are you doing?” My stomach twisted into a knot and my chest became tight.

  “We’ll be warmer like this,” Ryan replied, sounding amused. “Body heat and all that.”

  Shuffling away from him, I clutched the blanket closer. Having someone so close to me and not knowing that much about them was unbearably awkward.

  His warm breath tickled my neck as he murmured, “Would you prefer it if I faced the other way?” I nodded and with a chuckle, and Ryan rolled onto his other side. “Goodnight, Bren.”

  

  The crack of lightning hitting something nearby jolted me from my sleep. I lay there, heart pounding, as I came back to myself. Tears stained my cheeks and I hastily wiped them away. The nightmare had been the same as always, the moment my whole world came crashing down – the moment of my parents’ deaths. Heavy rain battered the roof and thunder crashed overhead, but it was a snort near my ear that made me jump. I nearly had a heart attack at the sight of Ryan sleeping beside me. His face was uncomfortably close to mine and I noticed the arm slung across my stomach. Gingerly pushing Ryan’s arm off me, I left the bed. I went from room to room, replacing any bowls or buckets that were full with empty ones, or placing them under new leaks. I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep until the storm was over, so I decided to waste some time by going to the top of the bell tower. Ryan was already there. Either I’d waken him or the storm had. I sat down beside him, at the edge of the tower, and watched lightning dance across the sky.

  “He’s dead,” Ryan murmured after several minutes.

  Presuming he meant Sam, I asked, “How?”

  “He said he’d found something, something important, on a roof somewhere. Wanted me to go with him but I said no – I can’t remember why – then he went back out to get it and didn’t come back. They got him, I know they did.” Ryan was understandably distraught. He’d been friends with Sam since before the takeover and Sam had been all he had left from the world before. “I should have gone with him,” he lamented.

  “You couldn’t have known.” I wiped spots of rain from my face. The bell swung slowly back and forth behind us in the wind, fortunately not enough for it to ring.

  Groaning, Ryan’s shoulders slumped and he grabbed at his hair.

  “Hey.” I gently took his hands in mine so that Ryan didn’t do something like pull his hair out. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” I didn’t even believe that myself so I didn’t know if Ryan would. “Let’s go inside.” We were both shaking from the cold and covered in rain. I led Ryan down the many steps and to the makeshift bedroom.

  “That’s better,” I soothed, once we were settled under the blankets. “Now try and get some sleep.”

  Ryan nodded mutely and closed his eyes. I didn’t make him turn away this time.

  Chapter Three

  “I was trying to find whatever it was that Sam found,” Ryan told me as we ate our breakfast. Mine was tinned peach slices, and the sticky syrup kept attaching itself to my chin. “That’s why I was on the roof.”

  “I’ll come with you.” I had nothing better to do and I was intrigued. With a small, grateful smile, Ryan took my empty can.

  “Let’s go then.”

  

  Despite many of the buildings having caved-in, there were still a lot of roofs for us to scour and most of them were close to collapsing so we had to tread carefully.

  “Any idea at all what we’re looking for?” I asked, moving some rubble. When there was no answer, I glanced over my shoulder. Ryan stood close to the edge staring into the distance. “What is it?” Rising to my feet, I brushed my hands on my dirty trousers.

  “I’m not sure,” he muttered, head tilted. “See the central tower?” I followed the direction Ryan was pointing. The high, grey walls enclosed the part of the city that the Divine had claimed. The tower Ryan had mentioned was in the centre of the urban web of dwellings and was so tall it seemed to touch the sky. I couldn’t see the top because a dense cloud was concealing it, a cloud that looked strangely familiar.

  “Is that what I think it is?”

  “A giant Rapture.” Ryan’s voice was grim.

  We’re so screwed. I thought.

  “Looks like they’re tired of picking us off one by one.” My eyes were fixed on the cloud and fear that at any second it would start floating towards us froze me in place.

  My eyes didn’t want to move from the cloud but finding what Sam had discovered seemed a lot more urgent. “Why can’t they be happy with what they’ve got?” Ryan muttered bitterly.

  “People like them,” I replied quietly, “they won’t stop until they’ve taken everything.”

  “It’s not like we can even stop them.”

  If only we could, I thought.

  Ryan seemed to be shaking. Then I saw that it wasn’t Ryan shaking at all, it was the roof. I was thrown onto my side as the building beneath us groaned in protest.

  “Move!” Ryan yelled, scrabbling to his feet. I did as he said and nearly fell over – the roof was now slanted. “We’ve got to jump!” There was only one neighbouring structure that still had a roof, so Ryan and I both ran towards it. We jumped at the same time, but the moment my feet were in the air I knew that I wasn’t going to make it. My fingers vied for purchase on the rough brick but I was already falling. The breath was knocked out of me as I landed on something solid. Gasping and clutching at my painful chest, it took me a moment to note that I hadn’t fallen to my death. I realised that I had probably broken some ribs.

  “Bren! Bren, are you okay?” Ryan yelled.

  Wheezing, I gave a raised thumb in the direction that I thought was up. Once I’d caught my breath and the black spots that were clouding my eyes had disappeared, I could see Ryan peering down at me from the roof.

  “Are you hurt?” His voice trembled with concern.

  “Ribs.” I struggled to get the word out.

  “Stay there. I’ll find a way to get down to you.” Ryan disappeared from view and my lips twisted into a small smile. I’m not going anywhere. I thought.

  Gritting my teeth through the pain, I slowly sat up and rested my back against the wall, then glanced at what had saved my life. I was on the top of a set of metal fire escape stairs. I was surprised but grateful that they hadn’t collapsed under my weight. Looking around, I saw a scratched door leading inside the building to my right, while the stairs on my left led d
own to the street below. The door burst open making me jump.

  “Jeez, Ryan,” I cried, my heart pounding loudly in my chest and ears. “Make some more noise why don’t you?”

  Wrapping me in an unexpected hug that was way too tight for comfort, Ryan pressed his mouth to my oily hair, murmuring, “Thank God you’re alive.”

  “I won’t be for much longer if you keep squeezing me like that.” I gasped.

  “Sorry.” He drew back but stayed close enough that I was sharing his breath. “I’m just so relieved.” Stroking my cheek, he asked, “Where are you hurt?”

  “I ache everywhere, but it’s my ribs that hurt the most. I think I’ve broken at least one.” Ryan gazed at me with watery eyes. “What?” Is my face all beaten up? I wondered.

  “Nothing.” He dropped his hand from my cheek and stood up. “Let’s head back.”

  Taking Ryan’s outstretched hand and slowly getting up, my attention was drawn to the boxes that had been knocked over by Ryan’s entrance. One was on its side and I could see something peeking out.

  “What’s in there?” I asked, pointing at the box once I was on my feet. Ryan scooped up the cardboard, opening the lid. Inside was a small, white cube.

  “Seen anything like this before?”

  “No.” I kept a hand on a nearby railing to stabilise myself.

  “Maybe this is what Sam found,” Ryan whispered, running a thumb across the smooth surface of the cube.

  One of the sides opened to reveal a swirling cloud that could have been a Rapture if it wasn’t black.

  “What is that?” I asked, wary of getting too close.

  “I . . . I’m not sure. It looks like a Rapture but it’s not trying to touch us.” With a glance at the darkening sky, Ryan added, “We should get back to the church.”

  We used the stairs but had to stop every flight so that I could rest. Upon reaching the street, we headed in the direction of the bell tower.