Half Dead World: Book One from the Apocalypse Tales by Adrienne Hargrove (little readers txt) 📗

He reaches out and cups my cheek with his hand, and suddenly, instead of pain I am filled with warmth, and instead of fear I am filled with peace.

“There now, that is better.”

“Yes, thank you.” I am little shocked at the sound of my voice. It sounds normal and I am even more confused that I have no pain and I’m breathing normally.

“How did you do that?”

The stranger just smiles. “It is time for me to go, but there is a friend coming, Lucius, will take care of you.”

“But…wait, what about my parents?” He is standing, and again I am looking at his bare feet standing on the broken glass. “Wait, before you go, please help me out of the car.”

“You are no longer trapped, you are free.”

I see his feet walking away. “Wait!” Without thinking I crawl out the car. I’m stunned for a second as I realize how effortless it was for me to get out of the crumpled car. The man is gone, I spin in a circle, but he is nowhere. That’s when I see it, there is hair fanned out on the ground coming from the window I just crawled out of. What the… I crouch down to look and instantly shoot back up, stumbling backwards. It can’t be… this isn’t happening… no, no, no. I stop, stunned, taking in the scene. Our car is crumpled mess filled with blood and glass and the unrecognizable bodies of my mom, dad and…me. The car that hit us is about fifty yards away. There is a hole in the windshield, and it is clear the driver has been ejected. I close my eyes not wanting to see the mangled body of the driver. I look back to our car trying to work up the courage to check on my parents. I reason they must still be alive because they are not here with me and I’m clearly dead. Or maybe…maybe I’m not. Hope flairs. Maybe I’m just having a near death experience. I kneel down to look at my body through the window. “Crap.”

I admit to myself; it doesn’t look good. My eyes are open it doesn’t look like I’m breathing. I move toward the front of the car to check on my parents, hoping that maybe they have fared better than me. I move on hands and knees and stop short when I see a pair of large male feet in sandals that are very similar in style to mine, but without the heel. I stand and cannot help the look of shock as I take in the guy in front of me. He must be a foot taller than me with dark hair and light eyes, I’m not sure what color they are in the dark, but they have a gleam.

“You need to come with me.”

My mouth drops open as I take in his clothes. He is wearing an off-white tunic with thick leather strips sewn together to make a leather and metal belt that hangs low on his hips. The top of the tunic has sleeves that are cut high exposing his well-defined biceps and a good portion of his deltoids. His chest is covered in armor made from leather that is fitted to him like second skin and is studded with metal hobnail. I scan his body from head to leather sandaled feet once more before uttering the only thing my brain could manage to come up with. “What?”

He steps closer, and he speaks slower drawing out each word as if I am a total moron. “You need to come with me.”

Irritated at him for thinking I’m dumb, even though in all I honesty I am clearly behind the curve in this moment. I step closer, standing my ground against Caesar’s personal bodyguard. “What I need is to check on my parents.”

He looks down to me with an expression I can’t decipher. “If your parents are not here, then you should be happy, it means they are at rest. We don’t have much time; the light will fade quickly.”

I look at the car where the steady rain is falling in through the shattered windows, creating a river of blood that is quickly making its way to the half full ditch. Somehow, I manage to ask the question that I’m afraid I already know the answer to. “Am I dead?”

His eyes never leaving my face he nods towards the car. “Yes, to that world you are dead.”

I start to shuffle back, shocked even though I tell myself, you already knew that.

“Haven…Stop.”

“How do you know my name?”

He holds his hands up as if to calm me. “I’ve seen you before. Look, Haven, my name is Lucius. I’m here to help you. I will explain everything, but we must hurry.”

“Lucius…he, said you would come.” The sentence escapes me barely a whisper, but he hears it anyway.

“Who said I would come?”

“I don’t know, the man…he… the one who stopped the pain.”

Lucius stares at me a question forming on his slightly parted lips. Suddenly, he snaps them shut and looks around. “We have to go now!” The urgency in his tone snaps me from my shocked stupor and I decide I have no better option than to trust Hercules.

“Where are we going?” I see relief in his eyes, at my question, and can’t stop myself from adding. “As soon as we get there, I expect the explanation you promised.”

The corners of his mouth just barely tilt up as he nods. “You have my word.” He steps closer and points over my shoulder. “Do you see that darkness moving this way?”

I look at him with eyebrows raised. “You do realize that it is night, the darkness is all around us.”

“No, look harder. First look at your car.” I do as he says. “Now look back behind you again.”

I