After: The Shock (27 page)
Authors: Scott Nicholson
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
Stephen
coughed again, sending a trickle of unease through Rachel. What if the boy got
sick?
Really
sick?
DeVontay
had dragged a couple of extra mattresses into a top-floor bedroom that had
belonged to one of the dead boys. Then he’d gone outside to look for a shovel,
saying he wanted to give the family a proper burial in exchange for their
hospitality. Stephen didn’t fall for it, and Rachel wondered if DeVontay would
simply stack the bodies in one of the barn stalls like so much cordwood.
Stephen
was bundled under blankets in the dead boy’s bed, staring at the ceiling.
Rachel had found an oil lamp, and its soft, bobbing glow send spooky shadows
along the ceiling.
“Will
the boy’s ghost come back?” Stephen asked. “Will he be mad that I played with
his train set?”
Rachel
brushed Stephen’s uneven bangs from his forehead, casually testing his
temperature. “Of course not. He’s up in heaven, playing with brand-new toys.”
“Is
his family there?”
“I’m
sure they are, honey.”
“Does
he have a doggie?”
“It
wouldn’t be heaven without a dog, would it?” Rachel glanced at the window and
the darkness that settled over the forest. DeVontay had left the pistol with
her and promised tomorrow they would take some target practice with the rifle.
They’d
silently agreed they would stay at the farmhouse for the time being. Rachel was
excited about the prospects of the garden and the meals she could prepare, and
DeVontay said the place could be easily defended if necessary. “Good lines of
sight,” he’d said, as if that didn’t mean having plenty of time to shoot anyone
who tried to approach.
“I
miss Mommy,” Stephen said, staring at the shadows that flickered and danced on
the white ceiling. “I hope she’s in heaven, too.”
“It
wouldn’t be heaven without a mommy, either,” Rachel said. She smiled. Stephen
coughed again, and something in his chest rattled.
Just
the barn dust.
“Tomorrow,
we’ll gather some apples,” she said. “And maybe play in the creek. I saw a
little boat in the closet. Think that will be fun?”
Stephen
nodded and coughed again.
Rachel
thought of the three bodies hanging in the barn. She wondered if the farmer had
hung his pigs there, skinned and salted for curing.
How
long had After preyed on the farmer’s mind? How many times did he tell his
children everything would be okay? How hard had it been to shoot his wife after
she’d changed?
Stephen
coughed again, twice.
What
courage it must have taken. The farmer must have truly believed a better life,
a better world, awaited them. Faith into action, love into purpose.
She
rummaged in her backpack and found it. “How are you feeling now, Stephen?”
He
rubbed his eyes. “Sleepy. And tired.”
She
was tired, too.
She
would tell him to think of his mother, waiting for him. Or would that scare
him? What if he pictured his mother the way she’d been in the hotel, lying on
the bed with the flies roiling around her mouth? What if that stench carried
with him to the next After?
She
recalled the pharmacist’s instructions. First, the antiemetic to prevent him
from throwing up. And then, the Nembutal.
A
glass of clean, filtered water from the creek sat on the desk beside the bed.
Given his small size, three pills would probably be enough.
She
bowed her head and closed her eyes.
Dear Lord, is this merciful?
For
the first time in her life, she felt the question was issuing forth into the
deep vacuum of endless, empty space. A phone call with nothing on the other end
of the line.
She
had never been so frightened.
“Here,
honey, I have something to make that cough go away,” she said, somehow managing
to keep the tremor out of her voice, although her fingers shook as she twisted
open the pill bottle.
“Where’s
DeVontay?” he asked.
“He’ll
be here in a minute. Take this, honey.”
She
gave him the antiemetic, which he swallowed with a grimace. “Yuck. That’s
gross.”
“Drink
this.” She handed him the glass of water and he drank.
She
was about to give him three of the pills when she looked into his face, hoping
to see some sign of peace and acceptance. Instead, she saw Chelsea’s funeral
face, the pale and powdered baby-doll skin with eyes forever closed.
She
tightened her fist around the pills and then flung them toward the corner of
the bedroom, where they rolled across the hardwood floor.
“You’re
right,” she said. “Medicine’s yucky.”
Downstairs,
the door slammed, and DeVontay called up the stairs.
“How
long do I get to sleep in the boy’s bed?” Stephen asked, drowsy now.
“For
a few days,” she said. “Then we’re heading to the mountains where it’s safe.”
“I
thought we were going to Mi’sippi.”
“We’ll
get there,” she said. “We’ve still got a long way to go.”
THE END
Look for the sequel,
AFTER: THE ECHO
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Afterword:
Aside
from doomsday capitalists, hellfire evangelicals, and certain nihilistic
madmen, most of us are not all that eager for the world to end. But the sun
doesn’t care. It is a ticking time bomb that is likely to belch a fatal stream
of radiation at us when we least expect it. And we never expect it, do we?
But
the heat is on. Just check out a few of my research links:
A
solar storm captured
by NASA cameras
"Light bulb"
solar storm
Electromagnetic storms carry risk
Michio Kaku on
solar flare threat
Best-case
scenario, the sun lives to a cranky old age and dies out, turning into a frozen
iceball before the universe collapses. Worst-case scenario is…the
After
series. I hope you will join me for more. Because it
can
get worse.
Speaking
of which (although hopefully it is not my writing that gets worse!), be sure to
look for the sequel,
After: The Echo
, as well as the prequel,
After:
The Storm.
I
am also inviting writers to create their own stories set in my fictional world
and I will publish the best of them in related ebooks (Ground rules:
non-exclusive use and all rights to the characters, world, and intellectual
property remain with me while you own your work. The stories will either be
made freely available or any proceeds go to charity—these won’t be for-profit
endeavovers.) If interested in writing an AFTER story, please email
[email protected].
About
Scott Nicholson:
I’m
the international bestselling author of more than 30 books, including
The
Home
,
The Red Church, Liquid Fear, Chronic Fear, The Harvest, Speed
Dating with the Dead,
and many more. I collaborated with bestselling author
J.R. Rain on
Cursed, The Vampire Club, Bad Blood
, and
Ghost
College
. I’ve also written the children’s books
If I Were Your
Monster, Too Many Witches
,
Ida Claire
, and
Duncan the Punkin
,
and created the graphic novels
Dirt
and
Grave Conditions
. Connect
with me on
Facebook
,
Goodreads
,
Twitter
, my
blog
, or my
website
, or view
my books on Nook
. I
am really an organic gardener, but don’t tell anyone, because they think I am a
writer and occasional survivalist nutjob.
Feel
free to drop me a line anytime at
[email protected]
.
Some of my favorite book
sites:
http://www.freedigitalreads.com
http://onehundredfreebooks.com
http://www.facebook.com/EreaderBonanza
http://www.digitalbooktoday.com
http://www.facebook.com/indiebookpromo
Read these other thrillers because it beats going back to the real
world:
THE HOME
By Scott Nicholson
Experiments at a group home for troubled
children lead to paranormal activity—and the ghosts are from the home’s past as
an insane asylum. In development as a feature film.
Learn more about
The
Home
or view it on
Amazon US
or
Amazon UK
.
CREATIVE SPIRIT
By Scott Nicholson
After parapsychologist Anna Galloway is
diagnosed with metastatic cancer, she has a recurring dream in which she sees
her own ghost. The setting of her dream is the historic Korban Manor, which is
now an artist’s retreat in the remote Appalachian Mountains.
Sculptor Mason Jackson has come to Korban Manor
to make a final, all-or-nothing attempt at success before giving up his dreams.
When he becomes obsessed with carving Ephram Korban’s form out of wood, he
questions his motivation but is swept up in a creative frenzy unlike any he has
ever known.
The manor itself has secrets, with fires that
blaze constantly in the hearths, portraits of Korban in every room, and
deceptive mirrors on the walls. With an October blue moon looming, both the
living and the dead learn the true power of their dreams.
Learn more about the paranormal thriller
Creative Spirit
or view it at
Amazon US
or
Amazon UK
Do you like movies? View the screenplay
adaptation at
Amazon US
or
Amazon UK
DISINTEGRATION
By Scott Nicholson
When a mysterious fire destroys his home and
kills his young daughter, Jacob Wells is pulled into a downward spiral that
draws him ever closer to the past he thought was dead and buried.
Now his twin brother Joshua is back in town,
seeking to settle old scores and claim his half of the Wells birthright. As
Jacob and Joshua return to the twisted roles they adopted at the hands of
cruel, demanding parents, they wage a war of pride, wealth, and passion.
But the lines of identity are blurred, because
Joshua and Jacob share much more than blood. And the childhood games have
become deadly serious.
Learn more about the psychological thriller
Disintegration
or
view it at Amazon
or
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THE RED CHURCH
Book I in the Sheriff Littlefield
Series
By Scott Nicholson
For 13-year-old Ronnie Day, life is full of problems:
Mom and Dad have separated, his brother Tim is a constant pest, Melanie Ward
either loves him or hates him, and Jesus Christ won't stay in his heart. Plus
he has to walk past the red church every day, where the Bell Monster hides with
its wings and claws and livers for eyes. But the biggest problem is that Archer
McFall is the new preacher at the church, and Mom wants Ronnie to attend
midnight services with her.
Sheriff Frank Littlefield hates the red church
for a different reason. His little brother died in a freak accident at the
church twenty years ago, and now Frank is starting to see his brother's ghost.
The Days, the Littlefields, and the McFalls are
descendants of the original families that settled the rural Appalachian
community. Those old families share a secret of betrayal and guilt, and McFall
wants his congregation to prove its faith. Because he believes he is the Second
Son of God, and that the cleansing of sin must be done in blood.
"Sacrifice is the currency of God,"
McFall preaches, and unless Frank and Ronnie stop him, everybody pays.
Learn more about the
real
haunted church
that inspired The Red Church or view it for
Kindle at Amazon
or
Amazon UK
DRUMMER BOY
Book II in the Sheriff Littlefield
Series
By Scott Nicholson
On an Appalachian Mountain ridge, three boys
hear the rattling of a snare drum deep inside a cave known as "The
Jangling Hole," and the wind carries a whispered name.
It's the eve of a Civil War re-enactment, and
the town of Titusville is preparing to host a staged battle. The weekend
warriors aren’t aware they will soon be fighting an elusive army. A troop of
Civil War deserters, trapped in the Hole by a long-ago avalanche, is rising
from a long slumber, and the war is far from over.
And one misfit kid is all that stands between
the town and a sinister evil force…
Learn more
about
Drummer Boy
and the Appalachian legend that
inspired the novel or
view it at Amazon
or
Amazon UK
THE SKULL
RING
By Scott
Nicholson
Julia Stone
will remember, even if it kills her.
With the
help of a therapist, Julia is piecing together childhood memories of the night
her father vanished. When Julia finds a silver ring that bears the name
"Judas Stone," the past comes creeping back. Someone is leaving
strange messages inside her house, even though the door is locked. The local
handyman offers help, but he has his own shadowy past. And the cop who
investigated her father's disappearance has followed her to the small mountain
town of Elkwood.
Now Julia
has a head full of memories, but she doesn't know which are real. Julia's
therapist is playing games. The handyman is trying to save her, in more ways
than one. And a sinister cult is closing in, claiming ownership of Julia's body
and soul . . . .
Learn more
about
The Skull Ring
and False Recovered Memory
Syndrome or
view it at Amazon
or
Amazon UK
Do you like
movies? View the screenplay adaptation at
Amazon US
or
Amazon UK
SPEED DATING WITH THE DEAD
By Scott Nicholson
A paranormal conference at the most haunted
hotel in the Southern Appalachian mountains…a man’s promise to his late wife
that he’d summon her spirit…a daughter whose imagination goes to dark
places…and demonic evil lurking in the remote hotel’s basement, just waiting to
be awoken.
Learn more about
Speed
Dating with the Dead
and the 2008 paranormal conference and inn
that inspired the novel or
view it at Amazon
or
Amazon UK
KISS ME OR DIE
By Scott Nicholson
Richard Coldiron’s first and last novel follows his
metafictional journey through a troubled childhood, where he meets his
invisible friend, his other invisible friend...and then some who aren’t so
friendly.
Richard keeps his cool despite the voices in his
head, but he’s about to get a new tenant: the Insider, a malevolent
soul-hopping spirit that may or may not be born from Richard’s nightmares and
demands a co-writing credit and a little bit of foot-kissing dark worship.
Now Richard doesn’t know which voice to trust.
The book’s been rejected 117 times. The people he loves keep turning up dead.
And here comes the woman of his dreams.
Learn more about
Kiss
Me or Die
and the six people in Richard Coldiron’s head or
view it at Amazon
or
Amazon UK
LIQUID FEAR
By Scott Nicholson
When Roland Doyle wakes up with a dead woman in his motel room, the
only clue is a mysterious vial of pills bearing the label “Take one every 4 hrs
or else.”
Ten years before, six people were involved in a secret
pharmaceutical trial that left one of them murdered and five unable to remember
what happened. Now the experiment is continuing, as Dr. Sebastian Briggs wants
to finish his research into fear response and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Only by taking the mysterious pills can the survivors stave off
the creeping phobias and madness that threaten to consume them. But the pills
have an unexpected side effect—the survivors start remembering the terrible
acts they perpetrated a decade ago. They are lured back to the Monkey House,
the remote facility where the original trials took place, and Briggs has
prepared it for their arrival.
Now they are trapped, they each have only one pill left, and
cracks are forming in their civilized veneer. After the pills are gone, there’s
only one option. “Or else.”
Read about it at
Haunted
Computer
or view it at
Amazon US
or
Amazon UK
CHRONIC FEAR
By Scott Nicholson
Chronic
Fear
is the second installment of the chilling Fear series, which
began with the harrowing
Liquid Fear
. The story picks up one year
after the notorious Monkey House trials, from which the tiny handful of
survivors have scattered in the wind. For while the unwitting human guinea pigs
are still alive, the experimental drugs to which they were subjected continue
to wreak havoc on their emotional stability. World-renowned neurobiologist Dr.
Alexis Morgan knows first-hand the horrors of the sadistic experiment: her
husband, Mark, was one its victims. As a result, he is plagued by unpredictable
bouts of rage and paranoia. Dr. Morgan’s research into the drug leads her to
suspect presidential candidate and U. S. Senator Daniel Burchfield of plotting
to gain control of the drug for his own purposes, a power play that is sure to
result in countless casualties unless she and three Monkey House survivors can
outwit the shadowy figures behind the conspiracy—if they don’t lose their own
sanity first.
Read the first chapter at
Haunted
Computer
or view it at
Amazon US
or
Amazon UK
OCTOBER GIRLS
By Scott Nicholson
Crystal
doesn’t
want to be a trailer-trash witch like Momma. Her best friend Bone is only too
happy to escape the afterlife and help Crystal break the rules.
Then a young movie maker comes to Parson’s Ford,
and he has a very special project in mind: a horror movie starring a real
ghost. The movie is rolling, the creatures are stirring, and the brainwashed
teenagers are ready to welcome a new star from the other side of the grave.
Learn more about the paranormal fantasy
October Girls
or view it for
Kindle at Amazon
or
Amazon UK
CURSED
By J.R. Rain and Scott Nicholson
Albert Shipway is an ordinary guy, an insurance
negotiator who likes booze and women and never having to say he’s sorry.
And he thinks this is just another day, another
lunch, another order of kung pao chicken. Little does he know that he’s about
to meet a little old lady who knows his greatest fear. A little old lady who
knows what’s hiding in his heart.
In just a matter of minutes, Albert’s life turns
upside down and he enters a world where magic and evil lurk beneath the fabric
of Southern California. And all his choices have brewed a perfect storm of
broken hearts, broken promises, shattered families, and a couple of tiny
problems. Namely, killer mice and a baby.
Albert Shipway is finally getting a chance to
right some wrongs. That is, if it's not too late.