The Disaster Diaries: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Apocalypse (4 page)

‘Ha. I think they are going through a rough patch.’

‘Why don’t you ask her out?’

‘Mum...’

‘Listen, Clarissa is a wonderful girl and would make
a great wife. I mean, girlfriend!’

‘I know what you meant. And I know how much you like
Clarissa, but our relationship isn’t like that.’

‘I think you should ask her out, you might be
surprised by what she says.’

‘Okay, Mum.’

‘Let me tell you why you should ask her out.’ This
is generally how most of our conversations ended. My mum had always liked
Clarissa. She was practically like a daughter to her. The two of them always
used to talk for hours on end when she would come over. I understand what my
mother is saying, but Clarissa doesn’t like me like that. I enjoy her company,
she has an amazing personality, she is gorgeous, but she would never go for me
in a million years, would she?

Chapter
Thirteen: God

***

I sat in the field and looked up at the heavens
above. There were one or two clouds, but for the most part the sky was clear.
Out here in the country you didn’t have the blinding lights of the city to
obscure your view. This was why the sky was filled with millions upon millions
of stars. They were scattered across the canvas of deep space. After a while my
eyes grew accustomed to the darkness and I could see those really dull stars
between the constellations. Lucy cuddled up between my legs and rested her chin
upon my thigh. She had enjoyed her evening walk and was now ready to go to
sleep. I would head back in a moment, but I liked being out here. It gave me
time to think. It was hard to believe the world was going to end in only five
days. Looking up at the stars really placed into context how small I really
was. The universe was such a vast and endless thing. Its size was so great that
my mind would never be able to grasp the depth of its existence. I had heard of
sun’s that were so big that our sun was only naught point naught one percent of
its size. Can anyone imagine that? Our sun is this giant ball of fire that is
gigantic compared to earth, but there are sun’s so big that our sun is the size
of an ant compared to it, which means earth is not even visible, but how small
does that make me? And when you think of it like this, why do I get these
dreams? The universe is this grand creation, which is so vast and beyond
understanding, but I dream that the world will end in five days? What is the
point? Why me? Why earth? Why now? Does god exist? Where do these dreams come
from? If there was a God, would he really care about this tiny dot of mud that
floats around within the insanely large universe? It doesn’t make sense.

Chapter
Fourteen: The Dream Returns

***

My heart was beating so hard that it felt like it
might burst out through my ribcage. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. A
cold shiver ran down the full length of my spine. The atmosphere felt so tense
and morbid. The stench of death seemed to hang over me like some kind of
foreboding rain cloud. The edges of my vision were blurred. I glanced down at
my hands. They were dripping in blood. Unconsciously, I wiped my hands against
my shirt. Panic was starting to set it.

‘The end is coming,’ spoke a soft female voice.

I looked into the darkness that surrounded me. It
was like I was floating in deep space. There was nothing around me. I could see
no ground, no sky, no buildings or structures. I was in a black void of
nothingness. A faint click reached my ears. It sounded like someone pulling on
the cord of a bathroom light. A light bulb, appearing to hang from the
darkness, illuminated a small section of the void. My eyes widened with shock.
A sickening sensation filled my stomach. A dead body lay upon the ground. The
head had been crushed. Blood, snot and brain matter dripped out like some kind
of leaky tap.

‘Logan, look what I have.’ said Samantha. My
ex-girlfriend was standing behind me in the darkness. She was wearing a long
white dress. The dress seemed to glow. It was like the very fabric was created
by light. She held a baby within her arms. I could feel my heart breaking, as
the baby cried. I could see its little hands reaching up into the air. I
watched in horror, as tears of blood dripped out of Samantha’s eyes and fell
down upon the baby. This wasn’t anything like normal tears. It was like
watching someone pour a cup of red paint down her face. The baby was drowning
in the blood. ‘I killed my baby for you. It was all for you. I love you,
Logan.’

I jolted myself awake.

I sat up in bed, breathless.

Unconsciously, I wiped the back of my hand across my
cheeks. I was crying? The dream flooded back into my mind. It was like one of
those bad projection films flickering within my mind’s eye. Had that been my
baby? Was my baby alive? Was my baby in Heaven? Why was I seeing this? I buried
my head into the palms of my hands and began to cry.

Chapter
Fifteen: A New Day

***

I looked down at my cell phone, as it rested upon
the living room floor. Exhaling, I lifted my body up to complete my
thirty-fourth push up. My arms were already turning to jelly. It didn’t matter
how much I trained. I simply didn’t have the body for this type of work out. In
the background I could hear the news reporters talking about a low magnitude
earthquake near New Zealand. It was nothing major, but was one of many tiny
tremors they had been experiencing in that region. I get the idea that the news
channel was making more out of this story than there actually was. The other
main headline was the head of a bank resigning, due to pressure in the media,
but being paid a ridiculous bonus in the process. There was going to be some
kind of statement on this situation in the next few minutes.

My cell phone bleeped.

I knelt down on the living room floor and read the
text. It was from Isabella.

‘I am so excited about tonight. I am counting down
the hours.’

Could she get any cuter?

I sent her a message back. ‘We are finally going to
meet. I can’t wait until I kiss you.’

I managed a few more push ups before she replied.

‘I just hope I don’t put you off.’

That just seemed crazy. This woman was gorgeous.

‘How could you possibly put me off? I am going to be
making puppy dogs eyes at you all night.’

A minute or so went by.

‘You are so sweet. I have to head out. See you
tonight xxx.’

I sent a line of kisses back. I still didn’t see
what Isabella saw in me, but I wasn’t going to rock the boat. She was
beautiful, she was funny, she was kind, she was single and she liked me. This
might be my opportunity to move forward with my life. I can finally close the
book on Samantha and the things she put me through.

Chapter
Sixteen: Date Night

***

Lucy disappeared beneath the wooden sty, as I
climbed over it. It took a bit of doing. The ground was slightly moist this
early in the morning. The sun was coming up, but it was still a little bit
chilly. There must have been rain during the night, as the wooden sty was damp
and very slippery. The last thing I needed was the slip off the step and land
in the muddy ditch. I managed to get over with no drama and followed Lucy up an
incline into the forest. My cell phone started to ring. A quick glance at the
screen revealed that the called was Clarissa.

‘Hello.’

‘Good morning, Logan,’ she seemed to sing the words.

‘You are in a good mood today.’

‘I’m always in a good mood,’ replied Clarissa. ‘It
does kind of suck that I am stuck in traffic right now.’

‘You’re already going into work?’ A tinge of
disappointment filled my heart. It would have been nice to see Clarissa today.
I did like being naughty with her.

‘I have to open up this morning. Does that mean you
miss me?’

‘I say nothing.’

‘You do, don’t you? Did you want to be naughty?’

‘I could do with that right now.’

I reached the peak of the incline and followed a
well trodden path into the dense forest. Lucy had her nose to the ground, as
she followed the various smells.

‘I could, too. I love feeling your fingers inside of
me. Just a shame you have your date tonight.’

‘I might be able to go out later.’

‘We could try that, but...’

I didn’t like the sound of that.

‘Aren’t you free?’

‘Tyler called me. I was not sure if I would see him
again, but I agreed to meet up with him tonight.’ I don’t know why, but that
actually bothered me. I know Clarissa and I were not a couple, but Tyler was a
jerk. He was a complete and total asshole. He had this amazing woman that he
treated like shit. I don’t get why Clarissa never learnt, but knowing her they
would most likely end up in bed together. She was a bit of a slut. I think that
upset me the most. I didn’t like the idea of her being with another man. Did
that mean I liked her more than I thought? Maybe my Mum was right.

‘Well, if you are free afterwards we can go out.’

‘That’s if you and your woman don’t end up in bed
together.’

‘I am a gentleman,’ I reminded her.

‘Just keep telling yourself that. Crap, the traffic
is opening up. I will call you later. Bye.’

‘Bye, Clarissa.’

The phone line went dead. Ahead of us I could hear
voices coming down the path. My eyes momentarily widened with a look of horror.
The two teenagers with the big black Rottweiler were walking down the path
towards us. They had it on the lead, but the thing was a walking wall of
muscle. If it wanted to do something there were no way those two kids would be
able to stop it. I clicked my fingers to get Lucy’s attention. My little furry
friend looked up at me and wagged her tail.

‘Let’s go this way, Lucy.’

We stepped off the path and started moving through
the trees. I didn’t like the idea of Lucy going anywhere near that devil dog.
Nobody walked their dogs near that thing. It had a reputation of being a nasty
piece of work. Even the other owners of Rottweiler’s didn’t let their dogs near
it. You could tell with a glance than something was seriously wrong with its
brain.

Chapter
Seventeen: New Opportunities

***

‘Logan, I absolutely love this book,’ said the voice
of the editor. I felt like punching the air in triumph. ‘The character
development in this story is fantastic. The book ticks all the boxes that we
are looking for. I really enjoyed how you started off with such a naughty, but
loving, house wife and turned her into this slutty dark character that would
sleep with her own step-father for money. Step-father stories are very popular
right now, but to have a first person female main character written by a male
author is not something I have heard of. Dance of Deceit is going to be a big
hit. Mark my words.’

‘I am over the moon,’ I replied. ‘I wasn’t sure how
the story would do.’

I shifted my cell phone to my other ear.

‘It is a bit of a big leap from children’s books to
erotica, but I think you made the right decision. The intimate scenes are so
personal and emotional. I was sucked in from the first page. I knew it was
going to be a good book when you introduced the main character. She is such an
innocent woman. She is the type of woman you would meet on the street, or
working in a store, but she has this dark erotic side. I am already a massive
fan.’

It was time to get to the point.

‘What happens now?’

‘Well, the acquisitions manager is away at this
moment in time. She will be back in a day or two. I have already e-mailed her
your book. She started reading it. She is enjoying the story. Everyone in the
office enjoyed the story. The acquisitions manager will have the final say on
the book, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about. This is a great
book. You are a gifted writer.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Just sit tight and we will contact you in a few
days.’

‘Okay. I look forward to hearing from you.’

Chapter
Eighteen: Erotica

***

The hours flew by, but it felt like no time at all.
My novel seemed to be writing itself. I was writing an erotic sequel to Dance
of Deceit. It was going to take place a year or two later, but throw the sexy
main character into a whole new set of conflicts. The first story had really
allowed me to push and develop some of the characters in ways I couldn’t
imagine. Today felt good. The news about the book was positive. The editor had
been raving about this book for a while. I had turned down contracts at two
other publishers, as this publisher had such a fantastic reputation. My future
would be secure when I signed my book deal with them. Once I had my foot in the
door they would sign every single book that I wrote and I had a lot of naughty
stories that I wanted to tell. I don’t know what it was with erotica, but I
just enjoyed writing the stories. It wasn’t the sex. It was the emotional
conflict and seeing how far someone could be tempted before they finally broke.
I liked creating reasons why they wouldn’t give into lustful thoughts and then
watching them fall into a downward spiral of passion and love.