Free Bleak Devotion by Gemma Drazin Page A

from her nose as possible, Jessica held her breath while she finished dusting the corner. When the spot was free from dust, she gasped for air. This time her nose only tickled a little. She stood up and Julie helped her move the chair back into its spot next to the fireplace. Jessica headed for the cleaning bucket, but Julie didn't follow.
    Jessica peeked up at the girl. Unshed tears shone in her eyes. A squeamish feeling struck Jessica. It had been too long since she had dealt with any tears except for her own. She tried to pry open her memories from before the attack, but nothing came to her. Looking at the dirty rag in her hand, she pondered what to do.
    “ Oh”—Julie's voice cracked—“forgive me. I'm so unstable these days.”
    “ It's alright.”
    Julie sniffed.
    “Um, did you want to talk about it?”
    “ Are you sure you don't mind?”
    Though she really did mind, Jessica found herself shaking her head. “If it makes you feel better, go ahead.”
    “It's just that this”—Julie's hand swept around the room and toward the stash of cleaning supplies—“reminds me of how it used to be. You know, when life was normal.”
    Jessica swallowed. When no words came to her, she nodded, hoping it would be sufficient.
    “Do the memories ever overwhelm you?”
    The hollow place in Jessica’s chest suddenly turned to a leaden, pain-filled mass. Her words came out so quietly, she didn't know if Julie would be able to hear her. “Rarely. When they do, I usually see their deaths.”
    Julie quietly gasped. She reached over and rubbed Jessica's arm. “Oh, Jessica.”
    Jessica shrugged and turned toward the bucket of supplies. She knelt down, meaning to grab them and head into the front room, but she didn't move. Little James and cookies came to mind. She absently ran her fingers over the rim of the bucket.
    “I do remember some. My baby brother. His chubby little legs racing for me. But then anything good is overwhelmed by his slaughter.”
    “ You saw it happen?”
    Jessica nodded, unable to make the words form. Instantly, Julie's arms tightened around her. “I'm so sorry, Jessica.”
    “Yeah, well, that's life nowadays.” Jessica cleared her throat. “Didn't you ever, you know, see them killing?”
    “ Yes, but never anyone I knew.”
    “ Were you close to your family?”
    Julie leaned back with a sigh. “Not as close as I would have liked. I put a lot of distance between them when I went to college. Once I graduated and found a job, I bought a house. It was empty without roommates around and it was then I realized I missed my parents. I invited them to stay a couple days at my house so we could get reacquainted.”
    “Did you get to see them before the invasion?”
    “ No.” Julie's lip quavered. “They were on their way to my house when my neighborhood was first attacked. I hadn't a clue what was going on and hid. After watching them for a while, I saw some females. I almost went to them because they looked human, but then I saw who they were with the males. It was then I realized the females were completely flat. Then a girl in the middle of the group tripped and fell on a rock. She cried out in pain. The other females scattered faster than I thought possible and the males—Well, I'm sure you can guess what happened.
    “ I didn't know for a fact then they had to see emotion to kill, but I had a vague idea. Mostly, I knew if they found me they would kill me, too. There was a spot close by my house where I hid, waiting for them to get beaten back. I kept thinking the army would show up any minute and the whole thing would just go away. I planned on still having that time with my family. Sometimes I still expect to see them, but I know they couldn't have survived. I was lucky to survive.”
    “ We all were.”
    “ We still are.” Julie stood, grabbing the bucket of supplies as she did so. “Let's put our good luck to use and get this finished up.”
    Jessica followed her through the hall toward the